June 21, 2010 Issue 197 How Deep Is Your Gold? My Country Houses Troops Analyzing the number of Gold titles played in a week by Top country artists, a famous cartoonist and a president have Mediabase-monitored Country stations reveals some interesting collaborated for Stadium Entertainment’s upcoming compilation My nuggets. A few caveats with regards to our observations: Averages Country: Smash Hits. The Aug. 24 release and commentary includes mainstream current-based stations; features songs from Rascal Flatts, Keith Classic Country outlets are omitted. Airplay information comes from Urban, Brad Paisley, Lady Antebellum, Mediabase 24/7 for the week ending Saturday, June 19. We avoided Trace Adkins, Darius Rucker, Reba, Blake comparisons of stations airing Premium Choice programming. Shelton, Dierks Bentley, Rodney Atkins, To begin, a look at the longest and shortest lists (stand alone means Jypsi, Randy Houser, Big & Rich and a single, primary Country outlet in a market): Montgomery Gentry. My Country is part of an annual series Most Gold, Stand-Alone benefiting the Fisher House Foundation, Markets 1-25: KKGO/Los Angeles, 397 titles which provides housing for active and retired 26-50: WMIL/Milwaukee, 368 military and their families who are being treated at a military medical 51-75: KTEX/McAllen, TX, 532 center. There are currently 50 Fisher House comfort homes, some with 76-100: WPCV/Lakeland, FL, 464 as many as 21 suites, and there is no fee to stay at the facilities. 101-125: KATJ/Victor Valley, CA, 452 President George W. Bush is featured in a special message included 126-150: WQXK/Youngstown, OH, 398 with the collection. Gary Trudeau created and donated the album’s Most Gold, Competitive Markets cover art. “We appreciate the support of each artist and I am grateful Markets 1-25: KPLX/Dallas, 345 that they chose to participate in this remarkable project by sharing their 26-50: KFKF/Kansas City, 485 music,” says Fisher House Foundation Chairman Ken Fisher. 51-75: WESC/Greenville, SC, 560 Stadium Entertainment executives include music industry veterans 76-100: WOGK/Gainesville, FL, 476 Camille M. Barbone, John Betancourt, Wayman Jones and 101-125: KMDL/Lafayette, LA, 444 Michael Omansky. 126-150: KTFX/Corpus Christi, TX, 753 Fewest Gold, Stand-Alone PPM On P1s Markets 1-25: WYCD/Detroit, 234 It’s established knowledge that in the diary world P1 (first 26-50: WWKA/Orlando, 160 preference) listeners are critical because that cume spends more time 51-75: WBEE/Rochester, 233 (continued on page 6) with their favorite station than any other. But how does P1 listening ©2010 Country Aircheck™ — All rights reserved. Sign up free at www.countryaircheck.com. Send news to [email protected] June 21, 2010 Country Aircheck Weekly Page 2 importance translate with PPM participants? According to a new 10-month, 16-market study by Research Director, Inc. President MY TUNES : MUSIC THA T SHAPED MY LIFE Charlie Sisler, among adults 25-54, he found that 22.2% of the average WDSY/Pittsburgh APD/MD Stoney station’s cume in PPM comes from its P1s, but those listeners generate Richards discusses his most important 52.4% of the station’s average quarter-hour persons. That’s a slightly songs, artists or concerts: higher ratio than in the diary realm, where 35.7% of a station’s audience 1. Randy Travis, Storms of Life: When this delivered 70.4% of AQH. In PPM among 25-54s, 20.7% of the typical album came out, it was life- and format- station’s listenership accounted for 50.1% of its AQH. changing. The Young Country thing was For Country, P1s were found to be particularly significant in PPM, new, and this made it legit. I was at KLAC/ valued as even more important than in most other formats. P1 listeners Los Angeles and Randy made three trips accounted for 23.5% of Country’s cume, ranking it fourth-highest in its to the station: the first was as a new artist, ratio of P1s to more casual listeners to the format. Moreover, those P1s Stoney Richards the second he invited me to a show at the generated 56.1% of Country’s total quarter-hours. That percentage of Crazy Horse in Anaheim and the next he did AQH puts Country third-highest behind spoken-word formats (News/ a show for us at Hansen Dam, where we had to stand behind a Talk, Sports, etc.) and what RDI calls “Adult Urban.” Country P1s also police line to his bus. Mel Tillis stood next to me and said, “That’s the new guy, man!” True story. ranked fourth-longest in average time exposed (i.e., TSL) with 7:04 2. Kris Kristofferson, Austin Sessions: I realized the beauty and hours. View the full study at www.researchdirectorinc.com. simplicity of a well-placed D, G, E and A chord. My favorite, of course, is “Me and Bobby McGee.” Someone, in Nashville no less, Toby, Trace, Otto Ride once remarked, “You mean Janis Joplin wrote that song for him?” Toby Keith opened his American Ride Tour in Holmdel, NJ 3. Jamey Johnson, That Lonesome Song: From the first slam Saturday (6/19), and a couple of our fearless readers were along for of that jail door, I realized that truly great country songs and the, um, concert. “Everything about the show was more spectacular albums are still capable of being made. Thank you, Luke Lewis, for changing not a single note. than anything he’s done in the past,” says PD Captain Jack WKMK/ 4. Apocalypse Now soundtrack: This was really a Doors album. Monmouth-Ocean, NJ, noting an impressive opening video montage “The End” is my favorite, and to this day I swear Banana Don and I that culminates with a (tour sponsor) Ford F-150 rising up, from which were fired for playing all 11 minutes one morning. “So we walked Toby takes the stage. “The crowd went crazy. It was really impressive. on down the hall ...” The production was much more elaborate than ever before. He was 5. George Strait/I Can Still Make Cheyenne & Blue Clear Sky: much more interactive with the audience [and] for the first time he had a The fiddle on “Cheyenne” and that Erv Woolsey has a writing credit stage extension going right in the center of the floor seats.” make it one in a million. I was standing in Sun Devil Stadium under a perfectly blue Arizona sky when George played “Blue Clear Sky” during his ‘90s Nokia tour. • A highly regarded song or album you’ve never heard: Anything by Beyoncé. • An “important” piece of music you just don’t get: U2. • An album you played or listened to incessantly: O Brother Where Art Thou. When Damon Moberly sent me a test pressing, all I heard was the first cut, which was rocks being broken. I thought he sent me a sound effects track from the movie before I moved on to track two! • One obscure or non-country song everyone should listen to right now: The Firesign Theatre’s The Further Adventures of Jersey Noise: It’s all smiles as the American Ride Tour opens Saturday Nick Danger, (and albums) I Think We’re All Bozos On This Bus and night (6/19) in Holmdel, NJ. Pictured (l-r) are SDU’s Suzanne Durham, Everything You Know Is Wrong. WKMK/Monmouth, NJ’s Captain Jack, Toby Keith and SDU’s Rick Moxley. ©2010 Country Aircheck™ — All rights reserved. Sign up free at www.countryaircheck.com. Send news to [email protected] June 21, 2010 Country Aircheck Weekly Page 3 Westwood One Dir./Artist Relations Pam Green says Trace Adkins preceded Keith with a polished set. “[He] put on a great show [and] was TUBE CHECK in fine form coming off Martina McBride’s tour.” Jack gives a shout-out Tuesday 6/22 - Dierks Bentley, Soundstage (re-air) (GAC). to opener James Otto, who he says “really brought it.” Green also agrees with Jack’s assessment of Keith. “He Wednesday 6/23 - Taylor Swift, Dateline (re-air) (CMT). performed like he had been out on tour for weeks,” she says. “Music Thursday 6/24 - George Strait, GAC Nights. ran the gamut from ‘Should’ve Been A Cowboy’ to his new single ‘Trailerhood.’ Toby does not get the respect he deserves for being the Friday 6/25 - Reba, Rachael Ray (re-air) (syndicated). great entertainer he is. Saturday 6/26 - Various Artists, 2010 CMT Music Awards (re-air). “Toby brought Trace out for the dramatic and patriotic encore of ‘American Soldier’ and ‘Courtesy Of The Red, White And Blue.’ Sunday 6/27 - George Jones, Soundstage (re-air) (GAC). Looking back at the audience from my seat – with the American flag flying in the breeze on a perfect summer night – you couldn’t help but get emotional.” site and Rodney got him to prance around onstage during ‘Cleaning This Gun.’ At the end, Rodney threw his mic into the crowd during ‘If You’re Going Through Hell.’ A fan would sing the chorus and throw Chicago: Eagles, Chicks, Urban the mic back to Rodney. He did this like three times. Pretty cool.” But Saturday night in Chicago (6/19) was your last chance to see the the highlight came after Atkins’ performance of “Watching You.” “His Eagles, Dixie Chicks and Keith Urban together as Urban is leaving son Elijah ran up on stage and brought his dad a Father’s Day card,” the tour as planned. WUSN APD/MD Marci Braun Marsh says. “It was an audio card, and Rodney held it up to the mic delivers the highlights for those of us unlucky enough so we could hear it – the card played ‘Watching You.’ Rodney seemed to have missed what she calls “a gorgeous night” for genuinely surprised and moved by it.