ISSUE 18 MUSIC EDITION DECEMBER 18, 2006 Chesney, Flatts & Arista Tops In ‘06 NEW REPORTERS; ACTIVATOR REPORTERS SOUGHT Country Aircheck’s inaugural print edition proclaims KCYE (Coyote)/Las Vegas and WTDW (The Fox)/ Kenny Chesney as the format’s Top Performer of 2006. Detroit have been added to the Country Aircheck/ The same issue crowns Arista/Nashville as the Label of the Mediabase Country panel. Their airplay information Year and shows Rascal Flatts’ “What Hurts The Most” from Dec. 31, 2006-Jan. 6, 2007 will be included in the Jan. 8, 2007 chart. Stations not qualifying for the leading the Top 100 Songs. panel because of low ratings or current percentages Chesney took top artist honors on the strength of four will be announced later this week. Top 15 hits, two of which spent a combined four weeks Country Aircheck is also accepting application at No. 1. All four rank among the year’s Top 100 tunes. for its new “Activator Chart” panel. The first Activator The ACM and CMA Entertainer of the Year for 2006 also Chart will appear in the January 8 Music Edition. Compiled in conjunction with Mediabase, the fielded one of the year’s top-grossing tours with his “The Activator panel will be a combination of stations Road & The Radio” extravaganza, which also boasted six monitored by Mediabase and reporters submitting stadium shows this past year. their playlists via the internet. Submit a request to Rascal Flatts’ No. 1 song of 2006 helped propel the [email protected]. Please include 25-54 band to dizzying -- or is it Disneying? -- heights. The band ratings info for the past year -- shares and rank -- and a current playlist. In addition to being ratings winners, concluded 2006 as the best selling artist across all genres Activator Reporters must maintain a current percentage of music. It was the second consecutive year RF was the of 25% and be willing to submit ADDS in the case of best selling Country artist, but, according to the label, the Mediabase monitored stations and current airplay lists first time in 14 years that a country artist ended the year and ADDS in the case of non-monitored reporters. with the best selling artist album. The last country artist Submissions are due by December 21, 2006. to accomplish that feat was Billy Ray Cyrus in 1992. The band’s Me And My Gang CD is the only artist album act’s single this past year as “a slugfest.” But Bishop, who released in 2006 to be certified triple platinum by the RIAA. assumed the VP role just over a year ago, says the struggle The debut Country Aircheck print issue, which hits with the single was what made his new group “gel as a the street Tuesday, features an interview with Sony BMG team.” Chairman Joe Galante and Arista/Nashville VP/Promotion All this, plus the songs that hit the Top 15 in 2006 Skip Bishop. Galante describes working one superstar and the year in memories from some of the industry’s top execs, coming to you this week. ©2006 Country Aircheck™ — All rights reserved. To subscribe visit www.countryaircheck.com December 18, 2006 Country Aircheck Music Edition Page 3 Fini DATE CHECK This is the last Music Edition of 2006. The next full February 27 - Country Radio & DJ Hall of Fame Dinner. edition, with the first charts of the New Year, will arrive on www.crb.org Jan. 8, 2007. Today was also the last reporting day of the year. There will be no reports on Monday December 25 or February 28 to March 2 - CRS-38. www.crb.org January 1, 2007. Some dates to keep in mind: >Jan. 3, 2007: The return of Country Aircheck May 15 - 42nd Annual ACM Awards. Today with a news-only version of the CA Music Edition www.acmcountry.com -- or Mini-ME, as we like to call it. June 7-10 CMA Music Festival >Jan. 8, 2007: The first report day of 2007. Adds www.cmafest.com from Mediabase-monitored stations will be taken at www. airplayaddboard.com beginning Thursday morning Jan. 4 Benefits:Congrats to all the folks at WUSN/Chicago on until Monday Jan. 8 at 3pm ET-Noon PT. setting a new St, Jude “Country Cares” radiothon record of $2,103,457. One of the few stations to air the fundraiser CC Lights Country In Atlanta just before Christmas, US99 camped out at a local mall last As reported in a Country Aircheck Breaking News Thursday and Friday. WUSN wrested the record-holding update earlier today, Clear Channel flipped AC WLTM/Atlanta crown from KEEY/Minneapolis, which raised the bar to to Country at noon ET today. Despite denials from CC execs $1,900,402 last February. in November, we tipped the move on Nov. 17 and “94.9 The KKBQ & KTHT/Houston joined Cox clustermate Bull” made its first appearance a week earlier than planned. Eighties KHPT last week for a radiothon raising more than WLTM has been using the strong cume-magnet of all holiday $1.1 million for cancer research and awarness at Texas music since mid-November but launched today with Alan Children’s Hospital. Jackson’s “Chattahoochie.” We can’t yet tell you the name of the new PD, but station Industry News Leadership Music and SOLID will hold the fifth execs want airchecks and resumes for all dayparts -- including annual Music Row Yard Sale on June 9 in Nashville during mornings and afternoons -- ASAP. They’re also on the hunt for CMA Music Festival. The organizations are now accepting an on-air APD/MD and a Promotions Director. Send your stuff donations of industry swag and other items folks in the to 94.9 The Bull, 1819 Peachtree Rd., Ste. 200, Atlanta, GA business are currently cleaning out of their offices. Items can 30309. be picked up on Music Row. Contact Cori Dodson at cori@ leadershipmusic.org. Radio News Nashville songwriter Alice Randall along with Carter Programming: KFDI/Wichita, KS MD/midday host Carol Little and Courtney Little have authored My Country Hughes has been promoted to Asst. PD. Roots: The Ultimate MP3 Guide to America’s Original Networks & Syndication: Huntsman Entertainment has Outsider Music. The book includes more than 100 different produced an album preview special for John Anderson’s Easy playlists focused on some of the genre’s most popular Money. The special, hosted by Blake Shelton, is available topics. George Jones wrote the book’s forward. Jan. 25 to Feb. 12. The album is due in May. Contact Shantell The Canadian Country Music Association will hold Ogden for details: [email protected]. its 2008 CCMA Week on Sept. 5-8 in Winnipeg. The 2007 event is already set for Sept. 7-10 in Regina, Saskatchewan. ©2006 Country Aircheck™ — All rights reserved. Send news to [email protected] December 18, 2006 Country Aircheck Music Edition Page 4 Record News TUBE CHECK Former Katapult Director/Regional Promotion Chris Borchetta has joined Big Machine as an independent artist Tuesday (12/19) – Reba McEntire, Brooks & Dunn, development rep. Linda Davis, Vince Gill, Top 10 Countdown, (CMT). Effective Jan. 1, new Universal South Sr. VP/GM Fletcher Foster can be reached at 40 Music Square West, Wednesday (12/20) – Billy Ray Cyrus, The Collection, Nashville, 37203, phone 615-259-5300, fletcher.foster@ (GAC). umusic.com. Thursday (12/21) – Little Big Town, Blake Shelton, Former Warner Bros./Nashville Nat. Dir./Specialty Top 20 Countdown, (CMT). Programming Joe Redmond has been named to the newly-created post of Dir./National Promotion for Cupit Friday (12/22) – Barbara Mandrell, Dolly Parton, Faith Records. Redmond can be reached at 615-731-0100, ext. Hill, LeAnn Rimes, Martina McBride, Reba McEntire, 16; 615-414-5488 (cell); or [email protected]. CMT Giants, (CMT); Josh Turner, Randy Travis, CMT After 25 years in Music City, Montage’s Ted Wagner Cross Country, (CMT). is finally realizing one of his biggest dreams. No, his golf handicap did not hit zero. He will, however, grace the Saturday (12/23) – Ricky Skaggs, Joe Nichols, Patty Loveless, The Whites, Grand Old Opry Live, (GAC); stage of the Grand Ole Opry Tuesday night (12/19) as Dolly Parton, CMT Greatest Moments, (CMT). member of Jeff Bates’ band. Wagner will fill-in for regular bassist Joel Van Tassel, who scheduled a family vacation Monday (12/25) – Little Big Town, Top Videos of before the GOO date came up. 2006, (GAC); Neal McCoy, GAC Specials, (GAC); Blake Shelton, Clint Black, Crystal Gayle, Joe Nichols, Artist News Kenny Rogers, Lee Ann Womak, 100 Greatest Duets Show Dog’s Rushlow Harris are featured on the Concert, (CMT). website for Mr. Coffee brand coffee makers, www.mrcoffee.com. The promotion features a link to a Tuesday (12/26) – LeAnn Rimes, Top Videos of 2006, GAC Short Cuts series video clip about the duo. Rushlow (GAC). Harris have also created an e-card campaign around their “Bagpipes Cryin’” single, which can be accessed at Wednesday (12/27) – Keith Anderson, Top Videos of http://bamah.com/ecard/rushlowharris/lettersfromhome/. 2006, (GAC). Columbia’s Miranda Lambert and Show Dog’s Thursday (12/28) – Sara Evans, Top Videos of 2006, Flynnville Train will open 2007 dates on Toby Keith’s (GAC). Hookin’ Up & Hangin’ Out Tour. The tour opens Jan. 25 in Albany, NY. Friday (12/29) – Josh Turner, Top Videos of 2006, Curb’s Rodney Atkins staged a benefit concert last week (GAC). for Holston United Methodist Children’s Home in Greenville, TN. The show, presented by WIVK/Knoxville, raised funds Chart Chat for the facility from which Atkins was adopted as an infant.