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Discussion: Why Country Radio is Down (Jan 24, 2002)Discussion from the Coast to Coast Message Board:http://radio-info.com/boards/ctc/ Name: Jay Finkelstein
The country format has been in decline since the boom years of the format in the early/mid 1990s.The decline had been slow and steady.But,in this fall book the decline has been much more dramatic.Country is down in almost every market and down big in several markets.Why did this happen?Here is my theory.
The christmas format was huge.It pulled in very good numbers almost everywhere.It appears that the christmas format stole many country listeners.In addition,due to current events,news-talk did excellent.It will probably go down as the best news-talk book in history.Country and N/T both appeal to an adult audience.Many country listeners probably turned off the music and turned on news/talk stations.
My prediction is that things will get closer to normal this winter book.Country will rebound to some degree.N/T will still be strong,but be down a bit and the stations that went christmas will go back down to their pre-christmas levels.Not that I'm going out on a limb on that last prediction.
Name: Rhode Island Radio Nut
Country is down because all of the powerhouse FM country stations refuse to include classic country on their playlist. If your going to play country music, it makes sense to play a wide enough variety to attract the total country audience. Throwing in a few classics every hour isn't going to drive anyone away, it can only increase the audience by including the classic country fans who have been displaced recently. Country certainly is popular Alan Jackson's new album debuted at #1 on both the pop and country charts this week.RRN
Name: Steve West
Lets clarify classics: If you're talking about playing country from pre-1985, then forget it. It will not work, it is country from a different era altogether. That's akin to advocating a CHR station include such artists in its playlist as Queen, Night Ranger, or even The Beatles... all good artists with great songs but its music that fit a different era and lifestyle. Same with Country.
I will lend SOME credibility to opening up the playlists, however, what is deemed a classic here in 2002 for the purposes of arguement is the music that brought Country to the forefront in the 90's - Early Alan Jackson, Brooks and Dunn, Ricky Van Shelton, Rodney Crowell and Randy Travis. Oh and lets not forget Restless Heart. Between Restless Heart and Randy Travis those two artists almost single-handedly sparked the interest in Country starting around 1986, along with Sawyer Brown, The Judds, Dan Seals and Steve Wariner. If stations would add more of THOSE artists in their LIGHT Gold rotations (emphasize LIGHT).. from, say 1986 - 1992, then have a POWER GOLD rotation of core artists from 1992-1996 then we would REALLY have something. Today, most New Country stations rarely go back prior to 1996, although there are a very few power songs from the early 90s that do get airplay, such as the major Garth and Reba hits, and of course George Strait.
If you think we can go back to playing Johnny Cash, Waylon, Willie and Merle in regular rotation and have any numbers at all, give it up. The only way to play those is either on Classic Country, or on a specialty show over the weekend. Might as well play them on a nostalgia station because thats the effect those artists would have on the overall audience. Yes, there are exceptions to that rule, and some markets can support a Country station with such a huge playlist, but its the exception rather than the rule.
Remember one major principle of the Country format today... your target is generally 18-34 females, depending on the market. Now, I happen to LIKE those artists and I don't mean it as a slam to them, but, 18-34 females don't as a rule care much for old Waylon Jennings songs and its hard to sell. Country needs to be female friendly, but also have enough of an edge to keep its male base.. playing the power Country hits that made Country so huge in the early/mid 90's makes perfect sense. Beyond that its detrimental to the format.
-SW
Name: Rhode Island Radio Nut
Steve, I'm not talking about Roy Acuff, Kitty Wells or Red Foley here,yes, except for a format of total classic country these artists would only work on a weekend show, but its just not that far of a reach from most of the Alan Jackson, George Strait, Brad Paisley, Randy Jackson, Dwight Yoakum stuff they are playing now to Buck Owens, George Jones or Tammy Wynette. I will never believe that any station with a country format playing today's country hits can be harmed by playing two or three older tunes an hour just to liven the mix. I have yet to meet any one from either gender of any age group that didn't perk up to the sound of ( or atleast appreciate) Crazy by Patsy Cline or Stand By Your Man by Tammy Wynette, for instance. Oh, don't worry, I'm not living in a dream world. I know this will never happen. The people that program these stations are bean counters not chance takers. Just stating my opinion is all--RRN
Name: Shanen
Another reason country is down is because its lost its roots. The majority of FM country stations sound like second rate pop music stations. CMT looks like MTV (have you seen MW?) Country needs to return to its roots and move away from all the AC and CHR crossover. A prime example would be the "O Brother Where Art Thou" soundtrack. It was the top selling soundtrack of 2001, yet the only place you might have heard any of the tracks was on an Americana station like 93.7 The Phoenix or KHYI. Country totally ignored every cut on the soundtrack.
For country to survive, you may see the format starting to divide. Just like at one time "Spanish" was a format. Now you've got regional mexican, tejano, romantica, etc. etc. Right now, most country stations would be a Hot AC equivalent. You also have oldies (classic country), alternative (Americana) and CHR (really hot country). But those formats are rare. You may see them spit into album-cuts country (AOR), jammin' country (CHR/Rhy or JO), 80s country (80s). I know those are far stretches of the imagination, but the matter of the fact is that Nashville just isn't turning out the hot new artists it was ten years ago. For more than one country station to survive in a market, they will have to find a niche and be content with low 12+ ratings.
The only other alternative is to broaden the playlist, and get back to the roots of country. A little steel guitar in the background of what sounds like Britney Spears is not country music.
Name: Hoe Downer
Country's always had it's greatest success when POP is struggling as a format. The big boom of 89-92, remember what was happening across the dial. Pop was fragmenting. Milli Vanilli, Technotronic, MC Hammer, Gun N Roses, Metallica, Paula Abdul, NKOTB, and some new glass breaking chick named Mariah Carey. POP was all over the road. Then Pearl Jam, and Nirvana showed up and ran the Moms that were left to Country, and men, followed. Because they found music that reminded them of the Eagles, .38 Special, and the roll n rock they liked, in the sounds of Nashville. Travis Tritt, BND, Garth, Alan, all rocked in a down home way. And they all delivered ballads the chicks loved. Guys felt comfortable and weren't unashamed to listen to Country. The music related to them. Moms liked the fact that their kids could listen too. Mo Betta became hip everywhere, folks went out bought boots, re-learned the Electric Slide, the Tush Push, and Cowboy Bars with huge dance floors were all the rage.
Remember in seventh grade going on a hay ride, it was cool being out in the country. Well after a while people go home. Not everyone stays on the farm. It was only a matter of time before Suburbia, raised on POP superstars like Madonna, Van Halen, Duran Duran, Bruce Springsteen, Journey, Genesis, Cher, Michael Jackson found new artists that would lead them away from the Country section at the record store. It probably started with Hootie in '94, and Counting Crows, then Celine Dion started recording Diane Warren and Jim Steinman (meatloafesque) songs, and then in '96 that damn Macarena. Then Fads started: Propelled like most POP sensations by screaming 12 year olds, the Spice Girls, Ricky Martin, Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, Britney, have all followed, with sharp production great marketing. It didn't hurt that MADONNA and AEROSMITH and CHER have all had major renaissances in their careers and BIGGG HITS at least twice in the last 5 years. Add to that the rise of the 80's format, which is what the 89-92 Boomers grew up on and it just makes sense that Country can't keep the city slickers who moved to town happy.
So the key is please the CORE. The problem the core is Heavily FEMALE. The guys left after the boom and haven't come back. The good news people still pay good money to target females. Country is still a successful format. All the Radio folks who arrived with the listeners during and shortly after the boom, and remember the 30 share days of WIVK, and 13 share days at KNIX. Well someone moved your cheese. Those were country's tech stock boom days. The early 90's created unrealistic expectations. How does Country come back?
STARS...
WE NEED TO GET BACK TO OUR ROOTS...
CMT...
HANG IN THERE...
HD
Name: Steve West
I agree, however put the blame where it belongs, the PROMOTERS. The product that is pushed is pop in nature. A prime example of watered down country is just how close soft AC and Country are becoming. Here in Memphis, the soft AC here, WRVR, has, as part of its regular rotation, Collin Raye, Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Faith Hill and Billy Dean. Why? It fits the AC sound today.
Its funny that Country with this kind of product on its playlist hasn't tried to play Brittney Spears or Mariah Carey yet. This is what's pushed for airplay, and like so many other aspects of this business, the remaining audience has been dumbed down to the point that they expect pop-sounding Country music.
Again, its all in support of playing to what has become Country's core audience - 18-34 Females. We almost have got to the point of no return.
AMEN!
-SW
For further discussion, and there's a lot more of it, please visit the
Coast to Coast Message Board: Radio Wires (From May 10, 2001)San DiegoThe San Diego Reader Blurt - Various journalists: - Pop Country vs. Real Country.Some excerpts and commentaries: Connie Nelson (Willie's ex-) has become one of the more visible local champions of true blue country music promoting local appearances by her ex, Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, Tanya Tucker, John Anderson, and K.T. Oslin. Nelson, says traditional country is in a world of hurt due to greedy record companies and lame radio stations. "Country has blended into rock. It all sounds the same," she says, as she avoids listening to mainstream homogenized cookie-cutter pop-country radio. She says country radio and music has morphed into pop. Connie Nelson has done a lot to support local country bands like the Dorados and the Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash, getting the latter to open for Merle Haggard. The problem for such country bands that the mainstream calls "edgy" is lack of radio exposure. She is concerned about the roots of country music fading into history as today's country radio stations continue to churn out adult-contemporary artists in cowboy garb, rather than artists with country roots. She gives thumbs up to Brad Paisley, who sounds like a real country singer as well as Hot Country 99.3 for doing more for traditional country. She is appalled that Jones, Nelson, and Merle, who just put out a new country music CD, have been ignored by mainstream country radio. Of the two local country stations, Nelson says Hot Country (99.3 FM) does more for traditional country. She also says that another thing wrong with the country music labels is that they're creating the equivilent of R&B boy bands for country radio to play in order to lure in the younger listeners. D.T.: It's a shame today that some of the best singers and songwriters can't even get airplay on corporate-controlled radio. Country, R&B, rock, and adult contemporary radio are throwing out the songs that should get airplay in favor of playing the songs that the kids saw on MTV today. |