nashville country music radio

[TheBigA]

You can't say that people don't want that kind of programming until you try it on FM.

What's the motivation to blow up a money-making FM when it's dying on AM? Tell me how anyone with a brain can justify it. To prove something? What? How hard do you want to bash your head against a brick wall? I've seen this before. You can't say it won't work until you put it on FM. So a company flips an FM to a format for 14 months, loses tons of money, and then flips to a no-jock jukebox. The next complaint is that they didn't give it enough time, or spend enough on promotion, or they played the wrong songs. Sound familiar?

As someone else pointed out, you have Lightning 100 struggling on FM too. Does that make you want to take those kinds of programming risks? The fact is this: The public won't support quality radio. The public gets what it wants. And that's why the #1 station in Nashville is a jukebox.

 

[catfishal]

  Personally I think it's too bad that Gaylord didn't keep 95.5 and simulcast the AM on 95.5 HD2, but I guess they sold their FMs to finance one of their other hotel projects. Plus HD wasn't really on the radar at that point.

 

[catfishal]

I was totally surprised to see the first two months of PPM weekly/monthly info was so unkind to AM. (Unless you're a regional spanish station.) I knew it wouldn't be good, but this bad. Whew! I gotta say BigA - while you're being painfully striaghtforward - you're being honest. I think the WSM-AM game is over, but Gaylord might just be the ONLY company to stick it out without going to a talk or sports format. In this case, they are going the community a service vs. obviously getting rich of this. It's a sad reality. Then again, this new pre-PPM info is certainly not going to
lead to a knee-jerk reaction from Gaylord (or anybody). Time will tell in nine months to a year.

They are probably just billing enough to break even or turn a very small profit, most of the spots that WSM-AM sells are smaller local business and specialty businesses. Gaylord sees it as a vehicle to promote the Opry, they Ryman and Nashville tourism in general. They have actually have run several contests in the last few years giving away trips to Nashville aimed towards their Internet and skywave listeners.

 

[TheBigA]

Plus HD wasn't really on the radar at that point.

Watt has been one of the most vocal opponants of HD Radio in the country, so I doubt it was ever a consideration.

Gaylord sees it as a vehicle to promote the Opry, they Ryman and Nashville tourism in general.

That's exactly right, and I think in a sentence is the future of radio. Radio as a stand-alone enterprise is over. However, there is value to use it to promote something else, something that actually makes big money. I see the current radio-only companies selling out to other hospitality companies to use it the way Disney used Radio Disney and ESPN. So this idea of creating great radio art and people will make appointments to tune in is something that's stuck in the last century.

 

[catfishal]

Plus HD wasn't really on the radar at that point.

Watt has been one of the most vocal opponants of HD Radio in the country, so I doubt it was ever a consideration.

I didn't realize that he was for FM as well. HD on FM can be a good thing, too bad it has taken this long to for the automakers to catch on. Gotta agree with Watt about HD-AM, that was a mistake from the start.

 

[jetfli]

You can't say that people don't want that kind of programming until you try it on FM.

What's the motivation to blow up a money-making FM when it's dying on AM? Tell me how anyone with a brain can justify it. To prove something? What? How hard do you want to bash your head against a brick wall? I've seen this before. You can't say it won't work until you put it on FM. So a company flips an FM to a format for 14 months, loses tons of money, and then flips to a no-jock jukebox. The next complaint is that they didn't give it enough time, or spend enough on promotion, or they played the wrong songs. Sound familiar?

As someone else pointed out, you have Lightning 100 struggling on FM too. Does that make you want to take those kinds of programming risks? The fact is this: The public won't support quality radio. The public gets what it wants. And that's why the #1 station in Nashville is a jukebox.

You're taking what I'm saying in the wrong direction — I'm not calling for anyone to blow up an FM format. The main thing I'm saying is that you can't compare programming to programming when one is FM and the other is AM, just because they're both radio. That's like comparing the proverbial apples to oranges, because they're both fruits. FM and AM are not on a level playing field in the minds of the listeners.

And about Lightning 100 — just because they frequently will play some good music, don't confuse them with quality radio. Darn it, they do try, though.

 

[jetfli]

That's exactly right, and I think in a sentence is the future of radio. Radio as a stand-alone enterprise is over. However, there is value to use it to promote something else, something that actually makes big money. I see the current radio-only companies selling out to other hospitality companies to use it the way Disney used Radio Disney and ESPN. So this idea of creating great radio art and people will make appointments to tune in is something that's stuck in the last century.

Radio as we know it hasn't been a stand-alone enterprise in 50 years, that is until the talk formats came along. Music radio has been a promotional arm of the recording industry! No, record companies haven't owned radio, radio gave themselves up willingly in order to get programming after TV came along.

 

[jetfli]

I didn't realize that he was for FM as well. HD on FM can be a good thing, too bad it has taken this long to for the automakers to catch on. Gotta agree with Watt about HD-AM, that was a mistake from the start.

Automakers weren't "catching on" because no one was giving them incentive$ to "catch on." Satellite radio, on the other hand, was showing up at the door with fistfulls. Ibiquity was actually expecting someone to pay them for the licensing. Wrong direction for the cash flow, as far as automakers were concerned.

 

[w9wi]

Gaylord sees it as a vehicle to promote the Opry, they Ryman and Nashville tourism in general.

That's exactly right, and I think in a sentence is the future of radio. Radio as a stand-alone enterprise is over. However, there is value to use it to promote something else, something that actually makes big money.

The future, and the past. Back when WSM was first built, back in 1925-ish, National Life didn't expect to make any money selling advertising. The radio station was a way of selling life insurance. Likewise for WLAC and Life & Accident Insurance. And any of hundreds of other stations across the country.

Today, I would suggest this retro idea is the sole reason for the existence of Radio Disney. While some of these have recently been taken dark/sold, I can't imagine Disney would have left the network on the air this long if they didn't feel they were getting some return for their investment. Not in terms of advertising sales (I've never heard an outside ad on a Radio Disney station) but in terms of increased sales of Disney merchandise/movie tickets.

And I agree with BigA: we're going to see more of this.

 

[TheBigA]

FM and AM are not on a level playing field in the minds of the listeners.

My point is that this station would still be the #4 country station in Nashville if it was on FM because it simply doesn't program to an FM audience. This station isn't stuggling in the ratings because it's on AM, but in spite of that fact.

Radio as we know it hasn't been a stand-alone enterprise in 50 years,

Not in terms of ownership. The primary trend of the last 25 years was the end of ownership of radio by diversified companies like National Life, RCA, Nationwide, Crosley, Westinghouse, and most recently Disney. They've been replaced by vertically integrated media companies like Cumulus, Citadel, and Clear Channel. The bad news is that when that single source of revenue dries up, as it has in the last 5 years, the companies die. That has to change, and radio has to return to being a support service as it was originally.

As for record labels, there was a time when labels like Columbia and RCA owned radio stations through their parents. That ended when they were bought by foreign companies. But I agree that radio was co-opted by labels to help sell music.

The future, and the past. Back when WSM was first built, back in 1925-ish, National Life didn't expect to make any money selling advertising. The radio station was a way of selling life insurance.

Yep. And get used to it, because that's where things are going.

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

There are several rhetorical questions that could be asked about OTHER industries.

If you can't get a good beer in Milwaukee, where are you going to get one?

If you can't get a good lobster in Maine, where are you going to get one?

If you can't get a good cigarette in Kentucky, where are you going to get one?

So. Let's apply the cliche to Country Music.

If you can't get good Country Music programming in Nashville, where are you going to get it?

In today's climate one can make the argument that Nashville is the LAST place you are going to get good Country Music programming on the radio.

Here is the explanation of my heresy. All of the participants in the power struggle/money struggle are there.

The radio stations want programming that will produce maximum audience and revenue for the station.

The artists (musicians) who are based there want programming that will produce maximum audience and revenue for their concerts which up until now has been the big revenue source for them. (Probably still will be even after the new royalty scheme matures.)

The record producing industry wants programming that will produce maximum sale of recordings.

The artists (artists and composers) who are based there want programming that will produce the maximum royalty to them.

Maybe the place to get good Country Music radio programming would be Bandera, TX or maybe Stockton, CA or Green River, WY or maybe Prestonburg, KY. You know... places where there is a simple agreement between listeners and the radio station: You program something I want to hear, and I will go patronize and buy from the advertisers who run commercials on your station.

How quaint! No middleman. No third-party raising the noise level. Just the radio station, the listener and the programming.

 

[jetfli]

Today, I would suggest this retro idea is the sole reason for the existence of Radio Disney.

Another good example of this today is Red Zebra Broadcasting in the DC area. Owned by the Redskins' owner, and all stations broadcast the Redskins Radio Network.

 

[TheBigA]

Maybe the place to get good Country Music radio programming would be Bandera, TX or maybe Stockton, CA or Green River, WY or maybe Prestonburg, KY.

Depends on what you think "good country music programming" is. It's all subjective.

Reminds me of the line in Frank Sinatra's "New York New York." You know it: "If I can make it there, I can make it anywhere." Why? Because that's where the rubber meets the road. The most demanding marketplace, where you have more competition for more people than any place else.

The competition you're talking about breeds a certain level of quality, because when you get all those vested interests in a room, a very unique animal emerges. And for some, that animal is beautiful, and for others, it's not.

I've heard the debate for years about Nashville vs. Austin. At the end of the day, who sells more records, who reaches more people, and who influences more lives? I've also read where Austin vs. Nashville equals Art vs. Commerce. But this is the United States, and and the battle we fight every day is for commerce. And in the music business, without commerce, there is no art.

But you're right...there's far less pressure in Bandera or Stockton. No one is watching. Or internet radio. So you can sneak in a strange record if you want, and that may meet someone's definition of "good country music programming." But is that really an accomplishment? What have you really achieved by sneaking something past when no one's looking? Is the goal of art to say what you want? Or to have others listen and accept and applaud?

 

[romer979fm]

I'll come in from lurking for just a moment:
doing country radio in Nashville offers this possibility: comment on a song/artist...and they may call you (or call you out!)
a totally unique Nashville experience

 

[Tibbs4]

"I just called to say I love you," CR.

 

[jwk1979]

You can't say that people don't want that kind of programming until you try it on FM. A lot of people won't flip over to AM because they would rather hear ANYTHING on FM over something good on AM. They just won't put up with the AM buzz. If it doesn't work on FM, then you can say it doesn't work.
[/quote]I agree with Jetfli on this one. I like the programming on WSM-AM and a few other AM stations, but the problem is picking it up with little or no interference. There are several places in the Nashville area (Elm Hill Pike, Briley Parkway @ Centennial Blvd., Downtown Nashville, etc.) that if you try to listen to any AM station, you get so much interference and BUZZING that it makes it damn near impossible to even hear what is being played on any AM station. And a very SMALL portion of portable music devices (Ipods, MP3 players, HD Radios, Walkmen, etc.) even come with the AM BAND anymore.

 

[NashvilleNative]

"And a very SMALL portion of portable music devices (Ipods, MP3 players, HD Radios, Walkmen, etc.) even come with the AM BAND anymore."

Thank you for saying that! I was just about to myself. The radio I listen to most is only iPod or FM (and a heck of an FM tuner - never use the ipod dock).

I like 650 MUCH better than 98.9 (or 97.9), but guess which one I listen to more? 98.9!! Why? Because even as a "low budget FM" with a weak signal, it sounds 1000x better than ANY AM station. I used to listen to 650 on my alarm clock since FM and AM sound the same there, but every time my A/C came on there was too much interference. If 650 had an FM translator I'd listen to it as much, if not more than KDF (unless it was on 102.1 - that's Lafayette country in my part of Old Hickory).

Comparing Apples to Oranges. If 1560 WMRO was FM I'd listen quite a bit, but as an AM, I don't have anything to pull it in clearly (Even though I can receive 93.9fm).

 

[TheBigA]

If 650 had an FM translator I'd listen to it as much, if not more than KDF

What would they call it? They can't use WSM-FM.

 

[NashvilleNative]

"If 650 had an FM translator I'd listen to it as much, if not more than KDF"

"What would they call it? They can't use WSM-FM. "

Yep, that's a whole 'nother issue. The Wolf/Cumulus isn't worthy of those call letters. It's a shame Gaylord didn't keep 95.5 and rebroadcast "the legend" for those local and keep 650 for nighttime and those distant, but we all know they wanted out of radio (we're seeing why). Also, the Wolf may be pulling better numbers than an FM 650 would. I would like to see if that's true. 100,000kW is a little extreme for a translator anyway, haha. Too bad the rules won't let WNAZ rebroadcast them.

 

[jetfli]

If 650 had an FM translator I'd listen to it as much, if not more than KDF

What would they call it? They can't use WSM-FM.

Sure they can! Gaylord licenses the use of the call letters to Cumulus. All they have to do is not renew...