Iconic radio station 650 AM WSM is gearing up to kick off a new series of midday shows hosted by award-winning artists on March 15. The three weekly one-hour shows hosted by Dierks Bentley, Pam Tillis and Jim Lauderdale will air Monday through Wednesday at 2 p.m. CT. The shows can also be heard online at www.wsmonline.com or as podcasts via iTunes.

The shows will feature the artists’ favorite songs in a mix of Country, Bluegrass and Americana genres, and will also include in-studio guests. Bentley leads off on Mondays with his show The Thread, followed on Tuesdays by Tillis and her Lettin’ My Roots Show, and Lauderdale on Wednesday with The Jim Lauderdale Show.

A variety of guest artists and WSM favorites will take the mic on Thursdays. Old Crow Medicine Show’s Ketch Secor will guest host the first Thursday show March 18, while Diamond Rio’s Dana Williams follows March 25.

“Putting this radio show together is the most fun I’ve had in a long long time,” says Bentley. “I named it ‘The Thread” because it’s my chance to go back to all the music that influenced me…it’s the artists and songs that tie us all together as a genre. I get to pick the music, tell stories and do just about whatever I want with that hour…it’s anything goes. 650 AM is a country music institution…I’m proud they agreed to put me on the air!” Get a sneak peak of The Thread.

Country Radio Broadcasters, Inc. is reporting a 3.5 percent year-to-year increase in attendance for CRS 2010 which closed on Friday (2/26).

This year’s CRS 2010 total attendance was 2,181, with 1,576 full registrants (attendees, exhibitors, panelists and sponsors) and 605 participant registrants. Participant registrants represent attendees that register for individual events or single day passes, but not the full three-day seminar. Last year’s CRS 2009 total attendance was 2,106.

“We are extremely pleased that CRS 2010 not only met our expectations, but exceeded them this year in many ways,” says CRB interim Executive Director Bill Mayne. “The attendance, sponsorship, participation, and enthusiasm were especially heartening. The level of artist talent was stellar, and the radio agenda panels were thought provoking and relevant. We were encouraged to see the Country Radio industry really get behind this year’s seminar, and our attendance figures show that. Every participant had the opportunity to walk away with valuable resources, relationships and ideas, and we look forward to continuing to improve the CRS experience as we move forward with this event for many more years to come.”

Several changes to the CRS agenda committee and CRB board of directors have been announced, including the creation of an additional CRS Co-Vice Chair position.

The newly elected CRB board officers and CRS agenda committee members are as follows:

CRB President: Mike Culotta (WQYK, Tampa, Fla.)
CRB Vice President: R.J. Curtis (Arista Nashville, Nashville, Tenn.)
CRB Secretary: Carole Bowen (WKIS, Miami, Fla.)
CRB Treasurer: Jeff Walker (The AristoMedia Group, Nashville, Tenn.)
CRS 2011 Agenda Chair: John Paul (Dial Global, Denver, Colo.)
CRS 2011 Co-Vice Chair: Clint Marsh (Talking Stick Communications, Warsaw, Ind.)
CRB 2011 Co-Vice Chair: Annie Sandor (Curb Records, Nashville, Tenn.)

“We feel it’s important to emphasize the sales side of Country radio at CRS 2011, so we have added another Vice Chair position to our agenda committee,” says Agenda Chair John Paul. “With the addition of Clint Marsh, we now have a Vice Chair who comes from the General Manager side of things, while the other Vice Chair, Annie Sandor, comes from the label/promotion side. With my experience in programming, we have nearly every angle of our business covered as we begin planning CRS 2011.”

The newly elected CRB board members are Jim Asker (All Access, Nashville, Tenn.) and Charlie Morgan (Emmis Communications, Indianapolis, Ind.). Both will serve three-year terms on the CRB board, along with re-elected members Becky Brenner, Joel Burke, Mike Dungan, Renee Leymon, Mike McVay, Joel Raab and John Zarling.

Continuing their terms on the CRB board are: Tom Baldrica, Carole Bowen, Natalie Conner, John Crenshaw, Mike Culotta, R.J. Curtis, David Haley, Clay Hunnicutt, Keith Kaufman, Scott Lindy, Bill Macky, Michael Osterhout, Royce Risser, Denise Roberts, Tim Roberts, John Shomby, Jeff Walker and Rusty Walker.

CRS 2011 will be held March 2-4, 2011, at the Nashville Convention Center in Nashville, Tenn. Visit www.CRB.org for more information.

The music at Country Radio Seminar is abundant.

Taylor Swift “and friends” capped the festivities on Tuesday (2/23) with a Music City Jam at the Convention Center. The “friends” turned out to be Gloriana and Julianne Hough. Taylor was presented with a plaque for 10 million units sold.

On Wednesday (2/24), UMG brought out almost its entire roster (minus Shania and Strait) to the Ryman. As “ringmaster” Royce Risser explained, everybody got one song, performed acoustically. Jamey Johnson drew a standing ovation for his “That’s Why I Write Songs, as did Vince Gill with a moving “Bread and Water.” Among the newcomers, both Randy Montana and Mallary Hope won over fans. Ryan Bingham sang his Oscar-nominated “The Weary Kind” from the acclaimed film Crazy Heart.

The 18 performers also included Lee Ann Womack, Easton Corbin, David Nail (singing powerfully), Ashton Shepherd, The Randy Rogers Band, Sugarland, Gary Allan, Josh Turner, Billy Covington, the aforementioned Julianne Hough, Laura Bell Bundy, Josh Kelley and Coldwater Jane.

That night (2/24), Rascal Flatts saluted country radio with a party celebrating the group’s 10th anniversary. The most emotional moment was bringing Marty Raybon on stage for “Church on the Cumberland Road.” It was a lovely, heart-tugging gesture. Several stations were recognized for supporting Rascal Flatts. It turns out that KBEQ in Kansas City was the first to play “Prayin’ for Daylight,” the band’s debut single. Meanwhile, Lady Antebellum was entertaining a packed house at the Hard Rock (2/24).

The CMA research study was unveiled Thursday morning (2/25). Country music buying is down 28%. The number of country fans is slightly down, but the ones we have are listening to radio longer and want the playlists to be less repetitive (hello!).

The CRS exhibit hall is now an exhibit hallway, outside the Renaissance Ballrooms. There can’t be more than a couple dozen booths up there, so it looks pretty sad.

Working the Convention Center (2/25) were Jack Ingram, Lynn Anderson, The Harters, Veronica Ballestrini, Burns & Poe, Adam Fisher, The Jane Dear Girls and Gwen Sebastian. Sharon Eaves had Bryan White in tow. He has a new CD titled Dustbowl Dreams and in April will be showcasing at Birdland in Manhattan along with Gary Burr and Victoria Shaw.

Clay Underwood has news, too. He has signed a song publishing deal with Mike Hollandsworth and Full Circle Music. The new duo Mollie & Jackie is putting out a single to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Titled “You Can’t Say Love Enough,” it features a bunch of celebrity guest vocalists, including Larry Gatlin, Dolly Parton, Wayne Newton, Bill Anderson, Steve Wariner, Mark Collie, Cowboy Troy, Heidi Newfield and Heartland.

Thursday’s Sony luncheon (2/25) was turkey and dressing with all the trimmings. Skip Bishop hosted. Danny Gokey sang splendidly on the rocking, soaring “My Best Days Are Ahead of Me.” Just before he competed on American Idol, Danny’s wife died. It turns out that so did the wife of his single’s co-writer, Kent Blazy. So this song has special meaning. “I’m excited about life again,” explained Danny, dedicating “I Will Not Say Goodbye” to his late spouse.

Brooks & Dunn announced that the finale concert of their Last Rodeo tour will be in Nashville on August 10 and that its proceeds will go to the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum. The organization’s Kyle Young lauded them as “good citizens.” The duo answered audience questions and told highly amusing anecdotes about The Rolling Stones, souvenir photos and a grease-spewing smoke machine.

After they exited, Alan Jackson walked out unannounced, saying, “How y’all doin?’” He asked for the house lights to be turned up so that he could see everybody. “These are hard for me, these luncheon things,” he drawled, recalling when he played for the Ramada Inn Sunday brunch crowd for four hours for $25. “I just thought about that. Today, I don’t even get $25.”

His relaxed yet moving set included “Here in the Real World,” “Good Time,” “Little Bitty,” “Remember When” and “Livin’ on Love.” After performing “Mercury Blues,” he told the crowd that a then-unknown Keith Urban was in its video, playing guitar. He introduced a new tune titled “God Bless the Working Man” and asked the audience for requests. “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” and “Song for the Life” ensued. During “Chattahoochie,” he tossed guitar picks to the delighted crowd. He dedicated his finale, “The Way I Am,” to Merle Haggard.

“I want to say, seriously, I know how lucky I am,” said the eternally humble superstar.

Last night (2/24) Rascal Flatts’ Gary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus and Joe Don Rooney gathered at Nashville’s Renaissance Hotel to relive the band’s favorite memories with country radio and celebrate the hundreds of programmers and on-air talent who have been a part of their ascension on the charts over the last ten years.

The band members took the stage and gave a special acoustic performance for the more than 300 assembled radio guests. Highlights included a rendition of Shenandoah’s “Church On Cumberland Road” with Marty Raybon along with their own version of “Jessie’s Girl” called “Bubba’s Girl,” which they created during their thirteen-week radio promo tour in 2000.

After looking back at photos from the band’s first ten years recalling memories from early gigs, LeVox declared, “The reason we’re here is because you gave us the chance to do all that. Thank you country radio for an amazing first ten years in the business.”

As the evening wrapped, Rascal Flatts honored several country radio stations and programmers who supported Rascal Flatts’ music over the last ten years. Celebrated for most radio airplay were WQIK/Jacksonville, WTQR/Greensboro, and KUBL/Salt Lake City. WCOL/Columbus, KNIX/Phoenix and WKHX/Atlanta were honored for the most spins for the band’s first single, “Prayin’ For Daylight” while KBEQ/Kansas City received the designation of being the first radio station in the country to play their debut single. All honorees received a custom Rascal Flatts 10-year commemorative Les Paul guitar.