Cody Alan won his first CMA Broadcast Award, and “Country Countdown USA” won in consecutive years as the Country Music Association announced its 2021 CMA Broadcast Award winners today. Carly Pearce informed winners with individual calls. Station winners include KYGO Denver; WUBE Cincinnati; KUZZ Bakersfield, CA; and KCLR Columbia, MO. Personality winners came from KNIX Phoenix; WMIL Milwaukee; WUSY Chattanooga, TN; and WXBQ Johnson City, TN. Read More.
Compass Media Network’s syndicated “Big D & Bubba” picks up morning drive at Cumulus Media “103.3 Country” WKDF Nashville, effective Monday. The show, which will air 4am-10am weekdays, succeeds “Morning Koffy,” which had been in place since May 2020. Big D and Bubba have called Nashville home for the past 18 years and hosted mornings on then-Clear Channel “The Big 98” WSIX from 2003-2011. Read More.
In the military, it's called "mission creep.” Where the original intention of the mission expands slowly into something it wasn't originally intended to be. That happens in radio, as well. We develop a plan for our station and find, after a while, we've changed and adjusted for various reasons. The station has lost focus. Read More.
In day two of Nielsen Audio’s September ’21 results, iHeartMedia classic country WESC (92.5) retakes the format lead from country sister WSSL (100.5) in Greenville-Spartanburg, SC, as WESC’s 12+ AQH share rises from 6.3-6.6. Audacy WBEE Rochester, NY (92.5) has the day’s highest share for a country station, with a market-leading 8.6. Read More.
Reba McEntire will debut the second season of her Spotify Original podcast “Living & Learning With Reba McEntire” Monday, Oct. 25, excusively on the streaming service. Guests for the new season include Lady A, Thomas Rhett and McEntire’s boyfriend, “Sugar Tot” Rex Linn. McEntire debuted “Living & Learning” with Spotify in September 2020. A trailer for the second season can be heard now. Read More.
Dolly Parton and “Wilder Days” singer Morgan Wade take country music honors in the Nashville Scene’s “Best of Nashville 2021” issue. Parton won Best Country Music Artist in the Readers’ Poll (where she was followed by Blake Shelton and Morgan Wallen). Wade was named Best Country Newcomer in a Writers’ Choice item. Nashville Public Radio adult alternative WNXP (91.1) dominated the radio categories. Read More.
Los Angeles’ GRAMMY Museum and Nashville’s National Museum of African American Music will co-host the “1st Annual Rosedale Summit: Country's Reclamation & Promising Future” on Monday, Nov. 8. The series of performances and conversations recognizing the art of country musicians of color aims to spark conversation around country's future takes place two days before the CMA Awards. It’s produced by Rosewood Collective and Propper Daley. Read More.
Midland has postponed Saturday’s concert at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, CO, following a positive COVID-19 test within its camp. The concert has been rescheduled for Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022. “While we are a fully vaccinated tour with strict safety protocols, we had a positive test result within our camp,” the band wrote on social media. The band’s next show is Oct. 21 in Tulsa, OK. Read More.
SiriusXM’s Storme Warren will co-host the Charlie Daniels Patriot Awards Dinner with former U.S. Navy SEAL David Rutherford on Wednesday, Oct. 27, at Nashville’s City Winery. The evening will honor Patriot Award recipients Darryl Worley and decorated military veteran Mark “Oz” Geist, a Benghazi survivor and US Marine Corps veteran. Chris Young, a previous recipient of the Patriot Award, will perform during the event. Read More.
Toby Keith, Trace Adkins, Clay Walker and Eddie Montgomery will play a free concert on Saturday, Dec. 4, at Central Florida Fairgrounds’ Orlando Amphitheater. The concert, presented by Florida-based injury attorney Dan Newlin, will include an honorary salute to the United States Air Force Reserve. Newlin is touting the show as the state’s largest free country music concert ever. Read More.
“All I wanted to do since I was 5 years old was be on the radio,” Buzz Jackson told attendees at Wednesday’s Country Radio Hall of Fame dinner at Nashville’s Westin Hotel. Jackson joined Angie Ward, Bill Hagy, RJ Curtis, Bob Call, Bob Pickett, Heather Froglear and the late Norm Schrutt as 2021 inductees. Also, Garth Brooks sang “Fishin’ in the Dark” with Keith Urban. Read More.
Jimmie Allen, reigning Academy of Country Music New Male Artist of the Year, was the subject of Mondo.NYC’s keynote conversation on Wednesday. Led by ACM CEO Damon Whiteside and RIAA Artist and Industry Relations VP Jackie Jones, the 30-minute virtual chat during the music, arts and technology conference had the trio sharing an honest dialog about Allen’s career ascent, business outlook and radio success. Read More.
No country station saw its share increase in the first day of Nielsen Audio’s September ’21 CDM results. iHeartMedia WAMZ Louisville, KY (97.5) ranked highest with a 6.7 12+ AQH share, down from 6.8, enough for third in the market. Competition in Oklahoma City remains tight, with country stations ranked sixth, seventh and eighth in the market. Read More.
iHeartMedia Charlotte names Shelly Easton PD of “96.9 The Kat” WKKT, bringing the former WXTU Philadelphia (92.5) programmer back to the country format after several years as Entercom Philadelphia’s VP of Music Programming. Easton, who assumes her new role on Monday, will report to iHeartMedia Charlotte Senior VP of Programming A.J. She succeeds Chuck “DZL” Thompson, who exited in June. Read More.
Jordan Davis’ “Buy Dirt” feat. Luke Bryan has seen steady, strong growth since entering the Mediabase Top 50, never gaining fewer than 135 spins in a week. As the record has entered the Top 20, the increases are spiking — +194, +334 and +474 over the past three weeks. Meanwhile, Dustin Lynch has put together four weeks where his “Thinking ‘Bout You” averages +467 spins weekly. Read More.
Tom Brenner, former co-host of the “Good Morning Rodeo” on Townsquare Media WJOD Cedar Rapids, IA (103.3), died Monday after suffering from COVID-19 for the past weeks. Brenner, 69, was part of the “Good Morning Rodeo” from 1994 until his retirement in 2017. His radio career also included runs at WTCH and WOWN in Shawano, WI; WTDY Madison, WI; and WDBQ-AM Dubuque, IA. Read More.
Stagecoach Festival, due to return April 29-May 1, 2022, following a two-year absence, has loosened its mandatory COVID-19 vaccination requirement to attend next year’s event. “After seeing first-hand the low transmission data and successful implementation of safety protocols at our other festivals this past month, we feel confident that we can update our Stagecoach 2022 policy,” the Indio, CA, festival announced on its website. Read More.
Lady A’s “What A Song Can Do” album will be featured as the “iHeartCountry Album Release Party” on Monday, Oct. 25 (7pm local time, YouTube). The event includes the trio performing songs from “What a Song Can Do,” available Friday, Oct. 22, as well as taking part in a Q&A where the members discuss songs from the project and favorite tracks from previous projects. Read More.
COVID-19 travel restrictions have forced Keith Urban to postpone a planned Australian tour for a year, until December 2022. Urban posted a video last week announcing the decision. "I am so sorry, guys,” the singer said in a video posted last week. “I've been psyched to come and play for so long.” The 10-date arena tour is now set to take place Dec. 1-17, 2022. Read More.
Curtis Grimes has the Greatest Spin Gainer on this week’s CDX TRACtion True Indie Chart, as “Noah Built a Boat” (Curtis Grimes Music) jumps No. 23-No. 16. Jon Wolfe enters the Top 10 with “Tequila Sundown” (Fool Hearted Productions). And Craig Campbell’s “Never Mine” (Grindstone Records) holds the top spot for a seventh week. Read More.
Continuing its weekly increase, Elvie Shane’s “My Boy” has shown consumption growth nine out of the past 10 weeks. Last week’s jump brings it to new heights, now streaming over 5 million weekly. More than a year after its release, “My Boy” is approaching its peak on the Mediabase chart as Shane prepares to release his “Backslider” album Oct. 29 on BBR Music Group/Wheelhouse Records. Read More.
Luke Bryan and Capitol Nashville have this week’s most-added record, as “Up” picks up 51 Mediabase reporting stations on impact date, giving the single 53 total historic adds. Bryan’s going for his sixth No. 1 single from “Born Here Live Here Die Here.” In 2015, Bryan became the first country artist to have six chart-toppers from one album, “Crash My Party.” Read More.
Live entertainment and cashless tipping app PickleJar will livestream the 2021 Country Radio Hall of Fame Induction Dinner and Awards tonight (8pm ET, picklejar.com). The sold-out event will honor inductees Bob Call, RJ Curtis, Heather Froglear, Bill Hagy, Buzz Jackson, Bob Pickett, Norm Schrutt and Angie Ward. Held at The Westin in Nashville, the induction can also be streamed through the PickleJar mobile app and PickleJar+. Read More.
Renda Broadcasting is moving Randy Savage, former OM for the company’s two Jacksonville, FL, stations, which include “99.9 Gator Country,” to its four-station cluster in Ft. Myers. Savage succeeds VP/Programming Steve Granato, who recently returned to Pittsburgh, where he will program AC “Wish 99.7” WSHH in addition to remaining group PD for Renda’s 16 stations. Renda’s Ft. Myers cluster includes “Gator Country 101.9” WWGR. Read More.
Cumulus Media rhythmic “97.5 The Vibe” KSZR Tucson midday personality Krystal Pino moves to the same timeslot at country sister KIIM (99.5). She succeeds “Cactus” Dave Lavender, who exits the station after 20 years. I can’t believe I get to be a part of [a] legendary station like @KIIM995,” Pino posted to Twitter. Read More.
