iHeartRadio Country Festival Debuts In March

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iHeartCountryFestival2014Clear Channel Media and Entertainment announced today (Jan. 8) the first-ever iHeartRadio Country Festival. Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean, Florida Georgia Line, Eric Church, Lady Antebellum, Hunter Hayes, Carrie Underwood, Jake Owen and Dan + Shay are on the line up for the event at Austin’s Frank Erwin Center on Sat., March 29. Nationally-syndicated Country music personality Bobby Bones will host.
“The response to our country performers at the last three iHeartRadio Music Festivals was so incredible we decided to create an entire show just for them,” said John Sykes, President of Clear Channel Entertainment Enterprises. “It will be a country fan’s dream and a testament to the power of country music and recognition of the stature of these artists.”
Clear Channel will launch a six weeklong nationwide promotion Mon., Jan. 13, giving fans the opportunity to win a trip to Austin for the festival. The promotion will run across more than 120 Clear Channel Country radio stations as well as on iHeartRadio. Tickets go on sale to the general public Jan. 18 at 12 p.m. EST.
“Country music is experiencing an unprecedented explosion of popularity with music fans across America, and there’s no better way to celebrate that than by building on the incredible success of our annual 2-day iHeartRadio Music Festival and creating the biggest dedicated multiplatform event ever featuring the biggest stars in Country music,” said Tom Poleman, President of National Programming Platforms for Clear Channel Media and Entertainment. “The core of our business is the bond our local stations have with our listeners and an important part of that is to give them extraordinary events no one else can provide.”
The iHeartRadio Country Festival will stream live on Clear Channel’s Country music radio stations in the local markets and on iHeartRadio.com. More artists will be announced soon.
Clear Channel Media and Entertainment serves 150 markets through 840 owned radio stations.

Hunt Named President of McVay/Cook & Associates

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Phil Hunt


McVay/Cook & Associates has hired veteran programmer Phil Hunt as the organization’s new president, according to Inside Radio.
Hunt spent 14 years working as a consultant at Rusty Walker Programming. He has more than three decades of programming experience, with much of that time spent at Country radio, including work at stations WUSN (Chicago), WKKT (Charlotte), WSSL (Greenville), WKHK (Richmond) and KSSN (Little Rock). He joined Clear Channel as Sr. VP of Programming in 2002, and left in 2011 to create Hunt Media, LLC.
Hunt’s new role comes after former McVay/Cook & Associates president Charlie Cook joined Cumulus Media’s Nashville cluster as operation manager. Both namesakes for McVay/Cook & Associates are now working at Cumulus. Mike McVay works as Sr. VP at Cumulus.
“Our combined resources will give our present clients unmatched experience and perspective with the programming challenges of 2014,” Hunt said in a statement regarding his new role.

Thomas Named Silverfish Media’s Programming Director

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thomas

Patrick Thomas


Patrick Thomas has been added as Programming Director for Big D and Bubba’s new venture Silverfish Media.
Thomas began working in radio at age 18, and previously worked for Gulfstar Communications and Premiere Networks.
Thomas can be reached at [email protected]

'CMT After Midnite With Cody Alan' Books Swift, Brooks, Hayes

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garth brooks11

Garth Brooks


Garth Brooks, Taylor Swift, Zac Brown Band and Hunter Hayes are all scheduled to drop by for the launch of CMT After Midnite with Cody Alan. The syndicated Premiere Networks show will kick off with CMT personality Cody Alan as its new host on Monday, Jan. 6, from midnight-6 a.m. ET.
The show will reach nearly two million weekly listeners on more than 200 radio stations. The show will originate from the CMT Radio studio in Nashville and will be available on iHeartRadio.
Alan has more than 20 years’ experience on the air, along with TV hosting duties as co-host of CMT Hot 20 Countdown.

Cumulus Media Appoints Charlie Cook as OM for Nashville Cluster

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Charlie Cook


Cumulus Media, the largest pure-play radio broadcaster in the United States, announces the appointment of Charlie Cook as Operations Manager for the company’s Nashville cluster of stations. Additionally, Cook is named Program Director of Country-formatted 95.5 FM WSM and 103.3 WKDF.
As Cumulus/Nashville Operations Manager, Cook will oversee 95.5 FM WSM and 103.3 WKDF, Urban 92-Q, Super Talk 99.7 and Sports station 104.5 The Zone.
Cook’s new role with Cumulus/Nashville marks his return to the company, having served as VP/Programming for Cumulus’s 61 Country format stations from 2006-2008. Cook returns to Cumulus with more than 35 years of radio industry experience, most recently as VP/Programming for West Virginia Radio Corporation (WVRC). Prior to joining WVRC, Cook held the role of Program Director for Go Country 105 in Los Angeles and before that, as VP/Programming for the Westwood One Radio Network.
“I am thrilled to welcome Charlie back to Cumulus at such an exciting time for the company,” said John Dickey, Executive Vice President and Co-COO of Cumulus. “I am confident his vast radio industry experience will contribute greatly to the success of the growing Nashville market.”
“With all of the new and exciting things Cumulus is launching in conjunction with the NASH brand I am thrilled to rejoin the company,” Cook said. “Being based in Nashville, in the middle of all of this, is an incredible opportunity. Cumulus has an unbelievable cluster here and I am looking forward to rolling up my sleeves and working with the team to reach new heights.”

Country station WIVK Gets Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame Honor

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tennessee radio hall of fame1The Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame‘s Board of Directors has chosen Country station WIVK in Knoxville, Tenn., as the “Station Of The Year” for its inductee class of 2014. WIVK has been the top ranking station in the Arbitron radio ratings for the Knoxville market since the market was first surveyed in 1970, with the exception of the ratings period for April/May 1971, when 990/WNOX-A (a Top 40 station at the time) ranked as first in the market.
Former WIVK Owner/GM Jim Dick is included in the 2014 Legacy category for this year’s inductees into the Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame. The induction banquet and ceremony for the 2014 Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame will be held May 3, 2014 at the Embassy Suites in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Individual tickets are $65, or tables of 10 can be purchased for $595.00. For more information, go to Tennesseehalloffame.wildapricot.org.

Rewind: 2013 MusicRow Chart No.1s

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The Band Perry will perform at the CCMA on Sept. 8.

The Band Perry


For over a decade, MusicRow’s Chart has crowned No. 1 songs in the Country radio marketplace, celebrating 44 chart-topping songs in 2013. MusicRow congratulates each artist, songwriter and label for its accomplishments this year.
The Band Perry cast a wide shadow over MusicRow’s Chart this year and proved that good things really do come in threes. The family trio saw three singles hold the No. 1 spot, with their hit “Better Dig Two” sitting at No. 1 for three consecutive weeks, longer than any other song this year. The Band Perry’s Big Machine labelmates Tim McGraw and Florida Georgia Line also enjoyed three No. 1 singles this year.
The 12th Annual MusicRow CountryBreakout Chart Awards, based on radio airplay reported by stations on MusicRow’s radio panel, will be held during CRS in February.

MusicRow Chart No.1 Songs of 2013

1/10, Little Big Town “Tornado” Capitol Nashville
1/17-31, The Band Perry “Better Dig Two” Republic Nashville
2/7, Tim McGraw “One Of Those Nights” Big Machine
2/14, Carrie Underwood “Two Black Cadillacs” Arista Nashville
2/21, Taylor Swift “Begin Again” Big Machine
2/28, Kacey Musgraves “Merry Go Round” Mercury Nashville
3/7, Blake Shelton “Sure Be Cool If You Did” Warner Bros.
3/14, Lee Brice “I Drive Your Truck” Curb Records
3/21, Chris Young “I Can Take It From There” RCA Nashville
3/38, Lady Antebellum “Downtown” Capitol Nashville
4/4, Miranda Lambert “Mama’s Broken Heart” RCA Nashville
4/11, Florida Georgia Line “Get Your Shine On” Republic Nashville
4/18, Kenny Chesney “Pirate Flag” Blue Chair-Columbia Nashville
4/25, Darius Rucker “Wagon Wheel” Capitol Nashville
5/2, Eric Church “Like Jesus Does” EMI Nashville
5/9, Tim McGraw and Taylor Swift’s “Highway Don’t Care” Big Machine
5/16, Brad Paisley “Beat This Summer” Arista Nashville
5/23, Jake Owen “Anywhere With You” RCA Nashville
5/30, The Band Perry “Done” Republic Nashville
6/6-13, Luke Bryan “Crash My Party” Capitol-UMG Nashville
6/20-27, Carrie Underwood “See You Again” Arista Nashville
7/3, Keith Urban “Little Bit Of Everything” Capitol-UMG Nashville
7/18, Justin Moore “Point At You” Valory Music Co.
7/18, Lady Antebellum “Goodbye Town” Capitol-UMG Nashville
7/25, Tyler Farr “Redneck Crazy” Columbia Nashville
8/1-8, Florida Georgia Line “Round Here” Republic Nashville
8/15, Kenny Chesney “When I See This Bar” Blue Chair-Columbia Nashville
8/22, Chris Young “Aw Naw” RCA Nashville
8/29, Thomas Rhett “It Goes Like This” Valory Music Group
9/5, Jason Aldean “Night Train” Broken Bow
9/12, Tim McGraw “Southern Girl” Big Machine
9/19, Toby Keith “Drinks After Work” Show Dog-Universal
9/26, Luke Bryan “That’s My Kind of Night” Capitol
10/3, Blake Shelton “Mine Would Be You” Warner Bros.
10/10, Miranda Lambert “All Kinds of Kinds” RCA Nashville
10/17, Taylor Swift “Red” Big Machine
10/24, Darius Rucker “Radio” Capitol Nashville
10/31, Keith Urban and Miranda Lambert “We Were Us” Capitol Nashville-Hit Red Records
11/7, Eli Young Band “Drunk Last Night” Republic Nashville
11/14, The Band Perry “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely” Republic Nashville
11/21, Jake Owen “Days of Gold” RCA Nashville
11/27-12/5, Florida Georgia Line “Stay” Republic Nashville
12/12, Cassadee Pope “Wasting All These Tears” Republic Nashville
12/19, David Nail “Whatever She’s Got” MCA Nashville

Charlie Cook On Air: A Look Back at 2013

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Charlie Cook

Charlie Cook


A few more days left in 2013. I hope that you have more than a used calendar to show for it. It was an interesting year for Music Row and the industry as a whole. There were a few surprises. There was some good news and then some not so good news.
Top ten things from 2013.
1. Blake Shelton took over as the format’s number one act. Two Male Vocalist of the Year nods. Best Album of the year, twice. A sold out tour. The Voice remained one of the top shows of the year. The finale was down from last year but I believe that was because Blake did not have a singer in the finals. Just another example of his influence on the program.
2. George Strait’s announcement that he will be unhooking his guitar strap in 2014. The final show, in the 100,000 seat AT&T Stadium, sold out before George could fly from Dallas to San Antonio on his jet.
3. Carrie Underwood as Maria in The Sound of Music. More than 18 million viewers tuned in to see one of music’s best voices sing her way through the Alps and away from the Nazis.
4. Toby Keith finishing at No. 4 on the “Man You Are Rich” list in Forbes Magazine. Toby has built quite the empire and he has done a great job of finding revenue streams in more than touring. Touring ends at some point. The money needn’t.
5. Garth Brooks coming back to a stage nearer to you. I cannot believe that it has been four years in Vegas at the Wynn. I have said that his live show there is the best I have seen. Like all of us who have been around Garth, I have always been a fan, but after leaving the theater that night I was a super fan. I watched the CBS TV special and it did not capture the vibe of being there. This just tells you how incredible it is to be in the room (or arena) and feel the show. I am looking forward to Fall of 2014 when he hits the road again.
6. Luke Bryan winning the Entertainer of the Year award at the ACM show in April. I think that we were all surprised. Obviously Luke was, by his response. Not that we should have been–the ACM EOY has a fan participation element. I have told the story of being in Nashville for the Music Fest and seeing young females climbing, precariously, up to a Luke poster to have their pictures made with it. If they are willing to put their safely at risk, he was going to get their vote.
7. Both the ACM and CMA show did record-breaking ratings for CBS and ABC, respectively. In 2012 the CMA show dealt with a hellacious weather situation on the east coast and a couple of the bigger cities had compromised TV service. In the Spring, the ACM show hit a new high mark and took over as the most watched Country Award show. This Fall the CMA bounced back and both shows showed why Country is so important to their network partners.
8. 2013 will go down as the Year of the Country Music Tour. According to Billboard Magazine, Taylor Swift grossed $115M against 66 sold out shows and 1.4 million fans. There is nothing gross about that. Kenny Chesney did $91M. Jason Aldean did $48M. Luke Bryan notched $46M.
9. Miranda Lambert locking up the Female Vocalist of the Year award. At what point do they change the name of the award to “The Miranda Lambert Award”?
10. Nielson Buying Arbitron. My prediction: Within five years the top 100 markets will be PPM and they will stop doing diary surveys in all other markets.
Happy New Year.
(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of MusicRow.)

'MusicRow' No. 1 Song

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David Nail

David Nail


There’s something to be said if you’re able to remember the first time you heard a song. One such experience happened this year for me when songwriter Jon Nite showcased his Jimmy Robbins co-write, “Whatever She’s Got,” at The Bluebird Café for a show during Tin Pan South. At that time, David Nail was rumored to release the ear candy, and you can bet I checked my inbox everyday for the MCA Nashville version.
In May, that day came when the title hit Play MPE while I was in the parking lot of Nashville’s Tin Roof waiting to attend a benefit show, featuring none other than Nail, who played an acoustic version of the title that night. Today (Dec. 20), Nail’s cut comes full-circle, having reached No. 1 on our MusicRow Chart!
Chuck Ainlay, Frank Liddell and Glenn Worf, the production team behind Miranda Lambert’s latest sound, helped develop the fun-loving, catchy tune for radio. The title is the first radio single from Nail’s forthcoming third studio album.

Rumors have been floating about the forthcoming album title and release date, but MusicRow has confirmed the label has nothing set in stone, just yet. So, give it time – and in the meantime, we’ll be anticipating forthcoming successes from the chart maker. Congratulations UMG Nashville! Happy Holidays, we’ll see you in 2014!

Charlie Cook On Air: Not Quite A Country Christmas

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Charlie Cook

Charlie Cook


Each year at Christmastime radio gets thrown for a loop because so many AC stations flip to all holiday music. If you’re in the AC format this can be a boost in the ratings for your station. If you’re in another format you take a deep breath and just get through it.
If you’re in a diary market the impact has been lessened this year as the rating book ended on Dec. 4. If your competitor started Christmas music at Thanksgiving the influence was minimal to the Fall 2013 survey. Of course, Nielsen has segregated a lot of the music’s effect in PPM markets by designing a 13th month, starting Dec. 4 and going through New Year’s Eve.
I work with Country radio station stations, but I also work with AC stations here in West Virginia and a few consulting clients for McVay/Cook. Like most programmers, I listen to about 30 hours of radio a day. Thirty hours a day? Yeah the joke around the office is that I always have at least two radios on in my office and I am listening to two stations, then sometimes air checks and new music on a third source.
What I find every year is that I really like the all-Christmas stations. Program directors talk about “Oh Wow” songs. These are songs that we haven’t heard in a while but that are still immediately familiar to us. We easily fall into singing along when these songs come on the radio. Well that’s exactly what happens with Christmas Music on the radio and why it is so appealing. Nielsen points out that AC stations that change to Christmas programming increase an average 76 percent during the holiday season.
We haven’t heard “Please Come Home for Christmas” by the Eagles in at least 11 months, but as soon as WVAF-FM starts playing it you start singing along. Christmas Music is everyone’s comfort food. There is a huge difference between Christmas music and music about Christmas. Compare “White Christmas” by Bing Crosby and “The Night Santa Went Crazy” by Weird Al.
Country radio is one of the formats that feels the heat from the format flip. Last week, Nielsen reported that Country stations take a 17 percent hit in the ratings for the Christmas period. Country is an adult format so this follows. Less than a handful of Country stations have tried the all-Christmas approach. KZLA/Los Angeles did it one year, and I don’t remember that it helped them much. In Los Angeles, KOST owns the image and KRTH has had a lot of success in the past focusing on the 60s-80’s artists doing holiday music.
In Kansas City, KFKF goes all-Christmas. I think that they are the only large market station to do so, but they have the advantage of being the only station to program all-Christmas in the city since the old AC in town dropped the format years back. Additionally KFKF’s sister station, KBEQ-FM, gives them a little cover for leaving the format for a month. If it were not for another Country station in the building they might not be likely to give WDAF the opportunity to be the alternative. And while KFKF plays Christmas music with a heavy Country music lean, they play a very wide non-Country list of Christmas music. Everything from Bruce Springsteen to TSO.
The need to stray from the format musically is probably why more Country music stations don’t attempt this format flip every year. There are one or two Country acts that release a Christmas CD every year, but there are not a ton of new Country Christmas releases each year. The most played Country-themed Christmas song this year on the chart is Phil Robertson and George Strait with “Hairy Christmas.” And, as I write this, it is only No. 68. In fact three of the top four Christmas songs are from that CD.
Not many stations are going to give up their position for Duck Dynasty. Not on the hair of your chinny chin chin.
Merry Christmas and happy New Year.
(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of MusicRow.)