Not Your Grandfather's Country Music Station -the Continuing Evolution Of Country Music Radio

Having worked in music radio, most of that at Country music radiocommunication stations, for the past 35 years, I recently stopped to reflect on the development of Country music that I’ve seen and manner Country music radiocommunication have reacted.

As with everything, Country music and radiocommunication aren’t arsenic straightforward or simple as they once were. When I first started playing Country in Eugene, Beaver State in 1971 the raging treatment was the outgrowth in some marketplaces of a “Country-politan” formatting distinctly different from the traditional Country formatting that everybody else was playing. Essentially the treatment revolved around scheduling “crossover” people and music styles, and whether the “harder” heritage Country Acts were acceptable as Country music radiocommunication evolved.

To set this into perspective, in 1971 the argument was whether Toilet Mile-High City and Ann Gilbert Murray were Country moves and should be played, and whether a modern-day Country music station should play Hank William Carlos Williams in regular oldies rotation! By today’s criteria this is laughable, but it makes function to do the point that as the Country radiocommunication formatting sought to broaden its entreaty and pull a bigger audience some felt that via medias would be necessary. More importantly it signaled the acknowledgment that Country music fans were a more than diverse grouping than they had been given recognition for. This treatment of cleavage of the Country music formatting was the start of what we now have got come up to accept as the diverseness of the taste sensations of Country music fans.

Today there are recognized music “charts” for the traditional Country Singles and Albums, but there are also now Bluegrass, Americana and Texas Music charts as well, all under the umbrella of Country music.

I happen it most interesting that while Country music have quite obviously diversified, americium and frequency modulation Country music radiocommunication stations generally haven’t followed this tendency and branched out to any great degree. If you were to travel into any marketplace today I would put likelihood that you will happen the Country music station or stations will all be much the same – playing 10 or 12-in-a-row, with a station playlist of fewer than 750 songs small of which will be aged than 10 years. Some of these stations will have got an “oldies” Oregon “bluegrass” show as we did in San Diego, but the station that weaves these elements into the twenty-four hours to twenty-four hours formatting is very rare indeed.

To be just Iodine must admit that in some marketplaces you may also happen a “Classic” Country station, generally on an otherwise fresh americium frequency, but I happen these stations personally unfulfilling. I surmise that this may be because I like a good trade of modern-day Country music and desire to hear it, and that by and big the people behind classic Country formattings weren’t alive when these songs were hits, and, but that’s another gripe!

As one who have been portion of the research and strategy behind the modern-day Country music attack I don’t criticise playing either extremely modern-day or exclusively “classic” Country music. On the reverse I understand that this sort of conservative attack is dictated to capture the most desirable (saleable) section of the audience possible. I make suggest, however, that stations make this at their ain hazard as they go on to contract their focusing and go forth bigger Numbers of Country music fans ill-affected and unserved.

This wouldn’t necessarily be a job except that americium and frequency modulation radiocommunication no longer have a monopoly on bringing of music. The outgrowth of artificial satellite and more than importantly internet “radio” where startup and operating costs are negligible now shows an option that volition play an increasingly of import role. The fact is no substance what your personal spirit of Country music is, there is an cyberspace station playing it. If you like ‘mainly current hits but some 70s and Bluegrass”, person offerings it. If you Texas Country and Bluegrass, it’s there.

Although cyberspace radiocommunication have been around for more than than a decennary it is still in its infancy. Indications are, however that it will turn up to be a 900 lb. gorilla. Estimates are that something approaching 50% of the little and more than adaptable age groupings are already turning to the nett as their primary beginning for new music. At the other end of the spectrum, the 55+ coevals is the fastest growing section of cyberspace users. As the 55+ grouping stands for an increasingly economically attractive audience, and one that used to be the sphere of Country music radio, this is an baleful mark for traditional broadcasters who volition be increasingly forced to vie with low budget operators.

This will likely be a double-edged sword. On the 1 manus the audience will be able to happen a “radio” formatting either on a artificial satellite service or more than than likely on the nett that more closely nears their ideal music mix. On the other manus the audiences for individual stations will be much littler than broadcasters are used to working with. This volition have got the consequence that the asepsis and via medias of low budget broadcast media that have turned some hearers off volition go more than widespread. This volition inch bend additional gnaw and set economical pressure on americium and frequency modulation broadcasters’ in a barbarous downward cycle.