Well, let's examine. What's changed? What's the same?
Morning show's the same (sort of - we'll get to that)
Country music is fairly strong nationwide.
WNKT isn't giving them much of a fight.
No new country signals to effect them.
Their program director - oh, riiiiiiiight.
When Trey Cooler left, instead of hiring (or promoting) someone to the position, they put it under the OM's umbrella and basically gave the MD the mission of carrying out the OM's directions.
I've said it before; no matter how talented you are as a programmer, something WILL suffer if you try to program more than one station. In the 70's and 80's, it took all one person could do to program a successful radio station. Are we THAT MUCH BETTER now that we can do two, or three?
No.
It saves money, sure, but at what cost?
Oh, and PS - when you send your morning show scurrying down the hallway to do mornings simultaneously on your news/talk station, that also tends to take something away from the mix, doncha think? TJ must be in great shape these days with all that running back and forth!