Unless a Classic Country station happens to be in an unrated market (and that usually means remote, small-town, America) it better be focusing on 80's-90's in order to nail enough A35-54 to score some 25-54s and generate some agency bucks. This is the same issue that has plagued all oldies-based formats (Nostalgia, Oldies, Classic Rock--even Classic Hits) for decades. The 55+ crowd may love the living hell out of hearing tunes from their youth, but advertisers do not want them. Let me repeat, they do not want them--despite their growing numbers and despite their significant wealth.
Stupid? Sure. But as broadcasters we have to deal with the reality of it, not the stupidity of it.