Pratte4Life said:
I'm listening, but tell me how this would work.
I have championed a classic country format in Pittsburgh. I think country veterans have become cherished popular icons with a crossover appeal. Look at how popular Johnny Cash was with all ages prior to his death (and really, now as well).
Giving Classic Country to a frequency like 93.7? Out of the box thinking for sure- but intriguing.
Or, you could try to pattern yourself after the major country stations in Tennessee by hiring a program director with Nashville ties who can break the up and coming and cutting edge artists to Pittsburgh. The Frogs and WDSY don't really do that- they pepper their playlist with some traditional hits through what is on the charts now.
Which I don't have a problem with. But I'm just saying you'd need to do something different to give the listeners a real choice.
It is a good idea, Pratte. And though I'm not really an aficionado of classic country, I know how I can sell it.
You would not necessarily air the core contemporary country artists like Gretchen Wilson, Jack Ingram, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. You would still air contemporary artists, but the sound would be different. You'd have top acts like the Dixie Chicks, Allison Kraus, and George Strait. These are contemporary country artists whose roots are in traditional western swing, as opposed to rock and roll's formative years.
Your playlist would also be occasionally dotted by songs with a like sound from artists like Shania Twain (if you heard her 1993 debut album, "What Made You Say That" is a good example), Don Williams, Chris LeDoux, and, well, you get the idea.
Then maybe once an hour, play a cut from the really old stuff...your Johnny Cash, Jessi Colter, Jim Reeves, etc. Also reserve one cut an hour from independent label acts (that are good). We have this local kid from Chicora (Sarah Wilson) who won the local Colgate Country Showdown here in Butler, which we sponsored. She went on to state and won that, and she's competing in the regional in West Virginia next month. Her "hit" single (by our listeners' standards) is on my Myspace page if you want to hear it. But that's an example of what it is that I'm talking about.
