ISSUE 27 MUSIC EDITION FEBRUARY 26, 2007 Big Stick, High Hopes In L.A. NASHVILLE WEATHER Most everyone in the country music community was initially excited over last Friday’s announcement that Mt. Wilson Tues. Wed. Thurs. Fri. Sat. Broadcasting was foregoing its 540 AM and 1260 AM Country simulcast to turn Classical KMZT/Los Angeles into KKGO “Go Country 105.” But then the questions began – most notably about the signal. I even got an email from a label president over the weekend who asked, “Does the signal cover the right areas for Sunny Mostly Thunder- Sunny Partly us?” From all accounts, the answer is a resounding “yes.” Sunny storms Cloudy Addressing that issue specifically, RadioCrunch consultancy President and L.A. resident Anthony Acampora told Country High: 58 High: 65 High: 68 High: 56 High: 52 Aircheck, “KKGO has one of the top five or six signals in L.A. In Low: 34 Low: 45 Low: 42 Low: 35 Low: 30 fact, in most respects it has a better signal than KZLA had. KKGO has 18kw, non-directional on Mt. Wilson. KZLA also had 18kw at www.countryaircheck.com), Emmis Radio President Rick and, although it was a bit further up the mountain than KKGO’s Cummings said that while KZLA posted about $28 million in stick, KZLA was directional.” 2005 revenues, ’06 was expected to be in the “low 20s,” and that Mt. Wilson Broadcasting owner Saul Levine says that simply wasn’t enough for Emmis to keep KZLA Country. the 105.1 FM signal has a 100-mile range. “It goes from Santa (continued on page 5) Barbara in the north to Riverside on the east to Southern Orange County in the South,” he said, adding, “When you add 540 AM Seminar Has Arrived covering San Diego, we now reach over 20 million people – no CRS-38 opens tomorrow night with the Country DJ other Country station has the reach we do.” and Radio Hall of Fame Dinner & Induction Ceremony, and Levine also dispelled any notion that he would be doing officially closes with Friday evening’s New Faces Show & L.A. Country on the cheap. “This is going to be a top-notch Dinner. In between, CRB Executive Director Ed Salamon Country station,” he says. “We’ve already hired great people promises “absolutely no down time.” known among L.A. Country fans and we’re going to have the “We’re starting on Wednesday, which is earlier,” he says. best programming people in the U.S. around us. We’re not going “We have panels up against the [Artist Taping Sessions], which to fool around.” is new. We also have an early evening event on Thursday at the There may be well over 22 million reasons for Levine not to Wildhorse, which was usually a time that was completely open.” fool around. In an August 21 interview (accessible in the archives ©2007 Country Aircheck™ — All rights reserved. To subscribe visit www.countryaircheck.com February 26, 2007 Country Aircheck Music Edition Page 3 Advance registrations are 4% ahead of last year, and Salamon expects a typically healthy walk-up registration at $655 each. DATE CHECK Tickets are also still available for the Hall of Fame event ($85), Thursday Spring Town Meeting ($135) and Friday Radio Sales February 27 - Country Radio & DJ Hall of Fame Dinner. track ($335). While it’s impossible to predict which session, panel, www.crb.org showcase or late night (early morning?) dalliance will be the talk February 28 to March 2 - CRS-38. www.crb.org of CRS-38, it’s safe to assume attendees will leave Saturday with plenty to tell the folks back home. April 24 - Leadership Music Digital Summit www.digitalsummit.org/ CRS-38 Daily Buzz Country Aircheck is publishing the official newsletter of May 8 - Roy Acuff St. Block Party, Nashville CRS-38, the Daily Buzz. We’ll recap the previous day’s events May 15 - 42nd Annual ACM Awards. and preview the day ahead in an easy-to-tote format distributed www.acmcountry.com at general sessions and panels on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday morning. Country Aircheck subscribers will get a PDF June 7-10 - CMA Music Festival. copy delivered via email overnight, in addition to coverage in www.cmafest.com the Country Aircheck Today daily email. Mellencamp Takes West; John Curb Gig Alert: KNIX/Phoenix morning show producer Josh McDermitt is relocating to Los Angeles to pursue a comedy Consults career after 10 years with the Tim & Willy show. PD Ray Massie Curb/Asylum secondary promoter Eric Mellencamp has been says resumes should go to CC/Phoenix c/o the HR department, upped to West Coast Regional, effective March 1. He will continue 4686 E. Van Buren, Suite 300, Phoenix, 85008. to be based in Nashville. Concurrently, John Curb becomes Sr. Consultant to both Curb imprints while retaining responsibility for Promotion: WKIS/Miami Director/Marketing & Promotions reporting stations in Southern California. “Eric’s hard work and Sandy Sloane is leaving the station March 9 for a local posting passion for the business he grew up in makes him the perfect choice with Comcast. GM Carole Bowen is seeking to replace the 10- to compliment our ongoing relationships in the West Region,” year station vet, and can be reached at 305-654-1722. says Curb Sr. VP/Promotion Carson James. “John’s a wealth of knowledge and experience that will be invaluable to me and our Awards: The CMA will begin accepting online submissions for promotion departments’ radio marketing efforts.” the CMA Broadcast Awards on Monday, April 2. Submit at www.broadcast.cmaawards.com. Radio News Programming: WWGR/Ft. Myers-Naples-Marco Island, FL St. Jude High Water Mark Set KEEY/Minneapolis’ 15th Annual K102 Cares for St. Jude is seeking its next PD following last week’s departure of PD/ Kids Radiothon closed Friday (2/23) after raising $2,153,065, morning host Mark Phillips for a weekend posting at KPLX an all-time St. Jude record. KEEY beat their own record, set last “The Wolf”/Dallas. Airchecks and resumes to Tony Renda at year, by almost $250,000. The station has raised more than $13 [email protected]. million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital since 1993. Personalities: Country radio vet John Calhoun has been named Country Cares For Children morning host of ABC Radio’s syndicated 24-hour format Real Here are some other recent radiothon totals: Country. Calhoun has been interim host of the show since Dave Marcum passed away in November 2006. • KPLX/Dallas has finished their “Hunt for a Cure” for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, raising more than ©2007 Country Aircheck™ — All rights reserved. Send news to [email protected] February 26, 2007 Country Aircheck Music Edition Page 4 TUBE CHECK Tuesday (2/27) – Kellie Pickler, Randy Rogers Band, GAC Nights. Wednesday (2/28) – Blake Shelton, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, (CBS); Bruce Hornsby, Ricky Skaggs, CMT Crossroads. Thursday (3/1) – Jack Ingram, GAC Nights. Friday (3/2) – Carrie Underwood, In The Moment, (CMT). Saturday (3/3) – Carolyn Dawn Johnson, Randy Owen, Suzy Bogguss, Blaine Larsen, Lorrie Morgan, Grand Ole Opry Live, (GAC); Kelly Clarkson, Little Big Town, Reba McEntire, Sugarland, Toby Keith, CMT Insider. Sunday (3/4) – Lorrie Morgan, Blaine Larsen, Carolyn Dawn Johnson, Suzy Bogguss, Randy Owen, Barbara Mandrell Tribute, (GAC). Monday (3/5) – Lee Ann Womack and Van Zant, CMA Celebrity Close-Up, (GAC). $911,789. The station has raised more than $11 million dollars for St. Jude in the past eleven years. • WFMB/Springfield, IL totaled $156,500 during its St. Jude radiothon last week. • KRYS/Corpus Christi held its fifth annual radiothon this past weekend to benefit the Children’s Miracle Network and the Driscoll Children’s Hospital. The radiothon raised $73,504, bringing the five-year total to $439,000. Industry News GrassRoots Promotion Mgr./National Promotion Jim Alderdice has been promoted to Dir./Marketing. The company is celebrating its 10th anniversary this month. Nashville Star will air its finale on Thursday (3/1). The final three competitors are siblings Zac and Angela Hacker, and David St. Romain. CMA will honor Australian Adam Harvey with the 2007 Global Country Artist Award during this year’s CMA Music Festival. Big Machine Records has teamed up with Motorola’s iRadio to produce its own channel on the mobile phone entertainment service, which offers nearly 800 commercial-free music and talk radio channels to mobile phone users. Music News 180 Music will release New Music From An Old Friend on Feb 27, available exclusively at Target stores. Produced by Phil Ramone, the album features Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Brian Wilson, Carole King and others remaking one of their biggest hits and performing a new song. Diamond Music Group/Spinville Records will release Todd Fritsch’s second album Sawdust on April 17. Artist News Montgomery Gentry will host the ACM’s annual motorcycle ride on May 13 in Las Vegas. The charity ride will ©2007 Country Aircheck™ — All rights reserved. Send news to [email protected] February 26, 2007 Country Aircheck Music Edition Page 5 benefit the ACM’s Charitable Fund, which supports music CHECK OUT education and humanitarian efforts. Register at Upcoming releases: www.acmcountry.com. Equity’s Mark Wills is slated to perform March 10 at the March 6 Sunny Sweeney Heartbreaker’s Hall Of Fame TASER Foundation’s Benefit Concert for Families of Fallen (Big Machine) Officers in Fountain Hills, AZ. Wills is Honorary Chairman of the TASER Foundation, which provides support to families of March 13 Billy Joe Shaver Greatest Hits (Compadre) police officers fallen in the line of duty.