January 20, 2011



» Rates & Measures: Here are today's Fall 2010 Arbitron diary returns from selected markets, listed by metro size. All figures are persons 12+, Monday-Sunday, 6am-midnight, with rankings in parentheses except for Fayetteville, NC, which is a subscriber-only report. Two Michigan markets, Flint and Saginaw, are client-exclusive and not available for publication. Is there a story in your metro beyond the 12+ figures? Email us here. Look for a ratings roundup of these and additional markets in next Monday's Country Aircheck Weekly (1/24).
  • Ft. Collins, CO: Townsquare's market-leading KUAD slipped 5.2-5.1 – its fourth straight decline – but is still No. 1 by 0.6 share. A year ago, KUAD registered a 5.7 (1). Clear Channel's KXBG dipped 2.0-1.8 (12t-15t), down from a 2.2 (14t) the previous autumn.
  • Oxnard, CA: Cumulus' KHAY decreased 5.5-4.8 (3-3), but beat Fall '09's 4.6 (3t).
  • Santa Rosa, CA: Posting its best Fall showing in three years, Maverick's KFGY gained 3.9-4.4 (4t-2t), well ahead of its 3.0 (8t) last year. After a strong Spring, Redwood Empire's KTRY fell by nearly half, 3.0-1.6 (8t-20t), close to its 1.7 (17t) 12 months back.
  • Reno, NV: In a turbulent survey, Citadel's KBUL-FM shifted 5.2-5.1 (4-5), shy of its 5.4 (4) in Fall '09. Wilks' KWFP, which flipped from Smooth Jazz KJZS to Country Sept. 14 (two days before the start of the Fall sweep), debuted with a 1.7 (19t). Lotus' former competitor KUUB, which switched from Country to Sports the same day, dropped 3.4-1.9 (9-14t), off from a 2.7 (16) the year before.
  • Youngstown, OH: Cumulus' WQXK declined 9.7-9.4, but won the market for the second book in a row, holding a 0.9-share lead. Last Fall, 'QXK earned an 11.5 (2), its best results since Spring '07.
  • Fayetteville, NC: Beasley's WKML edged back 10.6-10.4, approaching its 10.6 (2) from the prior year.
  • Fayetteville, AR: CC's metro king KKIX was up for the fourth straight book, 14.8-16.0, and is in front by 6.7 shares. That 16 share is the fifth-highest Fall ratings of any Country station reporting so far. Cumulus' KAMO added a tenth, 4.2-4.3 (8-7), which is also its fourth consecutive improvement.
  • Reading, PA: In a Country market covered by outside signals, Citadel's WIOV-FM/Lancaster, PA held steady at a 6.3 (3-3), nipping its 6.2 (3) from a year ago. Beasley's WXTU/Philadelphia slipped 2.8-2.4 (7-10t), compared to a 2.5 (6) 12 months back, while Citadel's WCTO/Allentown was down 1.7-1.1 (13t-19t), off of a 1.3 (17t) in Fall '09.
  • Palm Springs, CA: RM Broadcasting's KPLM declined 3.9-3.5 (7-8t), down from a 6.5 (4t) year-to-year.
  • Shreveport, LA: Cumulus KRMD-FM was down 8.1-6.8 (2-5), but beat Fall '09's 5.8 (6). Gap's KXKS-FM decreased 4.5-3.9 (9t-8t), close to its 4.0 (9) last year. Sister Classic Country station KWKH-AM improved 1.0-1.7 (15t-15), compared to a 1.8 (15) 12 months back, while William Brown's Classic Country KRLQ vanished 1.5-0.0 (15t-0).
  • Appleton, WI: Scoring its best ratings since Spring '08, Midwest Communications' perennial leader WNCY jumped 12.2-13.9, and is ahead of the pack by 4.6 shares. In Fall '09, 'NCY had an 11.4 (1). Cumulus' WPKR grew 2.6-3.0 (11-9), up from a 2.7 (10) last year.

Following up on two Indiana markets released yesterday:

  • Oasis' WBTU/Ft. Wayne GM/Director of Programming Phil Becker tells Country Aircheck more about his station's strong performance: "Our cume increased 19% from 61,000 to 76,200, while WQHK was down 11%; only 1,000 persons separate WQHK and WBTU. We're now third in total audience, up from No. 9 with 18-34s, we were up 5.1-8.1, and from 4.7-6.3 18-49; 4.5-5.2 25-49; and 5.0-5.8 25-54. WBTU had an increase in every demo and daypart."
  • Federated's WBYT/South Bend PD Jesse Garcia reports, "It's two consecutive up books for B100! We were up 12+ 10.8-11.1, but with 25-54s B100 jumped 8.8-13.1 and with women 25-54 we gained 12.1-15.9. And mornings with Cody & Deb were up with 25-54s from 10.2-12.0."




» Sommer Takes Hiatus: Cumulus' KPLX (The Wolf)/Dallas morning co-host Chris Sommer has resigned after almost 20 years with the station to better care for his family. In a Facebook posting today, Sommer explains that his wife Brenda's slower-than-expected recovery from a December surgery precipitated the move. He also noted he expects to return to radio at some point in the future. In the meantime, Cumulus SVP/Programming Jan Jeffries is accepting airchecks and resumes here. Sommer's departure leaves Lisa Taylor as the last morning personality standing at The Wolf following last week's exit of Paul Koffy (CAT 1/13).


» WRNS' Carlyle Resigns: NextMedia's WRNS/Greenville, NC APD/MD/afternooner Tommy Garrett has been named interim PD/morning personality with the resignation of PD/morning host Wayne Carlyle. A 23-year station vet, Carlyle will leave the station at the end of the month. "We are sorry to accept Wayne's resignation and wish him well," WRNS GM Larry Weiss says. "We are grateful for his service to the station and our listeners." Weekender Ed Hawkins will take Garrett's PM drive airshift.


» Hoss-ta La Vista, Baby: After six years as PD of Three Eagles' KZKX/Lincoln, NE, Hoss Michaels is joining Clear Channel's KXKT & KTWI/Omaha Jan. 26 as MD and KXKT midday personality. Michaels succeeds former MD/morning co-host Craig Allen, who departed Nov. 12. Middays have most recently been voice-tracked by sister WAMZ/Louisville personality "Mel." KXKT & KTWI PD Erik Johnson says, "We couldn't be happier to have Hoss join our team. His dedication to community and solid relationships in country music will help us build our four-book streak at No. 1 25-54." KZKX VP/GM Joy Patten tells Country Aircheck that consultant Joel Burke will be heading up the search to fill that station's vacancy. Reach Burke here.


» Flipping Awesome: Lincoln Financial's KYGO/Denver middayer Flip is moving back to nights as the station drops voice-tracking. PD John Thomas tells Country Aircheck that the station's commitment to live-and-local also creates a promising midday opportunity. If you can connect on-air, online and on-social (we made that last one up), drop airchecks and resumes here.


» Larger Than Life: Big Country Records has opened its doors and signed singer/songwriter Morgan Tobias as its first act. Glen Blaschke and hit songwriter Tammy Hyler will serve as President and VP/Creative, respectively. Additional hirings will be announced soon, with a single from Tobias expected in the spring. The label's new digs are at 44 Music Square West, Nashville, TN 37203.


» Gig Alert: CO5/Nashville is seeking a qualified record rep to cover the Southeast and parts of the Midwest regions. Candidates must have great relationships with radio and prior record promotion experience. The position has been vacant since the departure of Doug Baker, who became Dir./National Promotion at New Revolution Entertainment (CAT 10/25). Send resumes to VP/Promotion Denise Roberts here.


» Veep Leap: Big Enterprises Management Dir./Marketing & Publicity Jennifer Witherell has been promoted to VP/Marketing & Publicity, and will continue handling day-to-day management for Wynonna and newcomers Nicolle Galyon and Elenowen. "Jennifer has been with me for nine years, and her outstanding work on recent large-scale projects such as The Judds: The Last Encore tour and the upcoming The Judds TV series on OWN-TV have catapulted her to another level," says BEM's Kerry Hansen. Congratulate Witherell here.


» Chow Haul: Mount Wilson's KKGO/Los Angeles will roll out its "Chuck Wagon" food truck Jan. 24. The station-branded mobile lunch distributor's cuisine includes the "Boot Scootin' Boogie" BBQ Chicken sandwich and other Southern and Tex-Mex fare. Steel Magnolia will perform at the event. "While this is a marketing vehicle," KKGO Dir./Creative P.J. Ochlan says to a rim shot, "we're committed to a unique and top-quality food truck experience for our fans." Details here.


» Jackson & Arista Part: Statements from Sony/Nashville and the co-op management released today confirm the departure of Alan Jackson from his longtime label home Arista. "Sony Music Nashville wishes to thank Alan Jackson for their long association and the many hit records achieved as a result of that association," Sony's statement reads. "Alan has delivered his final recordings to the company and [Sony] wishes him well." Says Jackson, "I've had a great run with Arista, going all the way back to the beginning of my career when I signed with Tim DuBois. I've gotten to work with some real great people along the way, and we accomplished a lot. It just seems to me like the time may be right to change things up a bit and see what comes next." The first artist signed to Arista in 1989, Jackson is preparing for his 2011 tour and working on an upcoming album.




» Bentley Bomb: Jägermeister is fueling Dierks Bentley's 30-city run, which kicks off March 17 in Wallingford, CT. Josh Thompson and the duo Miss Willie Brown will support Bentley on the Jägermeister Country Tour, which will also feature a local artist at each stop. "It’s a good thing we've got a video crew on the road with us, capturing everything that goes down," Bentley laughs. "Putting my band, Josh Thompson, the Miss Willie Brown girls and a few thousand fans in a Jägermeister-sponsored room with loud country music sounds like a pretty solid recipe for a great night." Complete itinerary here.


» Round Two: The people behind the Vans Warped Tour are back for a second Throwdown. Willie Nelson's Country Throwdown Tour 2011 kicks off May 27 and stars Nelson as himself. Jamey Johnson, Randy Houser, Lee Brice, Brantley Gilbert, Craig Campbell and Lukas Nelson and the Promise of the Real are also on the bill. A portion of the ticket sales will benefit Unite The United. Details here.


» Bundle Of Joy: Planet Charley Productions and Tuesday Productions have created a new website and marketing program called The Branding Bundle. The service offers radio, television, advertising agencies and businesses the the opportunity to create commercials utilizing the strengths of both companies. Details here.


» Mentees Pop Mentos, Await Mentors: The Mentoring & Inspiring Women In Radio Group's 2011 Mildred Carter Mentoring Program mentees are Country WLHK/Indianapolis Mgr./Local Sales Taja Graham, Cumulus/Indianapolis (including Country WFMS) Dir./Sales Michele Kiefer and Clear Channel/Ft. Pierce (including Country WAVW) Mgr./Sales Keriann Worley. Details here.


» Hear And Now: The year-end RIAA gold and platinum certification tally has Taylor Swift's Speak Now and Lady Antebellum's Need You Now tying with Susan Boyle's The Gift as most-shipped albums of 2010, each registering triple platinum. Newly issued certs: Sugarland's The Incredible Machine is platinum. Keith Urban's Get Closer and Zac Brown Band's You Get What You Give are gold. Lady A's "Need You Now" is the band's highest certification to date with quadruple-platinum status, and "I Run To You" is platinum. Swift is the RIAA's top-certified digital singles seller (16.5 million certified), as "Mine" and "Today Was A Fairytale" are platinum. ZBB's "Chicken Fried" is double-platinum. Jason Aldean's "Big Green Tractor" ringtone is platinum, and Johnny Cash's "Ring Of Fire" tone is gold.


» Bo Derek Not Included: Show Dog-Universal's Toby Keith will release the music video collection 10 March 8. "Should've Been A Cowboy," "Courtesy Of The Red, White And Blue (The Angry American)," "I Love This Bar" and "American Ride" are among the, you guessed it, 10 videos featured on the DVD.


» Grammy Antebellum: Capitol's Lady Antebellum are the latest country act to join the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards lineup. B.o.B., Bruno Mars, Janelle Monáe, Muse, Justin Bieber, Usher and Jaden Smith will also perform. Previously announced performers are Miranda Lambert, Arcade Fire, Eminem, Cee Lo Green, Lady Gaga and Katy Perry. The Grammys air live Feb. 13 at 8pm ET on CBS-TV.


» All That Jazz: Jamey Johnson, Kid Rock, Jimmy Buffett, Ricky Skaggs and Willie Nelson are among the artists booked for the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in late April and early May. Complete lineup here.


» Country Aircheck Today Top 5: Here are the Top 5 songs for Jan. 19:

 

  1. KENNY CHESNEY/Somewhere With You (BNA) 2367 points
  2. KEITH URBAN/Put You In A Song (Capitol) 2279 points
  3. TIM MCGRAW/Felt Good On My Lips (Curb) 2156 points
  4. LUKE BRYAN/Someone Else Calling You Baby (Capitol) 2151 points
  5. CHRIS YOUNG/Voices (RCA) 2079 points

All airplay data is from Mediabase 24/7.


» Country Aircheck Today Greatest Gainers: Here are the greatest point gainers for Jan. 19:

 

  1. ZAC BROWN BAND/Colder Weather (Southern Ground/Atlantic/BPG) +424 points
  2. LUKE BRYAN/Someone Calling You Baby (Capitol) +300 points
  3. JASON ALDEAN & KELLY CLARKSON/Don't You Wanna Stay (Broken Bow) +251 points 
  4. THOMPSON SQUARE/Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not (Stoney Creek) +236 points
  5. BLAKE SHELTON/Who Are You When I'm Not Looking (Reprise/WMN) +148 points

All airplay data is from Mediabase 24/7.


» Tomorrow's Birthdays (1/21): Mac Davis, Jimmy Ibbotson, Rick Trevino, Nicole George, Jackie Straka.


» Tube Check Tonight (1/20): Jamey Johnson, GAC Special – Jamey Johnson: The Guitar Song.

 

Tube Check Tomorrow (1/21): Keith Urban, Oprah Winfrey Show (syndicated); Rodney Atkins, Headline Country (GAC).




» Name Game: The WSOC/Charlotte 4th Annual Stout Pull Guitar Pull crew gathers to snap a quick photo at the event. Pictured (back, l-r) are RCA's Josh Easler, WSOC's DJ Stout, Jake Owen, 'SOC's Chele Fassig, Jerrod Niemann, WSOC sales staffer, Josh Thompson, the station's Big Sexy, WSOC's Charlie Nance and Columbia's David Friedman; (front, l-r) are three WSOC staffers, along with the station's Rob Tanner and Debbie.


» Clay Nation: MCA's Josh Kelley shares his Georgia charm with KSOP-FM/Salt Lake City PD Deb Turpin during a recent radio tour stop in support of his current single "Georgia Clay."


» New Kids On The Clock: ACM Showcase, a one-hour GAC special featuring performances by ACM Top New Solo Vocalist nominees Eric Church, Easton Corbin and Randy Houser and Top New Vocal Duo or Group nominees the Band Perry, the JaneDear girls, and Steel Magnolia, taped last night at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium. The show, hosted by reigning ACM Top New Artist Luke Bryan, airs Jan. 27 at 10pm ET. Pictured (front, l-r) are GAC GM and ACM board president Sarah Trahern, Steel Magnolia's Joshua Scott Jones and Meghan Linsey, the JaneDear girls' Susie Brown and Danelle Leverett, the Band Perry's Kimberly and Reid Perry, ACM VP Butch Waugh; (back, l-r) ACM Chairman Bill Mayne, Corbin, Bryan, Houser, Church, Grand Ole Opry VP/GM Pete Fisher and the Band Perry's Neil Perry.




 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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