2020 November 9 CountryInsider.com | Sign Up For Daily Email Here Country’s Top 10: A Year-To-Year Comparison. A side-by-side look at numbers from the top-cuming country stations in Nielsen Audio’s October 2020 PPMs with those from a year ago shows nine of the top 10 with lower weekly cume totals – some by as much as 30%. Of the top 10, only Entercom “US 99” WUSN Chicago saw its weekly cume rise from the October 2019 book (758,800-765,200). “Why things look different year to year is obviously because of COVID-19,” Nielsen VP of audience insights Jon Miller tells Country Insider. “When COVID really started to impact America back in March, radio listening dipped because radio is primarily an away-from-your-home, while-you’re- commuting-and-working type of experience.” (continued on page 4) Nielsen’s Jon Miller COUNTRY INSIDER TOP 5: Lee Brice, Florida Georgia Line Out At The CMA Awards; Charles Kelly, Chris Stapleton In. Blame COVID-19. Ross Copperman, “Whiskey Glasses” Win Big At The 68th Annual BMI Country Awards. Why HARDY Rooted Twice As Hard To See “One Beer” Succeed.” Songwriters Hall Of Famer Steve Dorff Signs With Demolition Music Publishing. Gabby Barrett Releases Christmas Duet With Christian Duo for KING & COUNTRY. CountryInsider.com NOVEMBER 9, 2020 | 1 Jim Clerkin Janie Carothers Favorite Classic MD/AM Producer My Top Five “Q Morning Crew” Country Songs: Country 102.5/WKLB 94.7 QDR/WQDR Boston, MA Favorite Blake Shelton Songs: Raleigh, NC 1. “Would You Go With Me” – Josh Turner 1. “She Wouldn’t Be Gone” 2. “Standing Outside the Fire” – Garth Brooks 2. “God’s Country” 3. “The Heart Won’t Lie” – 3. “Honey Bee” Reba McEntire & Vince Gill 4. “Lonely Tonight” 4. “He Thinks He’ll Keep Her” – 5. “Nobody but You” Mary Chapin Carpenter 5. “Walkaway Joe” – Trisha Yearwood / Don Henley Positive COVID-19 Tests Force Last-Minute CMA Awards Changes. With Lee Brice and Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard testing positive for COVID-19, producers for “The 54th Annual CMA Awards” have announced changes for Wednesday’s show. Lady A’s Charles Kelley replaces Brice to sing “I Hope You’re Happy Now” with Carly Pearce. “I Hope You’re Happy Now” is up for top song, video and musical event. Also, double nominee Chris Stapleton will perform his new single, “Starting Over.” Ross Copperman Wins Fourth BMI Country Songwriter of the Year Award. The BMI Country Awards, announced Monday, combine the new and the familiar. “Whiskey Glasses” co-writer Ben Burgess takes Song of the Year for his first BMI Award, and Ross Copperman wins Songwriter of the Year a fourth time. Copperman co-wrote six of this year’s award-winners: Brett Young’s “Catch,” Dierks Bentley’s “Living,” Eli Young Band’s “Love Ain’t,” Brett Eldredge’s “Love Someone,” Kenny Chesney’s “Tip of My Tongue” and Luke Bryan’s “What She Wants Tonight.” Warner-Chappell Music Publishing takes Publisher of the Year. CountryInsider.com NOVEMBER 9, 2020 | 3 Country’s Top 10: A Year-To-Year Comparison - (continued from page 1) Radio and media consultant Joel Raab sees a change best AQH in more than a year and their third straight in morning listening habits as a significant factor in book where share and audience both increased. KNIX’s the lower cumes. “People are “Tim Ben & Brooke” morning show features two of the listening in the morning, they’re market’s most recognizable personalities, Tim Hattrick just starting later, on average and Ben Campbell. about a half hour later,” he says. In Providence, WCTK has seen five straight books above The change in cume isn’t limited a 10 share. “I inherited a good situation from [former to country. “We’re seeing this all PD] Bob Walker,” who left the station in August, says over the country with different Kevin Lawrence. Lawrence took over as PD in September formats,” Miller says. “Fewer while continuing his duties as the station’s production people are using radio this year director and afternoon host. compared to last year, and the numbers are following Lawrence notes that Cat Country 98.1’s music mix is 50% suit.” gold, 26% recurrent and 24% current, with an average With AQH, though, it’s a different story. “If you look back year of 2015. The station also emphasizes tempo to the spring, country’s share has been fairly consistent records whenever possible. and mirrored past years,” Miller says. According to “There are a lot of slow and mid- Nielsen, country’s share of adults 18+, M-F 6am-7pm, tempo records on the charts right across 45 PPM markets has stayed between 6.0 and 6.8 now, and we’ve largely avoided since March. “Despite all the things happening in the them,” he says. “when we don’t background, country was still increasing its share this play them, we play them at night.” summer. That’s seasonal. Country generally does better Lawrence believes the pandemic in the summer.” may actually have helped Cat Country 98.1. “People All but one of the 10 PPM stations with the highest weren’t at the office listening to our AC competitor,” he share have risen since October 2019, some significantly says. “They were at their homes where they had a choice — like Hall Communications “Cat Country 98.1” WCTK about what to listen to.” Providence, RI, (7.8-10.4) and iHeartMedia KNIX Phoenix Raab has seen that tendency play out on a larger scale. (102.5) (4.3-7.3). “At the height of the lockdown, country’s share did go up Raab notes that heritage morning shows have generally because more people were at home and had the choice performed well during 2020 regardless of format. Take, of what to listen to,” he says. “Country as a format is high for example KNIX, the one station that appears among on a lot of people’s lists. But now that more people are the top 10 of stations with the largest cume and the back at work and having to school kids at home, I am greatest shares. A year ago, 102.5 KNIX had a 4.3 share. seeing markets where ratings are off a little bit in the In the most recent PPMs, they had a 7.3 — the station’s fall.” 4 | NOVEMBER 9, 2020 CountryInsider.com “One Beer” Turns Into A Breakthrough Hit For HARDY. HARDY probably never has been so glad to be so I wrote ‘One Beer’ with one of my best friends, Jake wrong. Mitchell, and Hillary Lindsey, who I hadn’t had a single with, so it’s cool that I get to share my song with them.” When he and his girlfriend were listening to Cumulus Media “The Big 98” WSIX Nashville as they drove to a While HARDY won’t yet reveal the album’s next single, Florida vacation, he told her, he says the project contains at least four singles and “a “Guess what song you think sleeper.” Indeed, it wasn’t immediately apparent that is going to come on next.” “One Beer” was a single selection. She guessed “I Hope You’re Happy Now” by Carly Pearce “What stands out about Big Loud is the single-selection and Lee Brice. He thought process,” says Ali Matkosky, the station would play a Brett Big Loud Records’ national Young song. director of promotion. “Our A&R team is second to none Instead, WSIX played “One and has an incredible track Beer,” now a gold-certified record. In fact, we never Top 10 hit featuring Lauren anticipated ‘One Beer being Alaina and Devin Dawson. HARDY’s second radio single. “That was the first time I heard it on the radio,” he says. There was another front- “That was a very introspective moment for me.” runner, but as our A&R team Ali Matkosky tracked the data it became Of course, it wasn’t the first time he has heard one of apparent. Country radio has been really receptive his songs on the radio. The ACM Songwriter of the Year of our process, and the chart success has reflected nominee had penned six No. 1 hits for others, including that. HARDY has contributed a lot to the format as a “Morgan Wallen’s “Up Down,” Florida Georgia Line’s songwriter, performer and “Simple” and Blake Shelton’s ACM Song of the Year artist, and we’re excited at nominee “God’s Country.” And he’d heard Amanda Jo the potential of delivering Parker at iHeartMedia “101.7 The Bull” WBWL Boston his first No. 1.” play his 2019 single “Rednecker.” But as his first real radio hit as an artist, “One Beer” felt completely “One Beer” may have a different. more powerful meaning in 2020 than it would have “You root for it twice as hard just because it’s your had it during any other own, especially for me, who writes everything I put year. “I hear there are out,” HARDY says. “I am rooting for it to go No. 1 as a going to be a lot of Corona songwriter because I want to have another No. 1. I root babies,” he says with a laugh. (continued on page 12) for it as an artist because I want to have my first No. 1 6 | NOVEMBER 9, 2020 CountryInsider.com JD Justice exits Midwest to support, radio is also standing RADIO Communications country “Kat up to remember the forgotten Ken Roberts rises to VP/Mar- Country 98.9” KTCO Duluth, where veterans on Veterans Day,” Mike ket Manager for Cumulus Media he served as Brand Manager and McVay, president of McVay Media Washington, DC, which includes midday personality.