August 24, 2015, Issue 462 Traffic And Weather Revisited Americans are increasingly turning to their digital devices for service information like traffic and weather and the tech industry is accommodating them in a big way. Where that leaves radio with its comparatively generalized, static traffic and weather is up for debate, though conventional wisdom seems to be changing. First, consider the landscape or, if you will, the weather/traffic map. Google, for example, acquired the crowd-sourcing traffic and navigation app Waze for a reported $1.1 billion in 2013, despite already having Google Maps in its stable. And just this month a consortium of German luxury car- makers (Audi, BMW and Daimler) spent $3.1 billion to buy Nokia’s mapping division Here. Apple and Uber have invested heavily in mapmaking technologies of late, and familiar names like Garmin and TomTom offer their own navigation apps. Meanwhile, pinpoint, on-demand weather data is available on apps from local television broadcasters, The Larry Rosin Weather Channel, Weather Underground and Yahoo to name a few. Edison Research’s Getting Crazy: Warner Bros./WAR’s Frankie Ballard (c) Larry Rosin says it’s past time for radio to acknowledge the celebrates his No. 1 “Young & Crazy” with manager smartphone reality. Christian Svendsen (l) and WIL/St. Louis’ Danny Montana. Data Delivery: Rosin first noted a shift in watching his younger colleagues planning their commutes. “They have their phones set up where Google Now or other apps tell them before Fight For Her Write they leave the office that their normal traffic path home has an Hi-Fi Fusion’s Todd Cassetty has helped accident on it, for example,” he says. “You can’t help but wonder create content for artists including Taylor what kind of use they could possibly have for a radio traffic report Swift, Carrie Underwood and Kelsea when Google has completely taken care of it in real time. [And] Ballerini. Like many in the industry, he also Waze is simply a better solution for traffic information than the noticed “a bit of a drought of females” in the best possible radio traffic report.” genre. So last year he teamed with CAA’s Meanwhile, weather apps with information as detailed as Blake McDaniel to start the weekly Nashville songwriter series Song Suffragettes – an outlet real-time radar are ubiquitous. Even so, Rosin isn’t saying stations Todd Cassetty should drop their service reports. Instead, they should find ways where, as Production Manager/Talent Booker to integrate apps where traffic and/or weather is central to the Helena Capps says on the Suffragettes website, “Boys are wel- station’s identity. “You need to be doing deals with [platforms] that come. They just don’t get to perform.” Starting in the backstage room at Nashville venue 3rd & provide traffic or weather or creating your (continued on page 6) Lindsley, the series outgrew the space after only two months. They ©2015 Country Aircheck™ — All rights reserved. Sign up free at www.countryaircheck.com. Send news to [email protected] August 24, 2015 Page 4 moved to The Listening Room, where Cassetty had a set builder construct an onstage environment that “doesn’t look like your PAGE THREE PIC typical stark five-stools-on-a-barren-stage writer round,” he says. Since the series began, more than 80 women have played and approximately 450 have auditioned. “We’re very aggressive about trying to find the best young women we can find,” he says. “We probably have three come through our office a week. A lot of the girls play fre- quently, but we are putting up fresh faces every week. We have a very strong ‘all ships will rise’ mentality. If we put the best out there, they’ll get better together.” Established Morgan Dawson, Kalie Shorr, Deana Carter, Kristen artists are on the Kelly, Maddie Larkin, Julia Cole bill occasionally – Lauren Alaina, Kelsea Baller- ini and Matraca Berg among them. One of Cassetty’s favorite moments happened in June at CMA Music Festival, when Dea- Nineties Country: Then-Atlantic artist Tracy na Carter anchored a Suffragettes show on the CMA Close Up Lawrence (c) with KMPS/Seattle’s (l-r) Mark stage. “They closed the show with ‘Strawberry Wine,’” he recalls. Richards and Tony Thomas during a station visit “Watching all the girls harmonizing with her – they were over the in the late ‘90s. Send your own vintage pictures to moon. It was one of those ‘this is why I like to be in the music [email protected]. business’ moments. Cassetty likens the series to another grassroots movement that produced stars including Big & Rich and Gretchen Wilson. “I jokingly have said we’re trying to put on a Shabby Chic MuzikMafia,” he says. Chart Chat “They did something that people got really passionate about and they Congrats to Frankie Ballard, Kevin had some great artists involved. Then when one of those artists broke it Herring, Chris Palmer, Tom Martens and really shined a spotlight on the collective and a lot of those other artists the whole WAR staff on earning this week’s got opportunities as well. That’s really what our hope is.” No. 1 with “Young & Crazy.” The song is the Video clips are shared on the website, YouTube and third consecutive chart-topper from Ballard’s through social media. A Suffragettes tour and perhaps even Sunshine & Whiskey, joining “Helluva Life” and partnering with a label are on the wish list. “I’ve heard so the title track. Frankie many fantastic female songs in the past year,” says Cassetty. And huge kudos to the Arista team Ballard “What we ought to be starting is a publishing company. But including Lesly Simon, Andy Elliott, John again, we didn’t start this thing with a master plan. We started Sigler and Sony’s Steve Hodges on smashing the one week it because it just needed to be started. When you’re passionate Add total with 145 for Carrie Underwood’s “Smoke Break.” about something and you chase that, the opportunities will The achievement surpasses FGL’s 127 for “Dirt” registered July evolve naturally.” Reach Cassetty here. –Wendy Newcomer 14, 2014. ©2015 Country Aircheck™ — All rights reserved. Sign up free at www.countryaircheck.com. Send news to [email protected] August 24, 2015 Page 6 News & Notes MY TUNES: MUSIC THAT SHAPED MY LIFE The Garth Brooks World Tour with Trisha Yearwood will Scripps KTTS/Springfield afternoon host play the BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee, WI Sept. 26. Cash Williams discusses his most Sony Music Canada’s Gord Bamford raised more influential music: than $508,000 at the 8th Annual Gord Bamford Charity Golf 1. Dierks Bentley, Springfield, MO, Classic in Alberta, Canada, Aug. 12-13. 2006: Not only was this my first country Mel Tillis signed an exclusive booking agreement with Bud- concert, I got to enjoy it with my good dy Lee Attractions. friend who passed away a year later. T. Graham Brown signed a booking agreement Leroy Van 2. Dierks Bentley/Come a Little Dyke Enterprises. Closer: This is the song that got me Play It Again Publishing signed singer-songwriter Trea hooked on country music and also had Landon to its roster. Songwriters Hall of Fame member Dickey Lee will take part Cash Williams a strong connection with my late friend. 3. Lee Brice/Hard 2 Love: My in the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s Poets and favorite album of the last five years. It came out as I was going Prophets songwriter series Sept. 5. More here. through a tough breakup. There are so many heartbreaking songs I can relate to and he sings the heck out of them. The Week’s Top Stories 4. Garth Brooks: I’ve seen him three times. He’s the best. My Full coverage at countryaircheck.com. friends still try to claim I cried while he was performing “That • Aloha Station Trust’s WFRE/Frederick, MD revamped its Summer” in Nashville. I admit to nothing! morning show. (8/24) 5. Thomas Rhett/Beer with Jesus: His first-ever radio tour • PR consultant Elizabeth Gregg Santana joined Republic stop was at KTTS. I heard him play this and got chills. I’m a Nashville as a regional. (8/24) proud Christian and this hits me hard. • Show Dog National/Promotion & Social Media Suzanne • Highly regarded music you’ve never heard: As Durham resigned. (8/21) embarrassing as it is, probably any early Garth album. I jumped on • Nielsen examined medium and small markets in a new study. the bandwagon with his greatest hits and live albums. I love every (8/20) song I’ve heard from Garth, so it would make sense for me to listen • Columbia National Dir./Field Promotion David Friedman is to the deep tracks. I just haven’t and hate myself for it. said to be joining UMG/Nashville. (8/20) • “Important” music you just don’t get: Toby Keith songs. • Westwood One re-staffed its Hot Country 24/7 format. (8/20) They just don’t connect with me. He’s been a huge part of country • A new study shows that AM/FM reached more people than music for a long time and I respect him. It’s just not my cup of tea. streaming. (8/19) • An album you played incessantly: Sam Hunt’s Acoustic • Greater Media/Philadelphia’s Dave Scopinich returned to Mixtape. I saw Sam before he was signed and downloaded CBS Radio’s crosstown cluster as VP & Dir./Sales. (8/18) this free album from his website immediately. It’s still in high • iHeartMedia WPGB/Pittsburgh middayer Carson Black- rotation in my truck.