You know, I've been in and out of country radio since 1974, so I think I can speak on this from a historical perspective.
A lot of people were extremely critical of Eddy Arnold when he recorded "Make The World Go Away" in 1965. Why? It had strings, instead of a steel guitar on it. It was too "pop", too "cosmopolitan". The same brush painted Glen Campbell when he released "By The Time I Get To Phoenix". Anne Murray's "Snowbird" was questioned by hard-core country partisans as to why country radio should play it, because of it's orchestration.
I was told in 1980 that Alabama would be "the death of country music". Why? "They're a rock group", said the listeners..."they're not country". How much criticism did Hank Williams, Jr. get when he started adding ZZ Top songs to his live sets? "Why doesn't he play his daddy's music?", they said.
Country music tends to act like a pendulum...it swings contemporary...then eventually swings traditional and back again.
Usually, country gets real popular during a contemporary swing...especially so now that Pop Music is basically brain dead, having been co-opted by MTV and it's desire to make everything "edgy". Mostly hip hop and/or hard rock. It doesn't surprise me that many pop songwriters have moved to Nashville. Record sales have tended, historically speaking to fall off during a swing to "traditional". (The last swing backward I can recall was pre-1989 when the country music industry was reported by the New York Times to have been at death's door. I think that overstated it a bit, but not a lot of albums were being sold then.)
Why don't you hear "legends" on mainstream country stations today? Why are traditional oldies stations going away? The legend acts tend to appeal, primarily, to 50 plusers. (Yeah, I know you can find me a 17 year old somewhere with Haggard blaring out his pickup speakers...but they are the exceptions and, generally, not the rule.) Also, (and perhaps more important), country radio has swung from being a male dominated format to a female dominated format..that too, has caused there to be "less twang" and a greater emphasis on youth, songwriting and production values. (Guys...you can blame the estrogen there if you want.)
Bon Jovi's record with Jennifer Nettles from Sugarland? It was #1 on every country chart I saw. Why wouldn't a station that finds their audience likes such a song play it?
Sure...be on the survey group for your local station. But, remember, they're focused on demographics, too.
100 percent of, say (and I'm only using this as an example) 50 plus men say they don't like today's music.
Guess what? You're not "in demo"...and your survey is likely to be deleted from the sample.
Who do you blame for this? The advertisers...most of whom use mediums other than radio to advertise to that audience.
Should there be "room for all tastes"? There already is. They're called CD players, i-Pods, satellite radio (around now, but still nowhere close to profitablity, even after the merger), and (if it gets off the ground) maybe some HD-2 channels.
You guys are making the same arguments 1950's fanatics are making when they complain about traditional oldies going away. What radio programs is in response to the audience advertisers tell them they want. If you are not part of the audience the advertisers want, don't expect radio to program to your tastes.
That is, admittedly, the problem with radio being a "for profit" enterprise. And, I've stated before on these boards I do not, and will not apologize for radio being a business.
By the way, I do agree reality TV's effect on the music business so far is touch and go with developing artists with staying power. Carrie Underwood is, of course, one such exception. We'll just have to see.
Everything has it's day. And for some acts, those days have passed. That doesn't mean those great artists still with us can't go on doing their shows and singing their hits. I hope they do for many years to come. But, if they can't garner the appeal of the audience radio needs to make money, the rest is elementary.
I think B105 actually sounds better than ever and not because of Bon Jovi and Jennifer Nettles or Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow. The station sounds hip and fun right now even without 'em.