Issue 602 - May 21, 2018 by Country Aircheck

May 21, 2018, Issue 602

Station Profile:WCOL/Columbus, OH

More than 65% of iHeartCountry stations saw gains with Persons 25-54 over the winter, according to format captain Rod Phillips, and the company’s WCOL/Columbus, OH enjoyed some of the most impressive. The station was up 25% year over year in that demo, and continues to post enormous numbers 6+. WCOL averaged an 11.9 over the last 13 PPM surveys, in fact, the highest being April’s 14.4. It was ‘COL’s best overall showing since PPM arrived in the market. The Columbus powerhouse has always been successful, but the last few months have been especially notable. PD Dan Zuko, who’s heading into his 20th year with the station and fifth at its helm, Rod Phillips attributes WCOL’s success to a seasoned and involved staff, increased concert traffic and a potent music cycle. Phillips, meanwhile, praises the “highly engaged” Zuko, the morning show Zuko co-hosts and a station that totally embraces its community. Country Aircheck recently caught up with both to better understand what’s driving WCOL’s growth. Staff, Mornings & Competition: “It’s crazy right now,” Zuko says of the station’s success. “If I had to point to one thing, it would be my staff.” They’re hard workers who love their jobs, he explains, and they’ve been in place for a long time. Mornings, for example, have included Zuko and Woody Johnson for nearly 17 years. Afternooner Joe Boxer has been on the station for nearly as long as Zuko, and middayer Andy Clark and evening perDan Zuko sonality Joe Kelly each have extensive tenures in the market. Kayla Hanley, who joined the morning show five years ago as co-host and producer, is considered the staff newbie. “So longevity is key,” Zuko says. “And they’re all dedicated to winning.” (continued on page 7)

There’s A Neon Light: Broken Bow’s Jason Aldean at the St. Louis stop of his High Noon Neon Tour Thursday (5/17). Pictured (front, l-r) are WIL’s Bud Ford, Jerry Broadway, Kelly From Arnold and Danny Montana; (back, l-r) Grady, KSD’s Jules Riley, Aldean, Ashley, KSD’s Dusty Panhorst and the label’s Jim Malito.

ACM Camp’s Dual Impact Going into its ninth year, ACM Lifting Lives Music Camp (June 13-19) has made a tangible difference in the lives of many with a rare genetic condition. In partnership with the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, the effort has advanced research and training related to Williams Syndrome and, along the way, has become deeply woven into the fabric of how the country music community gives back. Kennedy Center Sr. Research Specialist Elizabeth Roof has been involved since the

Elizabeth Roof

© 2 0 1 8 Co u n t r y A i rc h e c k ™ — A l l r i g h t s r e s e r v e d . S i g n u p f re e a t w w w. c o u n t r y a i rc h e c k . c o m . S e n d n e w s t o n e w s @ c o u n t r y a i r c h e c k . c o m

May 21, 2018

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beginning, five years prior to the music industry connection. “Because I’ve been with the camp since it started 14 years ago, I have personally seen how incredibly valuable having ACMLL involved has been in the continuation and evolution of what we created,” she says. Charged with “improving lives through the power of music,” ACMLL stepped in at a crucial time. “That’s exactly what this camp was doing, [but it] had actually lost funding and was close to shutting down when ACM got involved,” says Lifting Lives board member Lori Lytle. “The partnership saved the camp.” In addition to causing medical and developmental problems, Williams Syndrome typically creates a heightened affinity and talent for music. Working with top names in country music on songwriting workshops, recording sessions, karaoke and the closing Grand Ole Opry performance provide unique opportunities for each year’s roughly 30 campers. Research participation is voluntary and key to the long term view of the camp. “We don’t want to create a magical week that ends on the last day,” Lytle says. “We want to better understand the connection between music and people with WS. Where does that affinity for music come from, and how can we use it to improve their lives?” Lori Lytle Beyond music, campers receive other benefits. “We’re figuring out their strengths and what challenges they face and what we can do to help improve their quality of life,” Roof says. “In addition to music, we’re teaching life skills and independence that can help them beyond camp and into their daily lives.” Camp participation can even lead to real world achievements. For instance, Clancey Hopper, who first participated as a 16-yearold. “She enjoyed it so much that she came back as a counselor, then Pete Fisher [now ACM CEO] hired her at the Opry to give tours,” Roof says. “Campers love seeing her, because she started where they are, and now she’s the one giving them tours. There’s another young man who started as a camper and now works at Vanderbilt, sterilizing surgical equipment. His family told us that the skills he learned at camp and the connections and friendships made a huge difference in his life. Ultimately, our goal is to spread awareness that people with disabilities have the same hopes and dreams that everyone else does. Having a disability may make you different, but it also makes you special.” That may be part of why the creative community has become so supportive of the camp. Artist participants have included Jake Owen, Lee Brice, Hunter Hayes, Darius Rucker, Rascal Flatts and Maren Morris. “The celebrities are always amazed at the real musical talent campers have,” Roof says. “We’ve even had campers correcting artists on lyrics from their own songs! When it comes to karaoke, campers can remember all of the lyrics to 30-year-old songs. Their memory is amazing.” Lytle adds, “From songwriting workshops with Dierks Bentley and Ross Copperman to recording sessions with Carrie Underwood and Kelsea Ballerini, the community helps us make each year unique. One of our biggest moments was when the campers were invited to sing ‘Music From The Heart’ with Darius Rucker live at the ACMs in 2011. That brought so much visibility to not only the camp, but Williams Syndrome in general.” Her favorite memory, however, is a bit more specific. “Unbeknownst to us, there was a girl from Canada with Williams Syndrome in the audience during our end-of-the-week Opry performance one year,” Lytle says. “She had never met anyone else with Williams Syndrome, so we were able to bring her backstage to meet the campers. It was such a special and tear-soaked moment. She ended up coming back as a camper.” Read more about the camp and Williams Syndrome here. – Caitlin DeForest ©2018 Countr y Aircheck™ — All rights reser ved. Sign up free at www.countr yaircheck.com. Send news to news@countr yaircheck.com

May 21, 2018

OFF THE RECORD: Dustin Lynch Broken Bow’s Dustin Lynch puts an industry spin on the artist interview: It’s always fun to visit radio stations and goof off a little bit. I can’t remember why, but recently, [Ty, Kelly & Chuck’s] Kelly Ford was throwing a baseball down the hall and I was trying to play catcher. It didn’t go well (laughs). One of my favorite people to travel with Dustin Lynch is my Ben Patyk, my assistant tour manager and merch guy. We always have a blast. He’s also my accountability coach when it comes to working out. Every time I’m at a truck stop, I get a Snickers ice cream bar and the occasional Mello Yello. And sunflower seeds in the summer. My new single “Good Girl” was unexpected for everybody, including myself. Back in February I was bummed out. I didn’t have any new music, so I plastered my schedule with writing sessions. One weekend I had Justin Ebach and Andy Albert out with me on the road. We wrote “Good Girl” in Chicago. Before we even had the chorus lyrics – we just had the melody and the hook – I started jumping up and down. I told Andy to pick out a boat, ‘cause he just made one. We instantly knew we’d struck gold. We played the work tape for everybody that night after the show. I watched body language, and my guitar player’s wife and her friends started dancing and didn’t even know what song it was. That’s the best research you can get. I called [BBRMG EVP] Jon Loba and said, “I can’t wait a year. Is there any way we can just put it out now?” He said, “You think I’m going to say no, but I think it’s a great idea. Let’s do it!” My last impulse buy was either fishing lures or a jacket for meet and greets. I have a really strong addiction to fishing gear. I’m working through it. The most redneck thing I’ve done lately is spend a night down on Lower Broadway with a couple buddies. We heard a band play Steve Wariner’s “The Weekend.” We hadn’t heard that song in so long. It was so good, we finally convinced them to play it again for us. I would love to be stuck in Bend, OR, anytime in June. Great fishing and hiking, great mountains, breweries and restaurants. There’s a different energy there. We try to go there once every summer, on a day off.

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Chart Chat

Congrats to Kane Brown, Steve Hodges, Dennis Reese and the RCA team on two weeks in “Heaven” at the No. 1 spot. The song is Brown’s second chart-topper from his self-titled debut. Songwriters are Matthew McGinn, Lindsay Rimes and Shy Carter. And kudos to Katie Dean and the MCA reps on landing 107 adds for Sam Hunt’s “Downtown’s Dead,” topping this week’s board.

Kane Brown

News & Notes

Withers’ KBXB/Sikeston, MO and Beverly’s WRHA-AM/ Spring City, TN have added Rockcastle Media Networks’ Wilhite & Wall in mornings. Cumulus Nash Nights Live co-host Elaina Smith and Ty, Kelly & Chuck co-host Kelly Ford are featured in the May 2018 issue of Franklin Lifestyle Magazine as “Local Female Movers & Shakers.” The fourth edition of former CRB Exec. Dir. and MTSU professor Paul Allen’s Artist Management for the Music Business is available now. Southwest Airlines passengers can now access iHeartRadio free of charge through the onboard entertainment portal on their personal devices. Morning Hangover Creator/Publisher Kurt Bardella will be a country consultant on the music competition series The Four: Battle For Stardom, starring Sean “Diddy” Combs, DJ Khaled, Meghan Trainor and host Fergie. Bardella will work with the show’s casting team to identify potential Country artists to participate in season two, which premieres June 7 on FOX. Reach him here. Cassadee Pope is offering fans the chance to win two round-trip tickets, hotel accommodations, tickets to the CMA Fest Nissan Stadium shows and a private meet-and-greet in the Take You Home ... To Nashville contest. Details here. Trace Adkins will perform at the Municipal Auditorium during the 119th VFW National Convention in Kansas City July 22. Pickin’ Shed’s Ashton Shepherd has signed with Brickshore Media for exclusive PR representation.

May 21, 2018

The Week’s Top Stories

Full coverage at countryaircheck.com. • Sue Wilson is leaving WQMX/Akron. (CAT 5/18) • Christine Salomone joined Big Machine Label Group as VP/Strategic Partnerships. (CAT 5/18) • Jason Lamp joined Adams/Tallahassee, FL as VP/GM. (CAT 5/17) • Amy Griesheimer was named iHeartMedia Area President/ Denver Region. (CAT 5/16) • Presley Adams will join WRNS/Greenville, NC for afternoons as “Chase Adams.” (CAT 5/16) • Wheelhouse VP/Promotion Teddi Bonadies is leaving the company. (BN 5/14) • Wes Styles was upped to OM of Community/Ft. Walton Beach, FL, including oversight of Country WHWY. (CAT 5/15)

Station Profile:WCOL/Columbus, OH

(continued from page 1)

Much of that winning happens in morning drive. The daypart is up 40% on the quarter with Persons 25-54, thanks in large part to growth in female demos. Mornings are up 60% with Women 18-49, for example, slightly more than the station enjoyed overall in that demo (+52%). “We have a lot of research and that morning show goes a long way in the market,” says Phillips. “They are sticky, doing things the audience says they have to have when they wake up. They’re not just playing 12 songs an hour.” That “sticky” content includes community-driven features like “Cop Co-Host,” which centered around National Police Week. “We had a different officer in the studio as a co-host each morning,” Zuko explains. “They got to feel what it’s like to do our job, and they got to talk about their job, charities and any hot police-related topics in our community.” There’s plain old fun, too, like the long-popular “Woody’s Birthday Bust.” “It’s a phone scam bit that we’ve done pretty much since the beginning of the show,” Zuko explains. “Woody takes listeners through a series of emotions over the course of two minutes, with the final one being laughter, something we always strive to bring our audience.” The show’s cast might be the biggest component of its success, however. “There’s Woody, who is an empty-nester; myself, who has two kids at home; and Kayla, who is a newlywed and millennial,” Zuko explains. “She lives the format and uses social media like it’s part of her being. That’s three generations, which usually means

Page 7

three different perspectives on the same topic.” The industry has been paying attention. Woody And The Wake-Up Call has been nominated in each of the last two years for Large Market CMA Broadcast Personality of the Year. Signal-wise, WCOL is a 22kW Class B. Its only Country challenger is WCLT/Newark, a 50kW Class B whose signal originates about 40 miles east of Columbus. Though that station occasionally breaks into the Top 10 P25-54, WCOL shares far more audience with Top 40 clustermate WNCI. “Typically, if they’re No. 1, we’re No. 2, or vice versa,” Zuko says. “It just happens to be rolling in our favor at the moment.” Music, Promotions & Contesting: The current music cycle is another factor in WCOL’s growth. “Just look at some of the acts that have broken out just this last year,” Zuko says. “It’s hard to pick what to play because they’re all so good.” Dylan Scott and Russell Dickerson immediately come to Zuko’s mind. “These are new artists with big, smash hits that do really well on our radio station.” All this has prompted a slightly more aggressive approach to new music overall. “It used to be that you had to make sure you had a core artist every couple of songs,” he says. “You still want that, but I’ve noticed in the last six months to a year that some of the songs that are doing really well in the format are not from core artists. Radio is still the No. 1 source of discovery, so it’s our responsibility to bring that to our audience. And now that’s a safer move.” Some of that thinking can be seen at the national level as well. “Just look at some of the things we do as a company with world premieres and album-release parties,” Zuko notes. “Our audience loves to feel like they’re part of the discovery process.” WCOL’s playlist reflects the approach. A recent seven-day Mediabase analysis puts the station at 41% current, 34% recurrent and 25% gold with an average vintage of 2014. Luke Combs and Kane Brown, both newer acts, show up in the station’s Top 10 most-played artists. The playlist is fairly tight, too, with 353 unique titles airing during the sample period.

May 21, 2018

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That’s Who: Panelists for Who Knew, the closing event of the Music Biz 2018 conference, gather (l-r): AAA WRLT/ Nashville’s Adam Culver, Recombinant’s Dave Park, Who Knew’s Tom Truitt, CrossBorder Works’ Vickie Nauman, UTA’s Natalia Nastaskin, Tri Star’s Lou Taylor, Jim Griffin and Downtown Music›s Joe Conyers III. Zuko says iHeartMedia’s national contests are another bright spot for the station, the most recent being its 16k For Your Workday. “Obviously when you give people a chance to win $1,000 every hour 16 times a day, that helps,” Zuko says. “People text to win, so it’s easy to play. We treat it like a major contest and it’s the biggest thing on our radio station right now.” An uptick in country concert traffic has also had benefits. “Columbus is now a hot pocket for concerts,” Zuko says. “A lot of big tours come through and that’s pretty much our bread and butter.” That goes for station-executed shows as well. “I create several events during the year that are ‘COL shows, and we back those up with the big tours that come through.” Three concerts currently listed on the contest page of the station’s website are WCOL-specific, for example, with two other contests teasing upcoming tour stops.

Bottom Line: All these things – a lively concert scene, solid music cycle, compelling promotions and contesting, and a dedicated marquee morning show and staff – can lead to success, but bringing them all together in a way that best reflects the local community is arguably the key to standout success. And Phillips says that’s exactly what WCOL is doing. “WCOL is a big, fat brand that is totally entrenched,” he concludes. “They are Columbus.” As to how Zuko does it, “I don’t subscribe to the philosophy that I always know what’s right for the station,” he says. “I feel more like I’m just the guy steering the ship. I obviously have the final say on things, but I have a team of people who 100% have the station’s interest at heart and I regularly lean on them. To me that’s the key.” Reach Zuko here. Listen to WCOL here. –CA Staff

May 21, 2018

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SEEK & EMPLOY

Available Jobs

Here’s a list of job seekers and open gigs. Not listed? Send info here and we’ll include you in a future update: Redwood Empire KBBL/Santa Rosa, CA has an opening for a morning host. Materials to VP/Programming Brent Farris here. Entercom’s KWJJ/Portland is adding an on-air personality to its Mike & Amy In The Morning show. Apply here. Bliss WJVL/Janesville, WI has an opening for a part-time weekender. At least one year on-air experience is required. Airchecks and résumés to PD Justin Brown here. Seven Mountains WNBT/Mansfield, PA has an opening for an afternoon personality. Airchecks and résumés to VP/ Programming JC Burton here. L3 Entertainment/Nashville has an opening for a social media/digital marketing strategist. Materials to President/ Artist Management Peter Hartung here and VP/Artist Management Neil Vance here. Scripps continues its search for a WKTI/Milwaukee morning personality. At least two years on-air experience is required. Apply here. Bristol WXBQ/Johnson City, TN is still searching for a PD to succeed Bill Hagy. The right candidate will also have on-air responsibilities. A minimum of five years as a Country PD is required. Airchecks and resumes here. Cox/Orlando, which includes Country WWKA, has an opening for an OM. Experience in Country is a plus. Send materials to VP/ Programming Steve Smith here. Big Loud is seeking a National Dir./Promotion. Send résumés and portfolios here. iHeartMedia/Nashville’s WSIX and WSIX-HD2 & W252CM has an opening for a Dir./Promotions. Apply here. NRG WYTE/Wausau, WI is searching for a PD/morning host. Airchecks and résumés to OM Tony Waitekus here. Riverbend KTHK/Idaho Falls, ID has an opening for an afternoon personality. Airchecks and résumés here. Cumulus’ WIOV/Lancaster, PA has an opening in afternoons. Three to five years on-air experience is required. Apply here. Scripps’ KVOO/Tulsa has an opening for an APD/on-air personality. Apply here. Entercom’s WPAW/Greensboro, NC has a newly created opening for a morning co-host. At least three years on-air experience is required. Apply here. Dick Broadcasting’s WRNS/Greenville-New Bern, NC has an afternoon drive opening. Airchecks and résumés here. KSE Radio Ventures/Denver is searching for an engineer. Apply here. Arista/Nashville is seeking a Regional Mgr./Promotions. Apply here. Binnie/Portland, ME has an opening for an on-air promotions asssistant. The cluster includes Country WTHT. Send airchecks and résumés to OM Stan Bennett here. CMA is seeking applicants for a newly created Strategist/ Integrated Marketing & Sales position. See more here; cover letter and résumé here. Buck Owens Productions’ KUZZ AM & FM/Bakersfield is searching for a Sales Assistant in the Radio Sales and Camera Ads departments. Send résumés here. Saga’s WPOR/Portland, ME has an opening for a morning cohost. Airchecks and résumés to PD Crash Poteet here. iHeartMedia’s KNIX/Phoenix has an opening for a PD. Apply here. Dick WRNS/Greenville, NC is looking for a morning host. Send airchecks and résumés here. Cumulus’ WIOV/Lancaster, PA is searching for a morning cohost. Apply here. Vallie Richards Donovan Consulting has an immediate PM

drive opening at a legendary east coast Country station. Send airchecks and résumés to “Country Jobs” here. DBC Radio’s WUBB/Savannah, GA has a morning show opening. Send airchecks and résumés to OM Gabe Reynolds here. Entercom’s KMNB/Minneapolis is searching for an OM/PD. Apply here. iHeartMedia has a number of key PD openings including WQIK/Jacksonville and KBEB/Sacramento. Send materials to iHeartCountry format captain Rod Phillips here. Entercom’s WKIS/Miami is searching for an evening host. Apply here. Beasley’s WQYK/Tampa is looking for a PD. Send materials here. Binnie Media/Maine is searching for a Dir./Traffic and a part-time Sales Assistant in Portland, for its stations which include Country WTHT and WBQQ. Send materials here. Midwest’s KVOX/Fargo has an unspecified on-air opening. Send airchecks and résumés here. Cumulus’ KQFC/Boise is looking for an afternoon host who can also handle afternoon traffic and production for the five-station cluster. Details here. Consultant Joel Raab has two client stations looking for a PD and an APD/MD in two different Top 100 markets. Send materials here. iHeartMedia’s WMZQ/Washington is looking for an MD/ evening host. Send materials here. iHeartMedia/Tampa is looking for a Sr. Dir./Promotions. Apply here. Summit’s WQNU/Louisville is looking for an APD/MD/on-air host. Submit materials here. Scripps’ WKTI/Milwaukee is looking for a morning show host here. CMA is looking for a Market Research Analyst and a Creative Content Project Manager. Send cover letter, résumé and salary requirements to HR Consultant Sarah Pinson here.

Searching

•April Rider Former RPM Pres., Stoney Creek GM, Curb VP/Promotion aprilriderhelm@me.com (615) 714-1749 •Rosey Fitchpatrick Promotion/Marketing industry vet (MCA, Decca, Indie promo, WME) roseyfitch99@gmail.com 615-944-7033 •Tommy & Joe Johnson Former KUBL/Salt Lake City morning co-hosts tommyjohnsonmail@gmail.com •Pam Russell Former UMG/Nashville VP/National Sales Pamwrussell@icloud.com •Shane Collins Former Summit Media/Louisville OM ShaneC1234@gmail.com •Natalie Kilgore Former SouthComm VP/Marketing NatalieKilgore@outlook.com •Ron “Keyes” Stevens Former KEKB/Grand Junction, CO morning host ronstvns@yahoo.com •Jeremy Guenther Former KSSN & KMJX/Little Rock MD, on-air; Capitol SW Regional 501-590-4878 jguenther01@gmail.com • Jeff Roper Former KCYY/San Antonio APD/MD/morning host 210-790-7099

May 21, 2018

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April 2018 PPM Scoreboard Legend: A “+” indicates a Classic Country outlet; a “^” designates coowned Country stations in the metro; “t” indicates a tie; and a “*” indicates a station best in that statistic. Ranks are among subscribers.

Country radio shares were up by 1% compared to last month. The cume leader was Mt. Wilson’s KKGO/Los Angeles with 1,184,800. Cox’s KKBQ/Houston was second with 1,176,600.

Mar 6+ Share

Station/City WKHX/Atlanta WUBL/Atlanta KASE/Austin^ KVET/Austin^ KOKE/Austin WPOC/Baltimore WKLB/Boston WBWL/Boston WCTK/Providence (Boston) WKKT/Charlotte WSOC/Charlotte WEBG/Chicago WUSN/Chicago WNNF/Cincinnati WUBE/Cincinnati^ WYGY/Cincinnati^ WGAR/Cleveland WCOL/Columbus, OH KPLX/Dallas^ KSCS/Dallas^ KWOF/Denver KWBL/Denver KYGO/Denver WDRQ/Detroit WYCD/Detroit WPAW/Greensboro WTQR/Greensboro WWYZ/Hartford KILT/Houston KKBQ/Houston^ KTHT/Houston^+ WUBLWFMS/Indianapolis WLHK/Indianapolis WGNE/Jacksonville WQIK/Jacksonville KBEQ/Kansas City^ KFKF/Kansas City^ WDAF/Kansas City KCYE/Las500 Vegas KWNR/Las Vegas KKGO/Los Angeles WGKX/Memphis WLFP/Memphis

376.0 400

Rank

Apr 6+ Share

Rank

Mar Cume

Apr Cume

Station/City

3.4 13 3.6 12 600,100 676,000 4.6 7 4.7 6 653,400 680,400 5.3 5t 5.6 6 326,500 323,700 5.3 5t 6.4 3 320,200 339,300 1 23 1.4 20 87,800 103,100 6.4 3 4.9 6 410,200 396,000 5 7t 4.2 10 683,300 678,600 2.2 16t 2.1 18t 428,400 442,800 0.9 23t 1.1 23 144,300 144,200 6.8 2t 7 1 517,100 532,600 6.8 2t 6.4 3t 506,600 541,500 1.5 23t 1.8 22t 724,900 750,000 3.9 7 3.5 7t 1,031,100 998,800 2 15 2.3 15t 168,200 179,900 8.3 2 8.5 3 412,400 436,600 0.8 21 0.9 20 98,800 119,100 6.3 4 6.2 6 337,800 346,800 13.4 1 14.4 1 487,100 488,100 4.4 4 4.3 5 1,099,700 1,161,100 4.3 5 4.5 3 998,200 1,025,100 1.3 23 1.1 23 188,700 176,900 2.4 18 2.7 18 257,600 269,200 5.4 3 5.3 3t 472,700 478,500 2.8 15 2.8 15 458,600 458,200 5.4 6 5.1 8 683,200 703,400 6 5 5.1 6 243,900 242,300 4.9 6 5 7t 229,600 244,200 6 6 7 5 176,900 191,000 4 10t 3.7 13t 1,059,500 985,900 6 3 6.4 3 1,328,800 1,176,600 2.2 20 2.1 20t 497,300 462,800 6.2 6 7.3 1 332,700 430,000 6.7 3t 6.8 4t 293,700 312,100 4.8 8 5.9 6 225,800 262,200 9 1 8.2 2t 293,000 296,000 4.8 8 5.5 4t 352,700 339,400 5.6 3t 5.5 4t 360,800 345,800 4 10t 4.9 9 305,100 328,400 3.7 9 3.4 10 226,100 230,800 4.9 6 4.7 258,100 297,200 2 22 2.2 20t 1,114,400 1,184,800 3.9 9 3.7 10 141,000 147,900 2.2 13 1.9 13 102,700 94,800

382.0 386.2

392.3

395.3 391.8

370.3

Mar 6+ Share

WKIS/Miami 3.4 WKMK/Monmouth (Middlesex) 1.2 WNSH/New York (Middlesex) 2.8 WKTI/Milwaukee 4.4 WMIL/Milwaukee 5.4 KEEY/Minneapolis 5.3 KMNB/Minneapolis 3.9 WKDF/Nashville^ 3.5 WSIX/Nashville 5.3 WSM-FM/Nashville^ 5.8 WNSH/New York (Nassau) 2.1 WNSH/New York 1.9 WWKA/Orlando 4.2 KMLE/Phoenix 4.5 KNIX/Phoenix 5.3 WXTU/Philadelphia 4.6 WDSY/Pittsburgh 4.7 WPGB/Pittsburgh 2.4 KWJJ/Portland 3.5 KUPL/Portland 3.3 WCTK/Providence 8.3 WNCB/Raleigh 3 WQDR/Raleigh 7.5 KFRG/Riverside 5.4 KBEB/Sacramento 2.1 KNCI/Sacramento 4.4 KNTY/Sacramento 3 KEGA/Salt Lake City 1 KSOP/Salt Lake City ^ 4.7 KUBL/Salt Lake City 5.6 KAJA/San Antonio 6.2 KCYY/San Antonio^ 5.1 KKYX-AM/San Antonio^+ 1.7 KSON/San Diego 6.1 KRTY/San Jose 4 KKWF/Seattle 3.6 KNUC/Seattle 1.6 KSD/St. Louis 4.2 WIL/St. Louis 6.3 WFUS/Tampa 4.7 WQYK/Tampa 6.4 WMZQ/Washington 2.9 WIRK/West Palm Beach 4.5

Rank

Apr 6+ Share

10t 25 16 6 6 8 12 11t 8t 6 19t 18t 11 7 4 8 8 13 13t 5 3 14 3 2 16 6t 13 22t 8 5 2 4t 21 2 7 13t 22 10t 2t 7 3 14t 6

Rank

Mar Cume

Apr Cume

3 14 527,000 454,200 1.1 25t 50,100 56,500 3.1 14 142,400 166,800 4.3 9t 237,600 257,100 5.5 6 306,100 284,100 5.4 8t 543,400 602,900 3.6 13 499,500 492,200 4 10 260,600 264,900 5.9 51 268,400 292,100 5.3 8 285,700 275,000 2.5 16t 172,100 170,200 2 17t 1,023,700 1,082,600 4.5 9 272,000 287,300 4.2 7 648,500 650,300 5.6 3 734,100 730,900 4.9 8 659,600 733,000 4.5 9t1 338,500 368,700 2.7 12 216,100 224,800 3.9 11 305,900 343,200 3.3 15 273,600 285,800 8.3 4 326,300 322,200 2.7 14 209,400 224,800 7.4 3 315,000 326,300 5.8 2 360,300 364,400 2.5 14t 203,500 223,500 4.2 9 348,700 346,200 2.5 14t 217,300 226,200 1.1 24 127,500 125,000 4.4 8 237,400 271,600 4.8 7 364,000 330,200 5.5 3 561,800 539,400 5.4 4 682,000 171,500 1.8 20t 144,000 171,500 6 1 475,100 441,800 4.1 8 186,900 194,300 3.3 15t 485,700 519,300 2 21t 300,000 354,100 4 10t 452,500 458,200 6.8 3 503,500 531,800 4.8 6t 535,500 552,000 6 2 510,900 483,700 3 14t 461,800 505,800 4.1 7 165,000 160,000

384.5 382.2 380.8

379.9 368.1 375.3 356.9

323.9

Format-Wide PPM Ratings Aggregate share for Nielsen Audio subscribing stations month to month.

300

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May 21, 2018 LW

Artist/Title (Label)

KANE BROWN

Total Points +/- Points Total Plays +/- Plays Audience +/- Aud Stations ADDS 2nd Week at No. 1

24078

-15

9011

102

61.554 -0.836

157

LUKE COMBS/One Number Away (River House/Columbia) ✔

22532

1820

8304

678

58.135 5.936

157

DARIUS RUCKER/For The First Time (Capitol) ✔

21436

1035

8035

364

3.701

157

JASON ALDEAN/You Make It Easy (Broken Bow)

18842

-2884

7051

-1056

50.597 -7.056

157

DIERKS BENTLEY/Woman, Amen (Capitol)

18536

684

6797

255

46.345 1.721

157

D. L. MURPHY f/K. CHESNEY/Everything's... (Reviver/Blue Chair)

17881

569

6683

209

44.395 1.447

157

BLAKE SHELTON/I Lived It (Warner Bros./WMN)

17718

495

6540

150

44.922 0.788

157

MORGAN WALLEN f/FGL/Up Down (BMLGR/Big Loud)

15627

814

5982

375

37.679 1.601

157

KENNY CHESNEY/Get Along (Blue Chair/Warner Bros./WEA) ✔

14993

1414

5558

475

2.403

157

DAN + SHAY/Tequila (Warner Bros./WAR)

13751

656

4866

345

34.384 2.304

157

JAKE OWEN/I Was Jack (You Were Diane) (Big Loud)

13455

222

5073

118

34.944 1.081

156

KEITH URBAN f/J. MICHAELS/Coming Home (Capitol)

11015

720

3997

206

28.705 2.125

157

MORGAN EVANS/Kiss Somebody (Warner Bros./WEA)

10412

368

3739

136

23.809 0.962

151

CHRIS LANE f/T. KELLY/Take Back Home Girl (Big Loud)

10189

3652

-14

24.144 0.937

143

MICHAEL RAY/Get To You (Atlantic/WEA)

10003

115

3713

23.146 0.739

154

CARRIE UNDERWOOD/Cry Pretty (Capitol)

9286

409

3426

218

23.61

1.828

156

LADY ANTEBELLUM/Heart Break (Capitol)

8809

238

3321

150

19.756

0.87

155

DYLAN SCOTT/Hooked (Curb)

8404

3056

17.768 0.809

147

LINDSAY ELL/Criminal (Stoney Creek)

8397

3183

18.511 0.373

150

BRETT YOUNG/Mercy (BMLGR)

7840

695

2850

254

1.702

151

JON PARDI/She Ain't In It (Capitol)

7288

-34

2880

-62

16.668 0.154

152

CHASE RICE/Three Chords & The Truth (Broken Bow)

7138

342

2526

118

14.802 0.125

149

JUSTIN MOORE/Kinda Don't Care (Valory)

6847

2714

15.139 0.053

148

THOMAS RHETT/Life Changes (Valory)

6521

886

2417

351

15.119 1.496

143

COLE SWINDELL/Break Up In The End (Warner Bros./WMN)

6395

411

2361

135

14.309 2.485

142

Heaven (RCA)

54.7

38.25

17.9

Chart Page 1

May 21, 2018 LW

Artist/Title (Label)

Total Points +/- Points Total Plays +/- Plays Audience +/- Aud Stations ADDS

LAUREN ALAINA/Doin' Fine (19/Interscope/Mercury)

5708

-396

2168

-137

CHRIS JANSON/Drunk Girl (Warner Bros./WAR)

5497

428

2146

137

SUGARLAND f/T. SWIFT/Babe (UMGN/Big Machine)

4909

889

1747

SAM HUNT/Downtown's Dead (MCA) ✔ DEBUT

4871

12.179 -0.522

143

1.244

141

333

10.515 2.458

132

1822

13.969 13.969

107

0.142

144

10.062 0.923

121

135

9.727

CARLY PEARCE/Hide The Wine (Big Machine)

4607

-17

1821

OLD DOMINION/Hotel Key (RCA)

4568

493

1632

190

BROTHERS OSBORNE/Shoot Me Straight (EMI Nashville)

4462

132

1656

8.098

ASHLEY MCBRYDE/A Little Dive Bar In Dahlonega (Atlantic/WAR)

4101

-69

1500

9.458 -0.358

110

LANCO/Born To Love You (Arista)

3864

1387

6.052

0.165

132

MAREN MORRIS/Rich (Columbia)

3521

1184

-14

7.024

0.243

111

KIP MOORE/Last Shot (MCA)

3465

310

1287

5.743

0.997

124

CHRIS YOUNG/Hangin' On (RCA)

3157

1102

6.232

0.397

100

TRENT HARMON/You Got 'Em All (Big Machine)

2904

138

1066

4.371

0.477

120

RUSSELL DICKERSON/Blue Tacoma (Triple Tigers)

2762

217

990

4.375

0.421

119

KELSEA BALLERINI/I Hate Love Songs (Black River)

2727

110

1036

4.847

0.552

105

MITCHELL TENPENNY/Drunk Me (Riser House/Columbia)

2637

931

6.529

0.193

106

JIMMIE ALLEN/Best Shot (Stoney Creek)

2626

118

1041

4.127

0.289

108

1617

807

603

5.114

3.723

Debut 43

JASON ALDEAN f/M. LAMBERT/Drowns The... (Broken Bow) ✔ 2162

8.162

0.23

JERROD NIEMANN/I Got This (Curb)

1807

604

5.134 -0.288

MIDLAND/Burn Out (Big Machine)

1594

-14

611

2.791 -0.052

LOCASH/Don't Get Better Than That (Reviver)

1563

-92

627

-17

2.438 -0.211

CRAIG CAMPBELL/See You Try (Red Bow)

1444

596

1.647 -0.067

TYLER RICH/The Difference (Valory)

1346

495

2.029

0.024

DANIELLE BRADBERY/Worth It (BMLGR)

1333

539

-5

2.176 -0.061

CHRIS STAPLETON/Millionaire (Mercury)

1314

589

2.027

-0.03

Chart Page 3

May 21, 2018 Country Aircheck Add Leaders SAM HUNT/Downtown's Dead (MCA)

Activator Top Point Gainers

Adds

1646 ✔

SAM HUNT/Downtown's Dead (MCA)

107

JASON ALDEAN f/M.LAMBERT/Drowns The... (Broken Bow)

JASON ALDEAN f/M.LAMBERT/Drowns The... (Broken Bow) 1265 ✔

TYLER FARR/Love By The Moon (Columbia)

DAN + SHAY/Tequila (Warner Bros./WAR)

1055 ✔

DUSTIN LYNCH/Good Girl (Broken Bow)

LUKE COMBS/One Number Away (River House/Columbia)

1016 ✔

KRYSTAL KEITH & L. CARPENTER/Anyone Else (Show Dog)

OLD DOMINION/Hotel Key (RCA)

777 ✔

OLD DOMINION/Hotel Key (RCA)

BRETT YOUNG/Mercy (BMLGR)

748

GRANGER SMITH/You're In It (Wheelhouse)

KEITH URBAN f/J. MICHAELS/Coming Home (Capitol)

595

CHRIS STAPLETON/Millionaire (Mercury)

SUGARLAND f/T. SWIFT/Babe (UMGN/Big Machine)

495

SUGARLAND f/T. SWIFT/Babe (UMGN/Big Machine)

THOMAS RHETT/Life Changes (Valory)

493

MADDIE & TAE/Friends Don't (Mercury)

KENNY CHESNEY/Get Along (Blue Chair/Warner Bros./WEA)

412

Country Aircheck Top Point Gainers

Activator Top Spin Gainers

SAM HUNT/Downtown's Dead (MCA)

4871

LUKE COMBS/One Number Away (River House/Columbia)

1820

JASON ALDEAN f/M.LAMBERT/Drowns The... (Broken Bow)

1617

KENNY CHESNEY/Get Along (Blue Chair/Warner Bros./WEA)

1414

DARIUS RUCKER/For The First Time (Capitol)

1035

✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

SAM HUNT/Downtown's Dead (MCA)

329

JASON ALDEAN f/M.LAMBERT/Drowns The... (Broken Bow)

266

LUKE COMBS/One Number Away (River House/Columbia)

255

DAN + SHAY/Tequila (Warner Bros./WAR)

242

BRETT YOUNG/Mercy (BMLGR)

173

SUGARLAND f/T. SWIFT/Babe (UMGN/Big Machine)

889

OLD DOMINION/Hotel Key (RCA)

151

THOMAS RHETT/Life Changes (Valory)

886

KEITH URBAN f/J. MICHAELS/Coming Home (Capitol)

145

MORGAN WALLEN f/FGL/Up Down (BMLGR/Big Loud)

814

THOMAS RHETT/Life Changes (Valory)

109

KEITH URBAN f/J. MICHAELS/Coming Home (Capitol)

720

SUGARLAND f/T. SWIFT/Babe (UMGN/Big Machine)

102

BRETT YOUNG/Mercy (BMLGR)

695

KENNY CHESNEY/Get Along (Blue Chair/Warner Bros./WEA)

Country Aircheck Top Spin Gainers SAM HUNT/Downtown's Dead (MCA)

Country Aircheck Top Recurrents 1822

Points

BEBE REXHA f/FGL/Meant To Be (BMLGR/WBR)

15717

LUKE COMBS/One Number Away (River House/Columbia)

678

LUKE BRYAN/Most People Are Good (Capitol)

14812

JASON ALDEAN f/M.LAMBERT/Drowns The... (Broken Bow)

603

JORDAN DAVIS/Singles You Up (MCA)

10615

KENNY CHESNEY/Get Along (Blue Chair/Warner Bros./WEA)

475

DUSTIN LYNCH/Small Town Boy (Broken Bow)

9504

MORGAN WALLEN f/FGL/Up Down (BMLGR/Big Loud)

375

SAM HUNT/Body Like A Back Road (MCA)

8159

DARIUS RUCKER/For The First Time (Capitol)

364

THOMAS RHETT/Marry Me (Valory)

7030

THOMAS RHETT/Life Changes (Valory)

351

CHRIS STAPLETON/Broken Halos (Mercury)

6976

DAN + SHAY/Tequila (Warner Bros./WAR)

345

THOMAS RHETT/Unforgettable (Valory)

6819

SUGARLAND f/T. SWIFT/Babe (UMGN/Big Machine)

333

HIGH VALLEY/She's With Me (Atlantic/WEA)

6271

DIERKS BENTLEY/Woman, Amen (Capitol)

255

SCOTTY MCCREERY/Five More Minutes (Triple Tigers)

6066

Chart Page 4

May 21, 2018

COUNTRY AIRCHECK ACTIVITY

A D D DAT E S

MIDLAND/Burn Out (Big Machine) Remains at 45* 1,594 points, 611 spins 2 adds: WWGR, WYNK

May 29

LOCASH/Don’t Get Better Than That (Reviver) Moves 44-46 1,563 points, 627 spins 2 adds: WDXB, WSIX

ABBY ANDERSON/Make Him Wait (Black River) CLARE DUNN/More (MCA)

CRAIG CAMPBELL/See You Try (Red Bow) Moves 46-47* 1,444 points, 596 spins 4 adds: KZSN, WAVW, WCTQ, WKLB TYLER RICH/The Difference (Valory) Moves 49-48* 1,346 points, 495 spins 2 adds: KZSN, WXBQ DANIELLE BRADBERY/Worth It (BMLGR) Remains at 47-49* 1,333 points, 539 spins 2 adds: WHKO*, WUSJ CHRIS STAPLETON/Millionaire (Mercury) Moves 48-50* 1,314 points, 589 spins 7 adds: KASE, KHEY, KKBQ, KRTY, KUBL*, WAVW, WRBT RODNEY ATKINS/Caught Up In The Country (Curb) 1,254 points, 478 spins 3 adds: KCYY*, WDRM, WTHT ERIC PASLEY/Young Forever (EMI Nashville) 1,133 points, 430 spins; No adds AARON WATSON/Run WiId Horses (Big Label) 1,105 points, 489 spins 1 add: WGNE KID ROCK/American Rock’n’Roll (BBR/BMG/Red Bow) 1,071 points points, 467 spins; No adds

JOE NICHOLS/Billy Graham’s Bible (Red Bow)

June 4 June 11

NONE LISTED Send yours to adds@countryaircheck.com

CHECK

OUT 5/25

Lindsay Ell The Continuum Project (Stoney Creek) Before recording her full-length debut, The Project, producer Kristian Bush challenged Ell to record her “desert island record,” John Mayer’s Continuum, playing every instrument and singing every part alone in her studio. Ell’s version, which she co-produced and co-engineered, features all 12 of the songs from Mayer’s 2006 album, including “Waiting On The World To Change,” “Belief” and “Gravity.” June 1 Michael Ray Amos (Atlantic/WEA) Thompson Square Masterpiece (–) Luke Combs This One’s For You Too (River House/Columbia) June 8 Dierks Bentley The Mountain (Capitol) Sugarland Bigger (Big Machine/UMG) Craig Campbell See You Try (Red Bow) The Sisterhood Band Summer Setlist (Sony Music Nashville)

Chart Page 5

May 21, 2018 LW

Artist/Title (Label)

LUKE COMBS

✔

One Number Away (River House/Columbia)

Points

+/- Points

Plays

+/- Plays Stations ADDS

11804

1016

2554

255

KANE BROWN/Heaven (RCA)

11388

-870

2495

-106

DARIUS RUCKER/For The First Time (Capitol) ✔

11287

337

2454

BLAKE SHELTON/I Lived It (Warner Bros./WMN)

10956

142

2296

DIERKS BENTLEY/Woman, Amen (Capitol)

10283

317

2181

D. L. MURPHY f/K. CHESNEY/Everything's Gonna Be Alright (Blue Chair/Reviver)

9052

128

1927

JASON ALDEAN/You Make It Easy (Broken Bow)

8837

-1666

1968

-327

MORGAN WALLEN f/FGL/Up Down (BMLGR/Big Loud)

8729

1895

JAKE OWEN/I Was Jack (You Were Diane) (Big Loud)

8726

127

1767

10 10

KENNY CHESNEY/Get Along (Blue Chair/Warner Bros./WEA) ✔

8643

412

1779

11 11

DAN + SHAY/Tequila (Warner Bros./WAR) ✔

7590

1055

1615

242

13 12

KEITH URBAN f/J. MICHAELS/Coming Home (Capitol)

6862

595

1438

145

12 13

MORGAN EVANS/Kiss Somebody (Warner Bros./WEA)

6688

346

1382

14 14

CARRIE UNDERWOOD/Cry Pretty (Capitol)

6409

382

1319

16 15

LADY ANTEBELLUM/Heart Break (Capitol)

5411

333

1139

15 16

MICHAEL RAY/Get To You (Atlantic/WEA)

5163

-52

1108

-5

17 17

CHRIS LANE f/T. KELLY/Take Back Home Girl (Big Loud)

4966

1007

18 18

LINDSAY ELL/Criminal (Stoney Creek)

4965

1005

19 19

JON PARDI/She Ain't In It (Capitol)

4487

-130

967

-23

22 20

THOMAS RHETT/Life Changes (Valory)

4061

493

755

109

24 21

BRETT YOUNG/Mercy (BMLGR)

4004

748

892

173

21 22

JUSTIN MOORE/Kinda Don't Care (Valory)

3892

207

803

20 23

DYLAN SCOTT/Hooked (Curb)

3866

852

23 24

COLE SWINDELL/Break Up In The End (Warner Bros./WMN)

3527

-16

695

-9

26 25

CHRIS JANSON/Drunk Girl (Warner Bros./WAR)

2936

138

611

25 26

LAUREN ALAINA/Doin' Fine (19/Interscope/Mercury)

2776

-242

606

-62

30 27

OLD DOMINION/Hotel Key (RCA)

2710

777

530

151

29 28

SUGARLAND f/T. SWIFT/Babe (UMGN/Big Machine)

2585

495

524

102

27 29

ASHLEY MCBRYDE/A Little Dive Bar In Dahlonega (Atlantic/WAR)

2521

586

39 30

JASON ALDEAN f/M. LAMBERT/Drowns The Whiskey (Broken Bow)

2308

1265

424

266

Chart Page 6

May 21, 2018 LW

Artist/Title (Label)

Points +/- Points

28 31

BROTHERS OSBORNE/Shoot Me Straight (EMI Nashville)

2180

-46

434

-3

31 32

CHASE RICE/Three Chords & The Truth (Broken Bow)

1931

168

432

Debut 33

Plays

+/- Plays

Stations Adds

SAM HUNT/Downtown's Dead (MCA) ✔

1646

329

34 34

KELSEA BALLERINI/I Hate Love Songs (Black River)

1625

269

299

33 35

CARLY PEARCE/Hide The Wine (Big Machine)

1502

327

32 36

CHRIS YOUNG/Hangin' On (RCA)

1487

-17

271

35 37

MAREN MORRIS/Rich (Columbia)

1322

255

36 38

AARON WATSON/Run Wild Horses (Big Label)

1305

270

38 39

LANCO/Born To Love You (Arista)

1162

257

37 40

STEPHANIE QUAYLE/Selfish (Rebel Engine)

1039

-163

192

-33

40 41

MITCHELL TENPENNY/Drunk Me (Riser House/Columbia)

990

262

-2

43 42

LUCAS HOGE/Power Of Garth (Forge)

972

162

169

41 43

KIP MOORE/Last Shot (MCA)

940

229

42 44

MIDLAND/Burn Out (Big Machine)

902

132

47 45

TRENT HARMON/You Got 'Em All (Big Machine)

836

164

178

45 46

CHRIS STAPLETON/Millionaire (Mercury)

791

145

44 47

RUSSELL DICKERSON/Blue Tacoma (Triple Tigers)

783

183

48 48

TYLER RICH/The Difference (Valory)

717

54 49

RODNEY ATKINS/Caught Up In The Country (Curb)

632

132

157

46 50

JIMMIE ALLEN/Best Shot (Stoney Creek)

620

-56

149

-16

56 51

MIRANDA LAMBERT/Keeper Of The Flame (RCA)

579

112

58 52

DEVIN DAWSON/Asking For A Friend (Atlantic/WEA)

565

108

49 53

RYAN HURD/Diamonds Or Twine (RCA)

560

-87

-10

53 54

RADIO ROMANCE/The Weekend (Big Machine)

530

147

52 55

LOCASH/Don't Get Better Than That (Reviver)

468

-79

-20

55 56

RAELYNN/Queens Don't (Warner Bros./WMN)

460

-28

-4

60 57

DANIELLE BRADBERY/Worth It (BMLGR)

456

DENNY STRICKLAND/California Dreamin' (Red Star)

450

Debut 58 51 59

DUSTIN LYNCH/Good Girl (Broken Bow)

437

-125

-36

59 60

TRAVIS DENNING/David Ashley Parker From... (Mercury)

424

-31

-9

Chart Page 7