September 5, 2017, Issue 566
Spring Blooms For Country
Spring Diary results blossomed with dozens of Country stations at the top of their markets. We asked several of these ratings winners what ingredients went into their secret sauce for spring. WXBQ/Johnson City, TN: PD Bill Hagy begins, “I had to look it up. It is 92 books in-a-row at No. 1 – a point of pride [over] a lot of years and attention to details.” Hagy notes every daypart and demo stays stable year-in and year-out except for the 18-34 cell he describes as “more of a yoyo.” He adds, “That demo came back very strong this Spring, more than a 10-point jump to 32 shares.” The annual spring NASCAR race landed at the beginning of the book and “generates a lot of enthusiasm” in the market. Numbers have remained strong in mornings for host Steve Stroud since Mark Andrews left in October. “We’ve talked to a number Bill Hagy of applicants but haven’t found the right partner,” says Hagy, who spends one day a week at the station – usually a 10- to 12-hour marathon – since his “retirement” after 50 years at the helm (CAT 3/4/15). KCLR/Columbia, MO: A heritage airstaff that has “made an emotional connection with the audience” is one of the keys for Zimmer’s ratings champ, according to PD Jamie Mac. Their local cash contest started with asking listeners to answer Family Feud style questions online. “Then, when we did the contest on the air, the answers were based on local results from Jamie Mac the 1,500 loyal listeners that responded to the survey,” Mac explains. Here are a few: Q: Reason A Baby Might Be Cranky A: He or she is acting like their dad
Q: One Thing A Guy Does To Make A Woman Mad A: Talks (continued on page 1)
Dragon Around: MCA’s Sam Hunt and friends at the University of Alabama Birmingham. Pictured (l-r) are Country Aircheck’s Paul Williams, Hunt, ESPN’s Marty Smith and Red Light’s Chuck Swaney.
Sam Hunt Goes Long
MCA’s Sam Hunt returned to the University of Alabama Birmingham, where he played quarterback, to celebrate the relaunch of the school’s football program after a two-year hiatus. Last Friday (9/1), he took the time to tour the new $20 million training facility, address the team, hold a press conference and throw a touchdown pass to ESPN’s Marty Smith. Oh, then he played a “house party” on campus for more than 25,000 screaming fans. Hunt ran the Blazers offense in 2006 and 2007 and, while there, picked up the guitar for the first time. When asked about his favorite country artist he says, “Steve Earle inspired my passion for songwriting.” Later he adds, “I Sam Hunt (l) with ESPN’s never thought about playing Marty Smith music in front of big crowds – I
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