Cox & The Dixie Chicks!!!

[radiofriend1]

Yeah, I think the only "fans" the Chicks complained about were the upstanding Americans who threatened to kill them for disagreeing with the Fuerh....uh...President.
Monetarily, I'm sure they cried all the way to the bank.

UH.........they have been touring with pretty nice crowds and their latest cd went to #1

i doubt they're hurtin'

 

[radiodial]

Yeah, I think the only "fans" the Chicks complained about were the upstanding Americans who threatened to kill them for disagreeing with the Fuerh....uh...President.
Monetarily, I'm sure they cried all the way to the bank.

UH.........they have been touring with pretty nice crowds and their latest cd went to #1

i doubt they're hurtin'

Their gross sales are down 30% according to their manager.

 

[lash]

I just read a report that their concerts attendance have been cut in half. After all these years, my question is why? I recently watched them on CMT, and they are very talented. The President gets blasted every day, so why has this lingered so long in the career of the Dixie Chicks?

 

[radiofriend1]

I just read a report that their concerts attendance have been cut in half. After all these years, my question is why? I recently watched them on CMT, and they are very talented. The President gets blasted every day, so why has this lingered so long in the career of the Dixie Chicks?

because like many in this country today (9-11, at war) if U speak out in disagreement with policies of the current administratio, U WILL PAY THE PRICE and that revenge will be exacted by the right wing radical conservatives who fantasize about absolute power and influence

they became the cause celebre, the *whipping boys (girls)** for operatives running the radical conservative movement in this country who have been very clear about their ideology: **U are either with us or U are against us** and that's not just about terrorists or other countries----that also applies to american citizens

 

[lash]

You mean like this? "The President is an idiot" There I said it, will I be punished now? Will they take away my radio station?

I woundn't trust the guy babysitting my dogs.

 

[blaster69]

Clear Channel has not once told me what to play or what not to play. My station continued to play the Dixie Chicks throughout the last few years while the competition chose to hide behind the "we're getting too many negative phone calls" story. The one thing I can tell you folks is... there is a silent majority who chooses not to express their opinion one way or another. Yes, there are those who will not stop calling and complaining and they are the minority. Those who threatened us with station boycotts helped make us
the number one country this past Spring. Yes, Natalie has a big mouth.. that is just Natalie. I can not for the life of me figure out how radio can just "forget"
about the biggest selling female group in history. Those who would like to hear the Dixie Chicks had to find another medium to get what they want, and by radio's choice, it had to be internet, XM, Sirius, cmt... Now
tell me, HOW smart is that? You can debate this thing forever. Every station had to deal with this thing the best way they could. We opted to do the right thing. Go see the documentary.

 

[Jay F]

I just read a report that their concerts attendance have been cut in half. After all these years, my question is why? I recently watched them on CMT, and they are very talented. The President gets blasted every day, so why has this lingered so long in the career of the Dixie Chicks?

It's because country listeners are (as a group) more politically conservative that the general population. Country listeners voted for Bush in 2000 and 2004, they don't blast him and dont appreciate those who do.

 

[lash]

So when a Democrat is elected President, will the girls make a comeback?

 

[KevinFodor]

I work for a Cox station.

Like just about all radio stations these days, we have consultants whom we work with.

We also have local music research, along with regional and national research that comes from a variety of sources.

This information comes to our Ops Manager, who decides on playlist adds and deletions. Our consultants are certainly in the loop...but it's the Ops Manager who decides.

Sorry, Natalie. Your music hasn't tested well for some 3 years.

Bob Neil's statement says it best. Some of our A/C stations do play the Dixie Chicks. (So much for a "corporate ban".) They simply have lost their country fan base. If that was different, it would be a different story. And, the fault, Dear Brutus, lands at the feet of the Chicks. Whether they want to accept it or not.

 

[Jay F]

So when a Democrat is elected President, will the girls make a comeback?

No, even if we have a Democrat President, Country listeners will still be mostly Republican. Besides, the Dixie Chicks are damaged goods with a large segment of the country audience.

 

[OnTheAir123]

I like the Chicks, my wife likes the Chicks, and I wish my station played the Chicks. My 2 cents worth.

 

[asoundhound]

Consultants, research and the ops manager..

didn't music directors used to handle this sort of thing?

 

[OnTheAir123]

You got it! Now the MD simply gets the weekly sheet from the consultant and does what he says. Drop this, add that....

There are still people out there in this business who know what is going on and can get the job done! Well the consultant says......

 

[lash]

Consultants lead in part to the demise of well programmed radio stations. Never used one, never worked with one, wouldn't waste my time with one. In my opinion, their clients lists have desolved, so now they create formats like Movin, etc.

Music testing, another waste of time and money. What happened to adding a song based on your gut, and then getting response from your listeners on that song?

Besides ownership restrictions relaxed, the other three reasons for the demise of quality radio. Research, music testing, and consultants.

 

[KevinFodor]

Consultants, research and the ops manager..

didn't music directors used to handle this sort of thing?
[/quote

No. Music Directors work under the Program Director, who in some stations is called the "Operations Manager" (since he or she may actually oversee more than one station.) The final decision rests on the PD/Ops Manager, since he or she is responsible for the station and its' ratings. I'm amazed I have to explain this to someone in radio.

There are good consultants and not so good consultants. I've worked for both kinds.
The one at the station I currently work for is one of the best...and a fine gentleman to boot.

Research? Usually, the station with the best research wins...period. I know. I've worked for stations with and without it. Usually, the station that flies by its' gut...
loses.

 

[OldiesCat]

oh, come on already RE: consultants

Consultants lead in part to the demise of well programmed radio stations. Never used one, never worked with one, wouldn't waste my time with one. In my opinion, their clients lists have desolved, so now they create formats like Movin, etc.

Music testing, another waste of time and money. What happened to adding a song based on your gut, and then getting response from your listeners on that song?

Besides ownership restrictions relaxed, the other three reasons for the demise of quality radio. Research, music testing, and consultants.

So, let us get this straight: you've never used a consultant, never worked with one- yet you blame consultants for the demise of well-programmed radio stations?
[EDIT]
[EDIT-inflammatory.]

 

[lash]

Oldies Cat, you reputation proceeds you, especially from the Pittsburgh board. What I posted was correct. Now I've interviewed consultants, to enlighten me with their attempt to know what to do in my markets. But none of them ever impressed me.

Now I certainly have learned from and worked with some great program directors, and GM's Learned a ton from them before going on my own, and then into ownership. All of them, never worked with consultants either, until they were forced too by the big companies, and when it became vogue.

Your comment about WELL programmed radio stations didn't go unnoticed either. They are few and far between. Now if you want to go back to the 70's and 80's, the list is long for great radio.

Someone said it best on another board.

MTV and VH1 didn't kill radio. I-Pods, Internet, and more techonology won't kill radio. But SUITS will kill radio.

 

[OldiesCat]

consultant sour grapes

Oldies Cat, you reputation proceeds you, especially from the Pittsburgh board. What I posted was correct. Now I've interviewed consultants, to enlighten me with their attempt to know what to do in my markets. But none of them ever impressed me.

Now I certainly have learned from and worked with some great program directors, and GM's Learned a ton from them before going on my own, and then into ownership. All of them, never worked with consultants either, until they were forced too by the big companies, and when it became vogue.

Your comment about WELL programmed radio stations didn't go unnoticed either. They are few and far between. Now if you want to go back to the 70's and 80's, the list is long for great radio.

Someone said it best on another board.

MTV and VH1 didn't kill radio. I-Pods, Internet, and more techonology won't kill radio. But SUITS will kill radio.

I just don't think you can make such a blanket statements that consultants will kill radio. What so many don't "get" is that consultants work FOR the radio station, they are employed BY the radio station. They are not magicians with some sort of magic voo-doo spell over GMs and PDs. Anybody who agrees on a strategy with a radio consultant they're not comfortable with out to be fired.

You SAY you've "interviewed consultants". You previously claimed "I wouldn't waste my time with one", so I don't know what context in which you supposedly "interviewed" consultants, but I do know about 99% of the time we hear "all consultants suck" it's from a jock who worked at a consulted station that didn't do well and the GM and or PD threw "the consultant" under the bus for it (gotta have somebody to blame, right?). Either that or they did not correctly follow the advice and wrecked the station themselves.

I always like to ask this of the sour grapes crowd on consultants: what possible motive do you think any consultant would have for leading any radio station down the wrong road"?

 

[lash]

I don't think they lead a station down the wrong road on purpose. But their national research certainly doesn't play everywhere. Whats happened to radio, is that we've nationalized it, with research. Western PA, is very different, from middle Tennessee, as California is to the mid-west. How can a consultant in Dallas tell me what to do with my station north of Pittsburgh? He or she can't.

So next we roll out the national research, or pay more and do research in my market. If you are really on top of things in your market, the research just reinforces what you already knew.

I recommend to everyone to read John Long's online book on programming. He was a programmer, and its concepts and ideas would still work today. www.oidar.com

Going to start a new thread on the interesting new country gimmicks and slogans. There are some interesting things happening.

 

[OldiesCat]

consultants

So, let me get this straight: if you're a station in Dallas, only a "consultant" living in Dallas can give you good advice? Are you trying to tell us that a consultant from anywhere, usa (where they're based) has nothing to offer a radio station not in his city on strategy, tactics, marketing, personalities, etc.?

And, where have you drawn the assumption that consultants just take a national research list and plug it in all over the country? Rarely do consultants actually do research- that's up to the individual radio stations and many stations still do music research on a regular basis. Of course, earlier you also claimed research is killing radio stations.

It's obvious you have a bias against corporate radio in general. The whole idea of the local DJ not making all the decisions on music, etc., drives you nuts.
But, having never worked for or with a consultant (because you said earlier "I wouldn't waste my time") does not make you an authority or even the least bit knowledgable about consultants, their roles and exactly how successful radio stations use consultants.

(as far as John Long goes, who the heck is he? He wrote a book on the history of Top 40 radio? That doesn't make him an AUTHORITY on it, only a reporter or observer. You want to read a book about the legend of Top 40 radio? Check out Rick Sklar's "Rockin' America")