Issue 431 Decent Exposure: Too Much TV? If It Seems Like Every Time You Turn on the TV There’S Another Awards Show, You’Re Right
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January 20, 2015, Issue 431 Decent Exposure: Too Much TV? If it seems like every time you turn on the TV there’s another awards show, you’re right. A quick, unofficial count reveals nearly 20 opportunities a year for artists to get valuable screen time on either country or all-genre shows. Add to that the myriad of daytime and late night talk shows and the number jumps to nearly 40. When is enough enough ... or even too much? Country Aircheck asked Sony/Nashville Chairman/CEO Gary Overton, Warner Music Nashville’s SVP/Publicity Wes Vause, Spalding Entertainment’s Clarence Spalding (Jason Aldean, Rascal Flatts) and The Green Room Owner/Publicist Mary Hilliard Harrington (Aldean, Lady Antebellum) to find out how they create “must see TV” while protecting their artists from overexposure. “Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, Kenny Chesney and Brad Paisley get asked to All Saints: Mercury’s Canaan Smith (c) celebrates a day do everything under the sun,” says Overton. well spent at the Country Cares for St. Jude seminar with “I speak with their managers at least once a (l-r) The Country Club with Dee Jay Silver’s Keith Kaufman, Gary Overton week. So many times whether it’s the timing WGH/Norfolk’s Dave Paulus, Curb’s Mike Rogers, Campbell Entertainment’s Craig Campbell, WGH/Norfolk’s John Shomby or another reason, the answer has to be, ‘We and Mercury’s Jack Christopher. can’t do it.’ We’re very calculated about what makes sense.” It All Begins With A Song: For top artists, the channel to television clicks on with an artist’s album cycle. Prior to release, the Shindler Says Farewell artist, label, manager and publicists map out a plan. “You have to Oh the stories promotion folks could tell. For recently retired be strategic in where you start, because you Mercury exec Bruce Shindler (CAT 9/30), more than 40 years want to do performances throughout the life in the record business are passing of the project,” Vause says. “It’s like a chess from day-to-day grind to fond mem- board. You want to do one show and not inter- ories. Here, he shares a few: fere with another opportunity. So the timing on “The ‘70s were an amazing, when you do certain things is important.” crazy and somewhat dangerous Just as important is the song choice. time,” Shindler says. “When you got Some songs connect with radio listeners but Mary Hilliard a record on the radio, most of the don’t translate on the small screen. “When Harrington time it sold millions. There were so Jason did ‘Don’t You Wanna Stay’ with Kelly many Damon Runyon-type charac- Shindler with Clarkson on the CMAs, that really moved the ters in the business. Everybody who wife Carolyn, needle,” says Harrington. “We came right back and did ‘Dirt Road worked for a label had a person- former R&R Anthem’ – both of them [had impact] (continued on page 9) ality and so did the programmers. Country Editor ©2015 Country Aircheck™ — All rights reserved. Sign up free at www.countryaircheck.com. Send news to [email protected] January 20 , 2015 Page 3 Radio was like WKRP. It was a fun, pivotal time to fall in love with the business. I think I’d have a tough time falling in love if I was PAGE THREE PIC starting out now.” Of course, it wasn’t all roses. “It took us four albums to break Queen,” he says. “A lot of radio guys didn’t think it would happen. They were just an album group before ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and I took them around to New York radio to meet the programmers. People knew about them, but they weren’t monstrous yet, so we hit a few stations. When I got to the office the next day, my boss told me that the guitar player Brian May was sick with infectious hepatitis. So I had the pleasure of calling all the stations we’d visited to say, ‘We’re coming by with a nurse to give a shot to anyone who shook hands with or had any Helping Kacey immediate contact with Brian.’ They Musgraves celebrate already didn’t believe in this band, and her birthday now we’ve given them hepatitis.” Shindler remembers navigating the artist-radio maze at New York’s Plaza Red-Headed Exchanger: Then-WIL AM & FM/St. Louis Hotel where he was picking up Souther, Hillman & Furay for a PD Mike Carta talks Willie Nelson into trying out limo ride to a Long Island station show. “Their manager opened the station headgear in 1982. Nelson’s and Merle the door about one inch and said they’re not going, one of them Haggard’s Pancho & Lefty album had just been isn’t feeling good. I knew they were in there having a good time released. Have pictures from your own outlaw days? and just didn’t feel like going. I called my bosses in L.A. and they Send them to [email protected]. didn’t care. It wasn’t their problem. So I had to call the station and tell them Richie Furay was sick. They were angry, took the current record late ‘80s to early ‘90s shift and helping off the air and never played the next Toby Keith transition to superstar status one. You just have to bite that bullet as some of his greatest memories. and develop a sense of diplomacy. Shindler worked with a who’s-who And that’s not the only time some- of names including Elektra’s Jack thing like that has happened.” Holzman, Neil Bogart at Buddha, David Country was part of the job Geffen and Joe Smith and, in Nashville, in those early years. “When I was “Joe Galante, Luke Lewis and Mike in New York, I might go see Ed Dungan – wonderful people to look up Salamon and Pam Green at WHN, to and see how to do it.” because they were playing the Ea- Now that he’s seen it all, he’ll seek a gles and Linda Ronstadt.” Shindler new challenge. “I didn’t want to wait enjoyed attending what was then until I was beaten into the ground and called the DJ Convention and decid- Shindler (center, right) and Tom Waits are flanked not good at what I do anymore,” says ed to move to Nashville in 1984. He by KYA/San Francisco’s Jay Hansen and Steve Shindler, who turns 65 Jan. 2. “As you counts working with Keith Whitley on Mitchell in 1977. get older, you see more friends getting the cusp of his stardom, the pivotal sick and passing away. It hits you in the ©2015 Country Aircheck™ — All rights reserved. Sign up free at www.countryaircheck.com. Send news to [email protected] January 20 , 2015 Page 5 head and you think, ‘Wow, there has to be some life beyond the OFF THE RECORD: JACKIE LEE record business.’ “I’m going to pursue a license in alcohol and drug counsel- Broken Bow’s Jackie Lee puts an industry ing,” he continues. “I’ve been recovering for six years and nine spin on the artist interview: months and have a lot of friends in the program. They’re such I grew up listening to WIVK/Knox- valuable people and I want to give back by doing something that ville. They played all the hits all the time. I makes my heart feel good. I am so appreciative of this business just remember if anything was going on in and plan on staying in touch with everybody I can. Thanks to town, they were there. Country radio for putting up with me all these years and taking The first time I heard myself on the my calls ... most of the time. Keep having fun. Don’t lose the fun!” radio in Knoxville was on WCYQ. We had Reach Shindler here. –Chuck Aly just left the station and they’d told us to lis- ten back about an hour later. It wasn’t even Jackie Lee on for 30 seconds and I started getting Chart Chat texts from my family and friends. Congrats to Kenny Chesney, Norbert Our radio tour was riddled with scary moments. It was a Nix, RJ Meacham, David Friedman and the great tour but we were in San Diego with two days off. My guitar rest of the Columbia promotion team on scor- player hit his head late at night so we took him to the emergency ing this week’s No. 1 with “Til It’s Gone.” The room. The next day our bus driver broke his knee and my drum- song is the second chart-topper from Chesney’s mer’s cell phone got swept away in the ocean. I was like, “We’ve The Big Revival, joining “American Kids.” gotta get out of here!” And kudos to A Thousand Horses, Kenny Chesney I swear every truck stop from here to California has a Matthew Hargis and the entire Republic Denny’s. We always got omelettes no matter what time of day it Nashville promotion crew on the No. 28 was. There were some “fishy” omelettes, let me tell ya. arrival of “Smoke” – the highest debut for a I wish I could have dinner with the late Faron Young. new artist’s first single inCountry Aircheck history. He’s been one of my favorites artists for a long time. He was a crooner, not your typical country artist. He knew how to sing to St. Jude: Memphis Memories the ladies and always dressed real sharp.