Issue 729 Career Change? Buy a Station As the Old Adage Goes, You Don’T Truly Have a Career in Radio Until You’Ve Been Fired Or Hired Away by the Competition
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November 2, 2020, Issue 729 Career Change? Buy A Station As the old adage goes, you don’t truly have a career in radio until you’ve been fired or hired away by the competition. Ongoing corporate cutbacks, furloughs, layoffs and restructuring have many programmers and personalities facing yet another move or even having to work in a different industry. But what if there were another option? Bennett Radio Group Owner/Operator Stan Bennett and Hill Broadcasting Owner/Operator Danny Hill tell Country Aircheck how they Stan Bennett went from working for others to working for Everywhere But One: Records/Arista’s Matt Stell celebrates his themselves by purchasing their own stations. second No. 1 “Everywhere But On” with his Arista promo team. Sell My Vessel: Bennett, who left his post Pictured (top, l-r) are David Berry, Josh Easler, Ryan Sanders as Binnie Media VP/Programming in July and Olivia Laster; (middle, l-r) Ali O’Connell, Rusty Sherrill, Luke after 25 years with the company (CAT 6/23), Jensen and Lisa Owen; (bottom, l-r) Wide Open’s Brendan Rich, Stell and Sony’s Lauren Thomas. purchased a cluster in Mexico, ME – including Country WOXO – that had been silenced in March (CAT 3/25) following previous owner Instrumental: CMHoF Big Night Since closing its doors to the public in March, the Country Dick Gleason’s death. His mid-pandemic Danny Hill Music Hall of Fame and Museum has suffered a revenue loss acquisition included five stations and four eclipsing $30 million. But, when one door closes, another door translators for $300,000 (CAT 7/15) and drew questions from — or exhibit case — opens. Like most museums, the CMHoF has friends, including, “Are you nuts?” “Owning my own station is historically enforced a strict hands-off policy for its exhibits. Despite something I’ve wanted to do since day one, though,” says Bennett. the devastating blow the pandemic has delivered, it also created “One of my stations, WIGY, is one I grew up listening to and where a unique and (hopefully) once-in- I worked when I first started my career, so I had been looking a-lifetime set of circumstances for at trying to buy Gleason Media for a few years, but they weren’t treasured instruments to be safely ready to sell.” Following Mr. Gleason’s passing, his widow Kathy removed from climate-controlled decided to shut down the stations, and a broker called Bennett cases and played once again. with an offer to purchase immediately. Instruments and artists were Hill’s path to ownership was a bit more of a zigzag, weaving paired according to emotional through on-air, programming and sales experiences in Kansas, and artistic connections, and California and Hawaii. Two years ago, following his mother’s performances were filmed during the Museum’s six-month closure. passing, he set out to fulfill his final promise to her. “She had The result was Big Night (At The Museum), a free digital fundraiser a $50,000 life insurance policy, and I (continued on page 7) that has already raised more than $743,000 for the non-profit’s ©2020 Country Aircheck™ — All rights reserved. Sign up free at www.countryaircheck.com. Send news to [email protected] November 2, 2020 Page 3 WITH ... RESTLESS ROAD A day in the socially-distanced lives of ZB: We’ve been trying to hit the gym as hard ZB: I have Restless Road’s Zach Beeken, Colton Pack as possible so we can keep up with Kane Brown consumed more and Garrett Nichols: when we hit the road with him again! queso than I GN: The pandemic has made connecting GN: We’ve also picked up playing disc golf care to admit … with people a lot harder. My daily life still during quarantine. We played with Mitchell and that’s all I’m includes songwriting and making music with the Tenpenny recently, and he’s really good! saying. band, and tech like Zoom allows us to meet with ZB: My creative levels have been up and CP: My co-writers virtually and have meetings with our down, but that’s no different than any other time go-to snack team remotely. in life. Creativity has a mind of its own, and you is pepperoni, CP: I’ve had more time to spend with my wife have to be willing and able when it shows up. cheese and and kids, which has been great! GN: Quarantine gave us time to slow down pickles. I know ZB: The biggest change has been … how and focus on our songwriting. I truly believe it’s a weird much money I’m spending on UberEats! we’ve written some of our best songs over the combination, but CP: My routine is pretty much the same last few months, and I can’t wait for fans to hear my wife and I everyday: wake up, make coffee and breakfast and what we’ve been working on. eat them almost spend time with my family before I write songs. CP: I’ve been bingeing all of the Harry every night. ZB: I’ve always enjoyed being spontaneous, Potter movies. ZB: I’m I Expected The Rocky so I’ve never lived my life with too much routine. ZB: Netflix adding the Top 10 feature is the confident we’ll Mountains To Be A Little But, I try to be as productive as possible and best thing that has ever happened. find more silver Rockier: The trio cover have fun while doing it. CP: We’ve loved finding new ways to connect linings as time John Denver. GN: Zach and I have lived together ever since I with fans. We got a band phone number to text goes on, but so joined the band in 2015. If we were going to drive directly with fans and started a TikTok. We’ve far, I’m grateful each other crazy, it would have already happened! been able to show our personality through for the extra CP: I just moved my family down to Nashville TikTok, and it’s been amazing to see how fast time I’ve spent with my family, as well as the time in September, so it’s been an adjustment for we’ve grown a fan base on the app. we’ve had as a band to grow creatively. my wife and two daughters. We watch a ton of GN: The ability to go live has been an GN: One positive has been getting to slow movies, so that’s one thing that keeps us from incredible tool to stay connected with our fans. It’s down and focus on creative outlets and hobbies. driving each other crazy. Our kids still do a pretty cool getting to talk and interact with people all over Being able to spend time with family and loved good job of doing that! the world, giving them a chance to hear us sing! ones has been really nice, as well. Coronavirus Relief Fund. Backlit by the Nashville skyline, Brad The Countdown To Big Night (At The Paisley and Dan Tyminski opened the Museum) was hosted by Tenille Townes main event playing Don Rich’s 1964 Fender and Carly Pearce, who paid tribute to Dolly Telecaster and Buck Owens’ red, white and Parton and The Judds live from the CMA blue American acoustic guitar, respectively, Theater. “A love of country music brings us on Owens’ instrumental “Buckaroo.” Armed together tonight,” began Townes in a thread with John Prine’s David Russell Young of sentiment that wove throughout the night. Brad Paisley and Dan Tyminski custom-made guitar, Miranda Lambert ©2020 Country Aircheck™ — All rights reserved. Sign up free at www.countryaircheck.com. Send news to [email protected] Lon Helton, [email protected] Chuck Aly, [email protected] Caitlin DeForest, [email protected] Monta Vaden, [email protected] November 2, 2020 Page 4 sang Prine’s “That’s The Way Alison Brown playing Earl Scruggs’s 1930 Gibson RB Granada The World Goes ‘Round.” “I banjo, Ricky Skaggs once again donning Bill Monroe’s 1923 don’t want to wash my hands,” Gibson F-5 mandolin and host Marty Stuart playing Lester Flatt’s admitted Lambert, describing 1950 Martin D-28 guitar for “Blue Moon of Kentucky” and “Heavy the act of holding the guitar as Traffic Ahead;” andCarlene Carter and Stuart closing the show “magical.” with “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.” Tim McGraw recalled The full program is available to watch here. Viewers are invited introducing himself to to make donations via YouTube Giving or by texting “Donate” to Keith Whitley at a show in Miranda Lambert (833) 977-2643. —Caitlin DeForest Jacksonville, FL, “I’m a country singer, and I’m going to move to Nashville someday,” to which Whitley replied, “Well, son, good luck to you. I hope I run into you Chart Chat up there.” Cut to a few years later, McGraw arrived in Nashville Congratulations to Matt Stell, Steve May 9, 1989 ... the day Whitley died. Calling the experience Hodges, Josh Easler, Lauren Thomas “eye-opening,” McGraw realized, “There’s a lot of bright lights, and the Arista promotion team on landing fun, music, art, entertainment ... but behind all of that, there’s a at No. 1 with “Everywhere But On.” The song lot of pain, too.” Holding onto Whitley’s C.W. Parsons acoustic is the second single and title track from Stell’s guitar, McGraw glanced back 2019 EP. Songwriters are Lance Miller, Paul Sikes and Stell. at photo of the late singer/ Matt Stell songwriter with the words And kudos to RJ Meacham and the Curb “Potential Fulfilled” across it, crew on notching 43 adds for Lee Brice’s saying “I don’t know … I’d “Memory I Don’t Mess With,” landing atop this week’s board.