COUNTRY AIRPLAY We Listen To Radio January 30, 1998 $ 4.95 Volume 6 No. 5 COUNTRY HIGHLIGHTS TIM MCGRAW Just To See You Smile (CURB) * * * AIRPCOWER * * * GARTH BROOKS She's Gonna Make It (CAPITOL/CAPITOL NASHVILLE) WYNONNA Come Some Rainy Day (CURB/UNIVERSAL) CLINT BLACK Nothin' But The Taillights (RCA) GOING FOR AIRPLAY MATRACA BERG Back In The Saddle (RISING TIDE) TRACY BYRD I'm From The Country (MCA NASHVILLE) JIM LAUDERDALE Goodbye Song (RCA) RICOCHET Connected At The Heart (COLUMBIA) Can Regional Refs Kill A Country Song? Yes, But Not If It Mentions 'Everywhere' by Phyllis Stark sistance at country radio with or without regional references. Can a regional reference kill a At the same time, there are plen- song? Not always. But label promo- ty of examples of songs with region- tion reps say that, in a world where al references that scored. Tim Mc- programmers are looking for any Graw's "Everywhere," which makes reason not to play a song, regional reference to several cities, spent two references have become a handy weeks at No. 1 last October. Wade excuse. Hayes' "The Day She Left Tulsa (In Programmers say they evaluate A Chevy)" is climbing the chart. Jo new music on a song -by -song basis Dee Messina's "Heads Carolina, and will rarely neglect to give aTails California" was a hit in '96. record a chance because it men-George Strait's "Adalida," which tions a city or a place far from theircontains an armload of Louisiana own market. Many cite Alan Jack- references, including Lake Pont- son's "Chattahoochee" as an exam-chartrain, hit in '95. In fact, Strait ple of a song about a somewhat ob- has a stableful of hit songs with re- scure river that became a hit in gional references, including "All My spite of the reference or maybe be-Ex's Live In Texas," "Marina Del cause of it. Rey," and "I Can Still Make Chey- But last year brought more misses enne." And there are dozens of oth- than hits in songs with regional ref- er examples. erences. BlackHawk's "Postmarked So, why do some songs hit and Birmingham" went to No. 37. River some fail? Road's "Nickajack," the name of a With River Road's "Nickajack," dam near Chattanooga, Tenn.,Capitol Nashville VP of national stalled at No. 41. Rick Trevino's "See promotion Terry Stevens says, "we Rock City," about a tourist attraction did run into some areas where [pro- DEAN MILLER outside Chattanooga, peaked at No. grammers] had a difficult time fig- 44. David Lee Murphy's "Breakfasturing out what Nickajack meant." in Birmingham" topped off at No. Outside of Knoxville, Tenn., At- WAKE UP AND SMELL THE WHISKEY 51. Wade Hayes' "Wichita Lineman" lanta, and Chattanooga, he says, THE NEW SINGLE FROM HIS SELF -TITLE) DEBUT ALBUM peaked at No. 55, although the fact "you may as well have been talking that the song was a remake of a Glen Russian." Campbell hit may have worked The song scored surprisingly well against it. Noel Haggard's "Tell Me in unexpected places, including NAMED ONE OF THE BEST ALBUMS OF 1997 Something Bad About Tulsa," chart- Denver, Kansas City, San Diego, and ed for just one week, at No. 75. And Minneapolis, where Stevens says BY THE NEW YORK TIMES Lyle Lovett's "That's Right (You're programmers "bought into the fun Not From Texas)" failed to chart, al- feel of the song ... In Denver, they though Lovett has had ongoing re- Continued on page 6 ADD DATE: FEBRUARY 9 TIES WEEK In Country Airplay Monitor 3WDSY's Justin Case Named WYRK PD Personal Managen-7. -t Frank Callan for FCC Mar gement 4Letter: Ford On Low Spin Counts www.cEpeol-nashvile.con- 6Profile: KTEX Brownsville's Patches 0 1)9F- Capitol Nar twille 'CD' SADDLE NEWSbgle From AY MORNING TO TURJAY NIGHT N DAY Moiitig UPDAY NiP TOP 10 ALBUMS OF r997 -TIME MAGAZINE TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 1997 -F EMU BEST OF COUNTRY 1997 -ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY Proluced by EMORY GORDY, JR. Lk Add Date: February 2 AISING TIDE 1) -thy '. Next Weave SneakPeak "You bring the barbecue and bring the wine... CJrnpan, C19 U.iversal Records. Inc. COUNTRY AIRPLAY MONITOR JANUARY 30, 1998 3 Shreveport's Sunfire Giveaway MOE JESSE 1111/11lidtillliTS' COUPONS 615.321-4291 [email protected] Stone Remembered For His Versatility Hie Stone, who died Jan. 16 of a Blon)." Stone's follow-up hit, "When My Blue heart attack, easily had more influ- Moon Turns To Gold Again," peaked at No. ence on the popularization of post - 11 in the autumn of 1948. WWII country music in California He recorded a half -dozen albums for than any other player. During his lengthy ca-Capitol and discovered (and for 10 years reer, Stone could easily have been called a jack managed) Tennessee Ernie Ford. He steered of all trades in the entertainment field. He the careers of countless recording artists, played bass; worked as a bandleader, A&R ex- most notably those of Hank Thompson and ecutive, artist manager, songwriter, comedian, Molly Bee. talent scout, author, and music publisher; and The '60s found Stone concentrated mainly During a recent listener promotion, KITT (Cat Country) Shreveport, La., gave away was a hard-working radio and stage star. on his Central Songs publishing house but 93 keys, one of which started a new Pontiac Sunfire. KITT PD/MD Danny Fox, left, After playing big -band bass alongside An-staying busy in music -related enterprises. He and morning personality Tom Michaels, right, are pictured with listeners Mr. and son Weeks' and Freddie Slack's orchestras, headed Granite Records in the late '60s and Mrs. Chris Epperson, whose winning key got them the car. Stone moved on to country radio in the Los won the Academy of Country Music's Pioneer Angeles area, where a DJ career evolved into Award in 1972. As a founder of the ACM, MC gigs and a performance slot on "Covered Stone was still seated on its board of directors Wagon Jubilee," which aired on KFUD, andand serving as its official historian at the time WDSY's Justin Case To Program WYRK "Lucky Stars" on KFWB. During the early of his death. '40s, Stone was bandleader and center -stage Stone has a star on the Hollywood Walk of DSY Pittsburgh PD Justin Case is KTND (Thunder 105.5) Oxnard, Calif., comedian on "The Hollywood Barndance." Fame and is a member of the Western Hall of named PD at ARS sister station drops country for satellite soft AC. In his radio heyday, Stone is reported to haveFame and the Country Music Disc Jockey WYRK Buffalo, N.Y., effective Feb. KSON-AM San Diego splits from its simulcast hosted almost 30 weekly shows. His most sig-Hall of Fame. He was inducted into Nash- 9. He replaces Ken Johnson, now at of country sister KSON-FM next month to pick nificant impact on West Coast country musicville's Country Music Hall of Fame in 1990 WXTU Philadelphia. Case expects to pick up an up ABC Radio's Radio Disney format. KSON was his daily variety show, "Dinner Belland wrote the book "Everything You Always undetermined air shift at WYRK down the road. had programmed the children's radio format Roundup" on KXIA Pasadena, Calif., which Wanted To Know About Songwriting But Meanwhile, WDSY OM Keith Clark will handleRadio Aahs until last February, when it resumed eventually moved to a bigger facility in El Didn't Know Who To Ask" in 1991. Most re- programming until a replacement is named. simulcasting the FM. Monte, Calif., and changed its name tocently, Stone had produced and released "A WOKI Knoxville, Tenn., the country sister sta- Two longtime country AMs exit the format for "Hometown Jamboree." Chance To Say," a gospel project by Deborah tion of WIVK-FM, repositioned itself Jan. 26 as sports/talk. They are WVAM Altoona, Pa., which In 1946, Stone was named head of A&R atMcConnaughy on his independent Show- "Outlaw Country." The new format is current - has been in and out of the format several times, Capitol Records, where he stayed for moredown imprint. intensive and uptempo, with lots of album cuts and 32 -year country outlet KROP El Centro, than 20 years. In 1947, Cliffie Stone & His As a longtime admirer, I am fortunate to and attitude. Morning man Tom Miller and Calif., which hung in against FM competition for Orchestra scored a No. 4 hit with "Silverhave been introduced to Stone during a p.m. driver Gunner swap shifts. nearly a decade. Stars, Purple Sage, Eyes Of Blue." The fol-chance meeting on a plane in 1984, and he Following the sale of WJCL Savannah, Ga., to KKIX (Kix 104) Fayetteville, Ark., morning lowing year, Stone's group adopted a newmade a guest appearance in 1991 on WSM Cumulus, radio veteran George Francis is the hosts Wilhite and Wall are now also heard in name, Cliffie Stone & His Barn Dance Band, Nashville's "Sunday Morning Country Clas- new GM for that station mornings on sister and scored another No. 4 title on the chart sics," which I hosted at the time. As a new- as well as Cumulus' station KMAG Fort known at the time as Billboard's Most Played comer to the ACM's board of directors last other new acquisitions, Smith, Ark. KMAG Juke Box Folk Records with "Peepin' year, I was an enthusiastic recipient of his wis- WIIMQ/W1XV/WSGE PD/morningman Through The Keyhole (Watching Joledom and wit. He will be greatly missed.