April 4, 2022, Issue 801
Research Last Call: Come Together
One of the primary takeaways from the CRS 2022 Research Presentation is Country radio does better when it is more than a music utility. NuVoodoo Owner/Pres. Carolyn Gilbert and EVP/Research Leigh Jacobs expanded on that thought and others during last week’s CRS360 online presentation, and Country Aircheck followed up in a final look back at an unexpected takeaway: the need for unity. In these politically charged times, Gilbert and Jacobs set out to assess hypothetical Carolyn Gilbert station positions that could increase listening without driving wedges. They set the table with analysis of country listeners’ political ideologies, finding 38% describe themselves as moderate, 33% as conservative and 23% as liberal. Conservative numbers were greater in the South and West, and among the older Boomer (58-64) and Gen X (4257) age groups. Study subjects then rated Leigh Jacobs 11 potential station positions, out of which four seemed to cut across ideological and generational divides. Port Of Calls: Labeled “safe havens” by NuVoodoo, each had 35% of respondents saying the position would increase their listening: supporting equality for all Americans, playing music that promotes unity, playing Becky Brenner the national anthem on a regular basis and promoting a fundraiser for a local church. The anthem position has, perhaps, a surprising base. “Younger people love the idea more than older people, because frankly for them it’s novel,” Jacobs explains. “If you’re of a certain age, you remember when stations played the anthem with some routine, but if you’re under 40, maybe not.” (continued on page 9)
Rhythm Pollination: Arista’s Morgan Wade plays Atlanta’s Cherry Blossom Festival. Pictured (l-r) are WUBL’s Angie Ward, Wade, the label’s Ali O’Connell and WUBL’s Meg Stevens.
Jump Ball: SA Radio Reacts When EMI Nashville’s Eric Church cancelled his San Antonio tour stop last week, he was honest with ticketholders in sharing his reasoning, recounting via a Ticketmaster email that he and his family would be attending the April 2 NCAA Final Four matchup between his North Carolina Tar Heels and the Duke Blue Devils. With the show less than a week away, iHeartMedia KAJA/San Antonio PD Alek Halverson and Cox KCYY/San Antonio PD Christi Brooks each sprang to action to assist listeners with navigating the situation. “People were very, very upset; we had phone, emails and [social media] comments like crazy!” Halverson tells Country
Alek Halverson
Christi Brooks
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