Kris Daniels
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March 12, 2012, Issue 285 Kris Daniels: Not Her Father’s MD In an era when most in radio wear several hats, Cox Media’s WQNU/Louisville and WHKO/Dayton MD Kris Daniels should win a prize for multitasking. The 2012 CRS/Country Aircheck Medium Market MD of the Year, Daniels is a wife, mother of three, fulltime college student and ‘QNU’s morning personality. She also oversees music for two radio stations in different markets with completely divergent challenges. “This situation is fun,” Daniels says. “You get to be the winner in Dayton and the challenger here in Louisville. You also get to see results, and that’s even true in Louisville. I’m having a blast.” Kris Daniels WHKO/Dayton is a heritage Country station Save A Bull, Ride A Cowboy: Big & Rich hold court with the with a conservative playlist that routinely delivers dukes of Detroit during a PBR event Saturday. Pictured (l-r, double-digit shares and ranks No. 1 in the market, evidenced by its standing) are WYCD’s Tim Roberts, PBR’s Sean Gleason, Cowboy recent Fall ‘11 numbers, which jumped 10.3-11.5 (1-1). Troy, PBR’s Jim Haworth and Bradley Gaskin; looking punchy WQNU/Louisville is a four-year old upstart, taking on Clear (l-r, kneeling) are John Rich and Big Kenny Alphin. Channel’s legendary WAMZ that’s programmed by Country Radio Hall of Famer Coyote Calhoun and is No. 2 in town. In its last four books, Promo Tactics: Hot Or Not? ‘QNU has improved 3.2-4.6-4.7-5.4, rising from 12th to fifth 12+. Veteran Pop programmers new to the Country format A look at music for both stations reveals a surprisingly similar recently questioned some of the promotion pitch styles they’ve current/recurrent percentage, with ‘QNU slightly newer at 68%, encountered from Nashville label reps. The topic came up in compared to ‘HKO’s 66%. While ‘QNU was launched in 2008 as Country Aircheck’s CRS print issue (Country Goes The Pop PD, a newer-targeted station musically, ‘HKO, Country since 1989, Feb. 2012) and again at the seminar’s “Are These Country People has only recently begun to shift more current. Freakin’ Nuts?” panel. So we dialed up a few top promotion execs Although the numbers look close on paper, Daniels says to ask if they are, in fact, nuts. We also asked evaluating and adding music in Dayton is totally different from about promotion. Louisville. “In Dayton they love new music, but they still love the “Most people are still getting to know the new heritage artists; it’s a station that can play both,” she explains. programmers, and every call is different,” says “It’s about knowing what artists do well there. Eric Church and Curb VP/Promotion Adrian Michaels. “Some Brantley Gilbert work, but so do core artists that have new music PDs want the alphabet soup of stations-on, some out, like Ronnie Dunn and Martina McBride.” want to see growth or sales. Our team is armed (continued on page 5) with more than enough data.” Adrian Michaels ©2012 Country Aircheck™ — All rights reserved. Sign up free at www.countryaircheck.com. Send news to [email protected] March 12, 2012 Page 2 UMG/Nashville SVP/Promotion Royce PAGE THREE PIC Risser says competition naturally inclines labels toward using the most favorable information. “Programmers are strategists as well,” he points out. “There are key times when they buy TV or put up a billboard or show certain numbers to a client that reflect what they want seen. That’s what Royce Risser businesses do, they pass on the information that suits them best. “Country is different from other formats because we’re by ourselves,” Risser continues. “We don’t have the feeder system other formats do to introduce new artists. So the artists set the bar for each other in terms of how they take care of radio. Some programmers come into the format and scratch their heads because some promotion practices might not work for them. But Promotion 101 is to adjust your approach to the needs of each programmer. If they want to see certain metrics, that’s what you use. If you’re a lazy Whatcha Gonna Do With A Cowboy: The late Chris LeDoux (l) promotion person, you may not do that. You may just use what you signs guitars for KSNI/Santa Maria, CA’s St. Jude radiothon used on the last call, but that’s not our approach.” in 2002. He’s pictured with PD Jay Turner. Send your vintage Arista/Nashville VP/Promotion Lesly Tyson comes from a shots to [email protected]. Pop promotion background and doesn’t see a dichotomy between working records to the Chart Chat two formats. “Certainly there are differences Congrats to Dierks Bentley, Steve between how those formats are programmed Hodges, Shane Allen and the entire Capitol/ and in the imaging, clocks and the music,” she Nashville promotion posse on scoring this says. “I remember coming over to Country and week’s No. 1 single with Bentley’s “Home.” The going, ‘What do you mean, powers don’t rotate title track single is his current album’s second 70 to 100 times a week?’ It just boils down to chart-topper, joining “Am I The Only One.” Lesly Tyson Dierks Bentley working different stations on our music based on how the music fits into each station and what the programmer and the listeners are looking for in that market.” News & Notes If anything, the issues raised in the article and session offer a Performing rights organization ASCAP reported that its 2011 teachable moment. “After reading that story I actually reminded revenue totaled $986 million, up $51 million or 5.3% from the staff about the information they’re armed with every week,” 2010. The company streamlined several departments, lowering Michaels says before offering a cautionary note. “This format its operating expense and chart are scientifically and mathematically driven, so if you ratio by a rate of more raise your hand and say that numbers drive your decision, you’re than 14%, declining probably going to be deluged with numbers. I have recently hired from 13.9% to 11.9%. two unemployed NASA scientists to prepare my data for [KILT/ International collections Houston PD] Mark Adams. It was good for the economy and they totaled $347, up $50 million from 2010. ASCAP noted that were right there in Houston anyway.” –Chuck Aly Netflix, Hulu and Spotify all signed blanket license deals in 2011. ©2012 Country Aircheck™ — All rights reserved. Sign up free at www.countryaircheck.com. Send news to [email protected] March 12, 2012 Page 3 Nashville-based G7 Entertainment Marketing has hired MY TUNES: MUSIC THAT SHAPED MY LIFE four new executives including Executive Director/Client Services Lori Cloud, Director/Booking & Production Rick Whetsel, DSR Entertainment’s David St. Digital Strategist/Project Manager Diana Garcia and Project Romain discusses his most influential Manager Christian Henderson. Cloud most recently was VP/ songs, albums and concerts: Brand Strategy & Digital Media and Big Enterprises; Whetsel’s 1. Kenny Rogers/She Believes background includes founding Great Big Shows; Garcia is an In Me: I remember my dad singing eight-year digital veteran; and Henderson previously worked at this regularly when I was a child. His CAA on the music festival side. G2 Entertainment’s Country Fastball has added R&F smooth voice really motivated me to be Communications’ WDKN-AM & WKDN-FM/Dickson, TN as a soulful singer and entertainer. David St. Romain an affiliate. 2. Garth Brooks/Wolves: No Fences Performing rights organization SESAC will expedite its royalty was one of the first CDs my brothers and I had in our house. payments to songwriters and publishers by shifting from quarterly I discovered “Wolves” at a time in my life that was very to monthly distributions. The firm will begin with domestic/ influential and unforgettable. My brother was serving in the terrestrial accounts and expand to other performance platforms Gulf War and it affected our family tremendously. later this year. LiveNation President Eric Garland (formerly President of 3. Metallica and Guns N’ Roses concert, 1992: My BigChampagne) will keynote and Sugarland’s Kristian Bush high school buddies and I spent the night outside the mall will be among the featured speakers at next month’s Leadership to get tickets to this show. It was an absolutely amazing Music Digital Summit, whose theme this year is Social Media & experience to witness both superstar groups in their heyday. Its Impact On The Music Space. The full-day event takes place 4. Van Morrison/Tupelo Honey: It’s hard to lock down Wednesday, April 25 at TPAC’s Polk Theater in Nashville. Click one favorite song, but this one has to be it. here for more details. 5. The Best Of The Johnny Cash TV Show: 1969-1971: Video and entertainment platform VEVO has introduced several new features, including a the ability to play videos My mentor gave me this DVD collection for my birthday. It continuously, a higher-quality, faster video player, lyrics to videos, spans so many genres of music. Johnny Cash’s connection music news headlines, artist bios and a tighter integration with with the audience shows what true artistry is about. Facebook. Among the new content unveiled Friday (3/9) is a • A highly regarded song or album you’ve never teaser clip from Carrie Underwood’s new single “Good Girl.” heard: Adele. I hear she’s amazing, but haven’t checked The Nashville- and London-based music publisher Southern her out yet.