January 4, 2016, Issue 480 CRS Goes Vertical A new footprint, better decor and a possible solution for the townies are just some of what CRS 2016 attendees can expect. Country Aircheck spoke with CRS Exec. Dir. Bill Mayne about the big move from the Nashville Convention Center and Renaissance Hotel to the Omni Hotel. High Heel Friendly: Unlike previous years that involved many long walks from the Renaissance to the NCC and back, getting to the CRS registration area is as simple as a quick trip Good As Drew: Radio friends join Cold River’s Drew down the elevator or, from the lobby, up the escalator to the Baldridge in Las Vegas for a “Drew Year’s Eve” showcase. second level. Attendees should be able to quickly find their Pictured are (back, l-r) WQYK/Tampa’s Cadillac Jack, way around with some help. “There will be über signage,” says Beasley/Las Vegas’ Courtney Robinette, KTGX/Tulsa’s Mayne. “People have been on autopilot for the last 18 years, Kristina Carlyle, KWOF/Denver’s Brad Hansen, WPCV/ and everyone will be directionally challenged this year.” Parking Lakeland’s Mike James, Cold River’s Kellie Longworth, choices include Omni WUSH/Norfolk’s Brandon O’Brien, WME’s Doug Neff, Cold valet or self-parking at the River’s Bill Heltemes, KUPL/Portland’s B-Dub, K-JUG/ Visalia, CA’s Rik McNeil and WKLI/Albany’s Jon Reilly; Music City Center, about a (middle, l-r) KUBL/Salt Lake City’s Aaron Rosen, Cold block away, a choice that River’s Taylor Eschbach, KEGA/Salt Lake City’s Justin Taylor can be made at check-in. and Jon Watkins, the label’s Mary Lynne O’Neal and Marie Most events and exhibits Wapelhorst and WCOS/Columbia, SC’s Andy Woods; (front, will be on the second l-r) This Music’s Rusty Gaston, Cold River’s Pete O’Heeron, CRS Registration Area floor, with some taking Baldridge and Jim Dandy, and Aly Costello and boyfriend up space on the third and KAJA/San Antonio’s Lance Tidwell. fourth levels. “For the last 18 years, the environment was a horizontal configuration,” Mayne Ratings In An Instant? says. “There was a lot of walking. This year it’s a much more What if there was an automated digital offering that allowed vertical configuration. You’ll walk out of your hotel room to the radio stations to increase tune-in occasions and time-spent- elevator, and choose which floor to get off based on which event listening simultaneously and by an impressive margin? Apparently you’re going to. It’s going to be much more convenient.” there is. Futuri’s LDR1 platform can One note about the elevators at the Omni that will take some automatically notify listeners when a getting used to: there are two sets to choose from based on which favorite song is about to play and the floor you’re going to. Room keys are required to operate them, company has been working with Nielsen regardless of floor. (Those not staying at the hotel will have to use to understand the effect on ratings. the escalators.) LDR1 is a social-enabled playlist window for use on station The Omni’s Legends Ballroom will be segmented to serve websites or mobile apps that allows listeners to rate songs and as the presentation hall (think NCC 204/205), and the larger control the playlist during programmer-defined voting sessions. panel room (NCC 206). The Broadway Ballroom will host Listeners can also sign up for LDR1 Instant Alerts, which send text, performances, including the New Faces (continued on page 8) tweet, or e-mail alerts signaling that a favorite song is coming up. ©2016 Country Aircheck™ — All rights reserved. Sign up free at www.countryaircheck.com. Send news to [email protected] January 4, 2016 Page 3 The Futuri-commissioned Instant Alert Efficacy Study tracked listening activity for several months across 10 mainstream formats PAGE THREE PIC at 40 radio stations in 16 major markets and the results are telling. “As with anything you sort of go in with fingers crossed hoping there’s something there,” notes SVP/ Operations Todd Thomas. “We felt good about it having the ability to attract tune-ins, but it was very exciting to see that people were actually listening longer.” Findings: The Nielsen study showed 62% of stations using Futuri’s Instant Alerts increased tune-in occasions within 90 days of setting up the feature. Those stations were Todd Thomas 36% more likely to boost occasions by at least 10% than a control group of similarly formatted stations in comparable-sized markets which didn’t offer the feature. Stations using Instant Alerts increased the number of tune-in occasions by an average of 5.75 times in comparison with the control group. Moreover, the use of Instant Alerts may lead to more robust listener engagement. Nielsen found that more than 83% of consumers Run For The Border: Then-KYCY/San Francisco who became Instant Alert users said they planned to listen more to personality Melissa McConnell with Capitol’s Garth that station in the coming week, with a majority saying they intended Brooks at CRS 1994’s artist taping session where he to listen “a lot more.” More than 70% of these also said they were mingled for nearly eight hours. “As it got late Garth more likely to recommend the station to a friend. said he could ‘easily make a Taco Bell run and drop Front Lines: Programmers were hesitant to discuss local about 20 bucks!’ We were all pretty punchy at that results in detail, but were quick to sing the platform’s praises. “I point and he surprised me with a neck lock and really like it,” notes a major market PD who doesn’t want to be made everybody laugh.” Send your own “happy named. “Anything that allows additional listener interaction and shots” to [email protected]. input is good. It definitely helps boost our brand with already existing P1s and that really helps TSL.” platform, like their age, sex and regularity of use. “I can’t go into Another Country programmer in a large market agrees and details, but we’ll be stepping up the game,” he promises. appreciates the “cool factor” it brings to the station – though Contact SVP/Sales Tracy Gilliam at 571-230-6730 for more definite, measurable results are hard to identify. “We do so many information on LDR1 and other Futuri products. –Russ Penuell things that may or may not move the needle,” the programmer explains. “For the small segment of the audience that’s on Twitter – Facebook is still a way bigger deal with the Country audience Chart Chat than Twitter – it certainly has the potential to drive some tune-in Congrats to Thomas Rhett, George occasions if you sign up for an alert and have a meter.” Briner and the Valory promotion staff on And there’s a revenue aspect that’s also attractive. “We have landing the first No. 1 of the year with “Die A a great sponsor for LDR since we launched it a few years ago,” Happy Man.” The song is the second chart- the programmer continues. “And that part makes an awful lot of topper from his current album Tangled Up. sense for us.” And kudos to Kristen Williams and the In The Futuri: Given the results of the study, Futuri is WMN gang on securing 76 adds for Cole Thomas Rhett considering bonus features for the coming year. Among them, Swindell’s “You Should Be Here,” topping Thomas says, might be various metrics on listeners who use the this week’s board. ©2016 Country Aircheck™ — All rights reserved. Sign up free at www.countryaircheck.com. Send news to [email protected] January 4, 2016 Page 5 OFF THE RECORD: DREW BALDRIDGE Radio News Cold River’s Drew Baldridge puts an Cumulus WWWQ-HD2/Atlanta and 250W FM translator industry spin on the artist interview: W255CJ have dropped the Nash Icon format for Active Rock as I grew up listening to 93.7 The “99X.” The station had been airing Christmas music since late November (CAT 11/24). Bull [KSD/St. Louis]. When they spun my Adams Radio’s WWFW-HD2 (Great Country 103.3)/Fort song for the first time, I screamed like Wayne, IN and FM translator W277KA have dropped Country a little schoolgirl. Of course there were to simulcast Talk sister WLYV-AM. some tears, but it was pretty awesome. iHeartRadio’s WBUL/Lexington, WAMZ/Louisville, I just wish my family could have been WSEK/Somerset, KY and WTCR/Huntington, WV will with me. present their annual Red, White & Boom Music Festival Sept. 2-4 Drew Baldridge One of our station visits got in Lexington featuring Eric Church, Jason Aldean, Florida canceled so we pulled over at a Waffle Georgia Line, Kacey Musgraves, Thomas Rhett and Cole House to get coffee. They asked what we did and then said, Swindell. More here. “We want to hear a song.” So we grabbed our guitars, set up in the Waffle House and played. So many people told me radio tour was going to be the News & Notes The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame has debuted hardest touring of my life. For the past three years I’ve been “The Evolution of a Great Song.” The free exhibit in the Music City touring in an Excursion with a band, sleeping on each other and Center features memorabilia and lyric drafts from HoF members sharing beds. This is the first time I’ve had my own room and bed! Bill Anderson, Bobby Braddock, Paul Craft, Tom Douglas, As soon as I get on a plane I pull up Candy Crush.