Issuu

September 25, 2017, Issue 567

Preparation Yes!

Show prep, content curation and talk breaks go by many names, but whatever it’s called, the stuff between the records is the glue connecting fans to the music and sets radio apart from streaming and playlists. As communications and media changed at a blistering pace over the last decade or more, so has show prep. Country Aircheck reached out to some of the best in the business to find many commonalities, diverging approaches and some fresh ideas. The morning show at iHeartMedia’s WRBT/Harrisburg goes three places for prep. “First is Dr. Dave’s Ultimate Show Prep,” says APD/MD/co-host Newman. “It delivers pop culture with a Country emphasis. It’s where I find out what happened while I was sleeping. If I was sleeping.” He was particularly impressed with the way the service handled the recent violence in Charlottesville, VA. “They were honest,” Newman explains. “They didn’t know what to say. It’s so awkward to talk about racism.” Newman’s other resources are Premiere Prep and the Universal Comedy Network, which offers creative audio bits. “Universal hits at least three home runs a week,” he Nancy & Newman says. Co-host Nancy Ryan scours prep services and socials for her hourly music reports, looking for artist TV appearances and new releases. As far as artist audio clips, “We prefer to use our own,” says Newman. “Because of our proximity to Philadelphia and New York, we get regular visits.” On the new-school side is KUZZ/Bakersfield PD Brent Michaels, who is on the air from noon-3pm. “If I had to rank them, first place is socials – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat,” he says. “I’m on my cell way more than I should be.” He uses Brent Michaels those platforms not only for artist information, but to keep connected to what is (continued on page 10)

Fire Away: Mercury’s Chris Stapleton backstage at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas over the weekend. Pictured (l-r) are Morgane Stapleton, iHeart’s Rod Phillips, John Sykes and Tom Poleman, and Stapleton.

Holly Gleason’s Book Of Love

Writing about music can quickly become heavy on business, light on music, with spins, stats and streams overshadowing the reason most people got into this crazy world in the first place – how the music made us feel. Journalist/educator/publicist/songwriter (Kenny Chesney’s “Better As A Memory”) Holly Gleason’s new book Woman Walk The Line: How The Women In Country Music Changed Our Lives is a collection of essays celebrating influential country females, written by influential female songwriters, publicists, musicians, artists and journalists. Each essay answered the sole question Holly Gleason Gleason posed to each contributor: “Who’s the woman who grabbed you by the ears and pulled you to her – and the more you listened, the more you figured out who you are?”

© 2 0 1 7 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 rc h e c k . c o m

September 25, 2017

MY TUNES: MUSIC THAT SHAPED MY LIFE RCA’s Ryan Hurd discusses his most influential music: 1. Jimmy Eat World’s Futures: That was a very formative album for me. Sonically, there are a lot of things that we pulled from that onto my album, especially in the anthemic parts. 2. John Mayer: Even from his first Ryan Hurd album, he’s somebody who made me interested in songwriting. 3. The End Of Tour: It’s a movie with Jason Segel and Jesse Eisenberg. The dialogue in that film made me dig deeper in my songwriting. 4. Coldplay: I saw them in concert for the first time when I was 18 years old. It was amazing. Seeing the production, and the lights during songs like “Yellow,” the whole thing was so cool. It made me interested in conceptualizing performances. 5. Current country: It’s a really cool time for country right now. I love artists who are making their own way, like Kacey Musgraves, Sam Hunt, Eric Church, Maren Morris and Old Dominion. They don’t sound anything alike – I just love people who go their own way within our genre. It’s really inspiring. • Highly regarded music you’ve actually never heard: I never dove in to Pink Floyd or Led Zeppelin. • “Important” music you just don’t get: Neil Young is an incredible activist who uses his songs for what he wants to accomplish socially, but musically, he’s always gone over my head. • An album you listened to incessantly: John Mayer’s new album The Search For Everything, Ryan Adams’ Cold Roses, and Eric Church’s Carolina and Chief. • Obscure or non-country song everyone should listen to right now: My friend Andrew Dorff, who passed away in December, wrote a song called “Kiss Me When I’m Down” and Gary Allan recorded it. It’s one of the most creative “come over” songs I’ve ever heard and I’ve always been obsessed with it. • Music you’d rather not admit to enjoying: The new Blink-182 record, California. It’s so good. And I’m a huge Rihanna fan, which I’m not ashamed to admit.

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For publicist/former CMA exec. Wendy Pearl, it was Patty Loveless. “I’ve known Wendy since I was a summer transfer student into the University of Miami,” says Gleason. “She was my editor at the college paper. She would have editor meetings with me [at restaurants] to make sure I was fed. She’s such a passionate advocate for the music. She’s won a Pulitzer Prize. She’s a tremendous writer.” Pearl’s recollection of first hearing Loveless’ music on a south Florida biker bar jukebox, at the urgent recommendation of a fellow patron – a Vietnam vet who carried around a pair of breast prosthetics in a white plastic bag – reads like a scene straight from a Fellini film. She found quarters in the bottom of her purse and selected Loveless’ “I’m That Kind Of Girl” and “On Down The Line.” Pearl Excerpt: I had never connected with a singer or a lyric in such an immediate and personal way. I was genuinely enthralled. The bartender and my biker Svengali seemed immune to my reaction, carrying on a new conversation while I stared at the jukebox, slack-jawed. I was hearing my life played out in neon and grit, sawdust and sass, like I had never heard it before. Imagine a reporter, someone who tells other people’s stories for a living, hearing her story, her life, her heartache. It didn’t even seem possible, but there it was. I’d found meaning in the words and music of a coal miner’s daughter from Pikeville, Kentucky. Gleason asked Atlantic/WEA’s Aubrie Sellers to write an essay and was impressed with Sellers’ recollection of how Alison Krauss (specifically, Krauss and Robert Plant’s 2007 collaboration Raising Sand) emboldened her own musical choices. “I’ve known Aubrie since she was a little girl on the ‘I Hope You Dance,’ video,” says Gleason. [Sellers is Lee Ann Womack’s daughter and Gleason is Womack’s former publicist.] “Aubrie was home schooled at that point, and I spent the entire cycle of that record negotiating with her to behave at photo shoots,” she laughs. “And almost always, it was a trip to a bookstore. She’s one of the few people who didn’t have to do any re-writing. That essay came in almost perfect.” Sellers Excerpt: There I was, a sixteen-year-old girl in my allwhite shabby-chic bedroom, more concerned with procrastinating

Shano & Swano’s Midwest Sock Block September 25, 2017

The sixth annual Shano & Swano Monsters of the Midwest Tour made its swag-dispensing, cheese-curd imbibing, beer-drenched way across four states over nine days and all anyone has to show for it are these stupid pictures. And socks. You know our heroes as Columbia’s Shane Allen and Red Light’s Chuck Swaney and you can probably pick out their radio welcome parties. In fact, you have to, because we don’t have the space for full photo IDs. The stations are KEEY/ Minneapolis, KMNB/Minneapolis, WEBG/Chicago, WUSN/Chicago, WMAD/Madison, WWQM/ Madison, WMIL/Milwaukee, WNCY/Green Bay (actually, the market is Appleton, but we’ll list it that way for Packers homer Allen), WBCT/Grand Rapids, WITL/ Lansing and WYCD/Detroit. There are also appearances by Country Radio Hall of Famer Mick Anselmo, Townsquare’s Doug Montgomery, Mercury’s Charlie Dean and Sony’s Lauren Thomas (Shano, Swano, Lano & Deano?). Anyway, have at it with the IDs. Think of it like a game. Pin the name on the Swane. Or, pin the sock on the .... You get the idea.

until the weekend when my friends were out of school than doing anything constructive. I was thinking I would listen to this unexpected record once before forcing myself to attack the huge pile of dirty clothes in my closet. What would one more hour hurt? I popped the CD into my unremarkable but glossy supermarket stereo; what came out glued me to the floor for several listens. My laundry didn’t get done that night. The major impact of Raising Sand was musical, but it may also have uncovered an understated truth that is important for any female musician aspiring to be independent and innovative. Being fearless, original, and authentic pays off. Alison did it on this record, and so many times before. ... When music is something you live and breathe, you can only hold your breath for so long. I

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couldn’t outrun my genes, and no matter how much I resisted following in the footsteps of my family, there was always a record inside waiting to be made. Tanya Tucker was Gleason’s essay subject, with Gleason confessing she first noticed Tucker’s 1978 TNT as a 14-year-old music fan buying her weekly album in a record store. Gleason was hooked, first by the then-risqué album cover and later, by Tucker’s wiser-than-her-years song delivery. “Tanya Tucker knew things,” she says in the essay, “and I wanted to find out about those things.”

September 25, 2017

As Tucker’s star rose, she began making the news for more than her music. “She went from being this girl that I listened to in my attic to being splattered all over the tabloids with really yucky headlines,” says Gleason. “You have to sometimes accept that people are going to be consumed by their fame. Don’t judge. Let people be. But there I am [in 1986], struggling in college and here comes Girls Like Me. Tanya was a phoenix. She rose from the ashes and made a really good record. And she just kept rising.” As to why Gleason’s book is by and about only women, she explains, “There’s so much in the media about feminism and women being locked out. I do think women have a different perspective. And a woman-to-woman conversation strips away all the male-female pretext. “This book starts conversations,” Gleason concludes. “At the end I ask, ‘Who’s your woman? What did she mean to your life?’ When you put it in those terms, you’ll be amazed at what you’ve been given, that you didn’t even realize.” Other contributors include historian Holly George Warren (Wanda Jackson), USA Today’s Elysa Gardner (Taylor Swift) and the Washington Post’s Emily Yahr (Shania Twain). Reach Gleason here. Buy the book here. –Wendy Newcomer

Chart Chat

Congrats to Jon Pardi, Royce Risser, Bobby Young, David Friedman and the Capitol promotion squad on notching this week’s No. 1 with “Heartache On The Dance Floor.” The song is Pardi’s third chart-topper from California Sunrise. Songwriters are Bart Butler, Brice Long and Pardi.

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And kudos to Kris Lamb and the Big Machine team for securing 48 adds on Midland’s “Make A Little,” topping this week’s board.

News & Notes

Steve Cormier has agreed to purchase Radio Vermont’s four-station cluster that includes WLVB/Morrisville. Tracy Lawrence’s 12th Annual Mission: Possible Turkey Fry benefiting the Nashville Rescue Mission is Nov. 21 at the mission, with a concert at the Wildhorse Saloon that night featuring Luke Combs and Halfway To Hazard. Lorrie Morgan and son Jesse Keith Whitley are featured in the premiere edition of Fox News podcast Children of Song. Listen here. The Sisterhood’s Alyssa Bonagura and Ruby Stewart, Emily West, Jenny Gill and Kree Harrison are among the performers at the Oct. 6 Nashville Artists Unite hurricane relief benefit at Nashville’s 3rd & Lindsley. More here. MerleFest will begin accepting entries for the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest (CASC) Oct. 1. More here. Country Music Hall of Famer Bill Anderson and author Peter Cooper were awarded by the Association for Recorded Sound Collections for their book Whisperin’ Bill Anderson: An Unprecedented Life In Country Music.

The Week’s Top Stories Jon Pardi

Full coverage in the archives at countryaircheck.com. • Joe Limardi will join WOKQ/Portsmouth, NH as OM/Brand Manager (9/18). • The 11th Annual ACM Honors topped the ratings (9/18). • Roger Carson exited mornings on WDAF/Kansas City (9/19).

September 25, 2017

• Chris Randolph was named afternoon host at WFMS/Indianapolis (9/19). • Julie Kansy will join Hall WPCV/Lakeland’s morning show (9/19). • Eddie Edwards and Erin Brennan paired for WUUU/Covington, LA wakeups (9/20). • David Dean transferred to iHeartMedia KWNR/Las Vegas (9/20). • WIL/St. Louis shuffles lineup, “JT” to middays and Danny Montana to nights (9/20). • Carson Blackley returning to WNCB/Raleigh as MD/midday host (9/22). • Jonathon West exited WKTI/Milwaukee (9/22). • Karen Dalessandro was named MD/afternoon host at WKTI/ Milwaukee (9/25).

Preparation Yes!

(continued from page 1)

going on in his local community. Interprep and label sites are second and third on his list of resources. Few personalities wear as many hats as iHeartMedia’s Michael J. His approach to prep is commensurate with a job description that includes daily local shifts on hometown WPOC/Baltimore & WMZQ/Washington DC, plus iHeartCustom and point-topoint voicetracking. Conceptually, he says, “I dial in to what’s on people’s minds. As a kid, I used to try to guess what my mom was going to say about my report card.” In application, he looks at what’s trending on Twitter and YouTube, reads local papers online and Michael J. researches country music history.

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He also looks at what’s going on in his own life. “There are universal themes, like the talk of confederate statues after the Charlottesville violence,” he says. “I try to [approach] from the outside looking in. What does the truck driver in Minneapolis or the bartender in Baltimore want to hear?” He prefers social networks to prep services. For instance, “I’m following the [tattoo artist] for Chris and Preston from LoCash.” He still heeds direction he received former WPOC PD Scott Lindy, now at Cumulus WKHX/ Atlanta: “There are three hills to capture. Country music, America and family friendly.” He quizzes his current PDs on new acts they are hearing about in order to do research ahead of time. He also considers appearances as content gathering. “I want to hug every listener I can. “ Also taking a nationally focused tack is Ty Bentli, who brings multi-format experience to Cumulus’ Ty, Kelly and Chuck morning show. “I’ve been doing this for 20 years and Scott Lindy the No. 1 foundation for me is water cooler talk,” he says. Bentli scans websites TMZ, Huffington Post, Elite Daily and ABC News Radio, as well as markets where the show airs: New York, Detroit, Cincinnati, New Orleans and Sacramento. Personal lives are also fodder, as when Kelly Ford added roosters to her chicken coop in advance of the eclipse to see if they’d crow when the sun reappeared. “One ran away beforehand so Ty Bentli that added to the drama,” Bentli says. And he admits some of his prep time is focused in an unexpected direction. “I’m a Packer fan so I look at a lot of Wisconsin sites.”

September 25, 2017

Nashville Songwriter Hall of Fame 2017 Inductee: Walt Aldridge For the next month we'll spotlight one inductee each week, leading up to the Oct. 23 NSHoF Gala. Alabama native Aldridge engineered more than 200 records during his time at Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals and later, in Nashville. His cuts include Ronnie Milsap's "There's No Gettin' Over Me," Earl Thomas Conley's "Holding Her And Loving You" and Tim McGraw's "Some Things Never Change." I always had a fascination with making Walt records. Writing songs allowed me to produce, Aldridge play, sing on and engineer my demos. When I got started, the studio was a hallowed ground that you had to be invited to, or have a lot of money so you could rent one. So by becoming a songwriter, it gave me the opportunity to do what I'd always been intrigued by – making music. I remember walking into Fame and seeing the records hanging on the wall, thinking, "This looks like the set list for the band you were in, in sixth grade," with "Mustang Sally," Land Of A Thousand Dances" – all these great soul records. Knowing you're sitting where Duane Allman sat to play a guitar part on a Wilson Pickett record challenges you to dig deep and do your very best. Rick Hall was first my boss and mentor. Rick has always preached the preeminence of the song. Some of my favorite recordings are not technically or vocally the best, but they always connect and hit a nerve. Very often, you'll have a fantastic singer with a great band and engineer, but if the song doesn't hit that nerve with people, it doesn't matter. Songwriting picked me as opposed to me picking it. Tommy Brasfield was a writer in Nashville who was more experienced. He heard some of my songs and said, "You have a lot of ability, but I think I could help you frame your music more towards the radio." If I ever did anything right, it was being open to that, rather than saying, "I like my music the way it is and I don't need your help." So Tommy and I started writing and eventually we wrote "No Gettin' Over Me," which was my first hit. That was back in the golden age of crossover, so it was a No. 1 Country record, a Top 5 Pop and No. 1 Adult Contemporary. After that hit I said, "Okay, it looks like I'm a songwriter – and a country songwriter, for that matter." My writing equipment is a guitar, a laptop and some kind of caffeine. I like to start in the morning when I'm fresh. But I've written all different ways. When I have writer's block, I power through. So much of what we do is crafting, is a learned instinct. The old saying that sometimes inspiration comes after perspiration is very true. And you don't know when the muse is going to visit. One time I was writing with Marty Stuart and we were stuck. He said, "Why don't we just swap guitars and see if that jogs anything loose?" I said, "Boy this is a really cool old Martin guitar. What's the story?" He said, "Well it was Hank's guitar." I said, "Hank Jr.?" He said, "No, that was Hank Sr.'s guitar." I was holding the Holy Grail of guitars. "Your Cheatin' Heart" could have been written on this guitar. So, I don't know whether it's imagined or whether there's real energy coming from the wood and the wire. But different guitars inspire different moods and words. I wish I'd written "He Stopped Loving Her Today." Every line in it is absolutely perfect. Couldn't have been better. A song's demo is a critical part of it. You're not only writing the lyric and melody, you're often writing the guitar intro lick that's going to be a hook. You're writing the production, somewhat. On "Holding Her And Loving You," we just didn't get it on the demo. But somehow, Earl Thomas Conley and his producer Nelson Larkin were able to hear through the demo and imagine it. When they played us the record, it sounded like a hit. When you heard Earl sing it, you believed it. You don't write songs for the money or the gold records. You write because you want to express yourself in some way that you're unable to express yourself otherwise. Getting this induction means my colleagues who have written some of my favorite songs – people whose opinions I value the most – are willing to say, "Hey man, you did good." It's quite a club to be voted into. I'm deeply honored.

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KKWF/Seattle MD/afternoon host Wingnut is a doomsday prepper of sorts. If all the other services disappear, he’s the one to call. “I am the Sanford & Son of phone bits,” he says. “I have terrabytes of audio that I have saved since I was 16.” Wingnut prefers to take audio from prep and label sites, then write his own set-up. “I usually have them as running bits through the whole show instead of playing them once,” he says. And he uses theatre of the mind to generate audio if it doesn’t exist. “I’ll call a guy named Jason Aldean from Puyallup, Washington and put him on the air, after I get Wingnut permission of course.” He also gives props to another station’s creativity. “I love that KKGO/ Los Angeles gets artists to host their midday show. What a great idea.” No big dummies there. Speaking of smart moves, WYCT/Pensacola PD/morning host Brent Lane builds his prep around the station’s live-and-local focus. Social media trending in his area, not nationally, is his go-to. Likewise local media. “We have a great local lifestyle site called The Pulse” that Lane uses to build a pyramid of subjects to address on-air. Features like the Cat Pack Coach of the Week give him the opportunity to speak with the audience directly. “We still do as many birthday shout-outs as we can get to and town mentions,” he says. “People love to hear themselves and where Brent Lane they live on the air.” Other services include InterPrep, label prep sites and prep from consultants Albright & O’Malley & Brenner. Hubbard WUBE/Cincinnati morning show host Dave Chandler’s co-host Chelsie Shinkle turns prep audio into hourly reports that run all day in a feature called “The Dirt.” The morning show kicks off the top of the hour with the day’s top three stories. “For our female demo, Dancing with the Stars is like the NFL,” says Chandler. In addition to core artists social accounts, The Big Dave Show Chandler cites, “The Drudge Report, which has everything in it – with links.” Personal experience is on tap, as well. “We had team coverage of my daughter’s first day of seventh grade, and reports on an in-law’s garage sale being used as a dumping ground for [co-host] Statt’s unwanted stuff.” Apex/WCKN/Charleston, SC morning host TJ Phillips also touts hyper-locality in his show›s competition with two syndicated morning shows. «I don›t rely on the services, because I figure they have the same info.» Similarly, listeners can easily access national information. «They know how to find out about their favorite stars on the internet.” Instead, Phillips tries to find “one or two local highlights and focus on them,” or put a local spin on national topics. “Darius Rucker is our only local star,” he says. “While others may talk about what they see online, I talk about his TV room TJ Phillips where he watches sports.” Phillips’ phone is another resource. ”I have listeners’ numbers from all the years I have been here. I call and talk to them.” –Paul Williams Lon Helton, lon@countryaircheck.com Chuck Aly, chuck@countryaircheck.com Wendy Newcomer, wendy@countryaircheck.com Paul Williams, paul@countryaircheck.com (615) 320-1450

September 25, 2017

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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: Scripps KVOO/Tulsa is looking for a morning show co-host. Apply here. CBS Radio KILT/Houston is looking for part-time weekend and fill-in talent. Send Airchecks here and apply here. iHeartMedia WPOC/Baltimore is looking for a morning show co-host. Details here. Saga WPOR/Portland, ME is looking for a PD and morning show co-host. Details here. SiriusXM is looking for an Asst. Music Programmer based in Nashville. Details here. Cumulus WGKX/Memphis is looking for an afternoon host. Get details and apply here. Scripps WCYQ/Knoxville is seeking a new morning co-host. Airchecks and résumés here. iHeartMedia WMZQ/Washington is looking for an APD/onair host. More here. Cox KKBQ & KTHT/Houston are looking for a National Sales Assistant and Account Executives for the cluster. Apply here. Entercom KKWF/Seattle is looking for a morning show host. Details here. Mountain Dog WFON/Fond Du Lac, WI is looking for a morning host. Send materials here. The Academy of Country Music is seeking a Mgr./Strategic Partnerships and accepting applications for interns. Details here. Beasley KCYE/Las Vegas is looking for a PD. Send materials here.

Searching

•Kris Stevens Former WKKT/Charlotte afternoon host 610-762-8332 radiobigkat@gmail.com

•Big Chris Hart Former KUUB/KWFP PD/MD/Prod. Dir./afternoon host 775-830-1320 bigchrishart@hotmail.com •Crash Poteet Former KVOO/Tulsa and WKWS/Charleston/WV PD 417-499-4046 okccrash@gmail.com • Bethany Linderman Former WGNA/Albany morning co-host 727-460-2389 linderman.bethany@gmail.com • Mike Preston Former KKWF/Seattle PD 206-979-2500 pljpreston@aol.com • Jeff Roper Former KCYY/San Antonio APD/MD/morning host 210-790-7099 ropershow@gmail.com • Brian Hatfield Former KYGO/Denver APD/MD/on-air 704-604-6554 hatfield99@gmail.com

Trophy Life: Valory’s Thomas Rhett celebrates his No. 1 album Life Changes at the iHeartRadio Music Festival. Pictured (l-r) are the label’s George Briner; iHeart’s Rod Phillips, John Sykes and Tom Poleman; BMLG’s Scott Borchetta; Rhett; iHeart’s Bob Pittman and Bobby Bones; G Major’s Virginia Davis and BMLG’s Mike Rittberg.

Artist/Title (Label)

September 25, 2017

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

JON PARDI

25739

2101

8661

726

56.757 3.755

159

KENNY CHESNEY/All The Pretty Girls (Blue Chair/Columbia) ✔

25068

1608

8467

507

55.983

159

DUSTIN LYNCH/Small Town Boy (Broken Bow)

24673

-2593

8159

-925

56.966 -4.023

159

JASON ALDEAN/They Don't Know (Broken Bow)

22843

852

7719

265

50.667 2.019

159

KANE BROWN f/L. ALAINA/What Ifs (RCA) ✔

22471

1598

7444

514

50.229 3.297

159

KIP MOORE/More Girls Like You (MCA)

18415

527

6152

186

40.989 1.616

159

CARLY PEARCE/Every Little Thing (Big Machine)

17117

876

5936

309

37.079 2.673

159

LUKE COMBS/When It Rains It Pours (River House/Columbia)

16730

1058

5656

382

38.031 2.226

159

THOMAS RHETT/Unforgettable (Valory) ✔

16436

1305

5424

361

38.274 3.873

158

CHRIS JANSON/Fix A Drink (Warner Bros./WAR)

15401

963

5414

347

33.785 2.871

159

BROTHERS OSBORNE/It Ain't My Fault (EMI Nashville)

14242

5030

29.698 0.375

158

MAREN MORRIS/I Could Use A Love Song (Columbia)

13676

368

4449

100

29.305 0.812

159

GARTH BROOKS/Ask Me How I Know (Pearl)

13370

374

4457

168

29.037 1.378

156

LUKE BRYAN/Light It Up (Capitol)

12379

1079

4085

299

27.489 2.841

159

LANCO/Greatest Love Story (Arista)

12099

858

4124

262

24.728 3.567

158

ERIC CHURCH/Round Here Buzz (EMI Nashville)

11779

386

4198

135

25.552 0.836

156

LOCASH/Ring On Every Finger (Reviver)

11348

172

3792

24.314 0.399

153

BRAD PAISLEY/Last Time For Everything (Arista)

9399

311

3271

19.562 0.895

158

FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE/Smooth (BMLGR)

9226

1082

3084

376

19.814 2.273

153

BLAKE SHELTON/I'll Name The Dogs (Warner Bros./WMN) ✔

8770

3055

2830

971

20.207 5.934

154

CHRIS YOUNG/Losing Sleep (RCA)

8347

2667

17.678 0.916

148

EASTON CORBIN/A Girl Like You (Mercury)

8218

219

2918

15.532

154

BRETT YOUNG/Like I Loved You (BMLGR)

7442

1294

2277

337

14.888 4.527

153

RUSSELL DICKERSON/Yours (Triple Tigers)

7385

230

2482

14.849 0.245

149

AARON WATSON/Outta Style (Big)

7153

2389

14.677 0.482

140

Heartache On The Dance Floor (Capitol) ✔

3.41

0.49

Chart Page 1

September 25, 2017 LW

Artist/Title (Label)

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

BIG & RICH/California (B&R/New Revolution)

6815

104

2513

10.445 0.531

144

WALKER HAYES/You Broke Up With Me (Monument/Arista)

6126

358

1903

10.668 0.953

129

MIRANDA LAMBERT/Tin Man (RCA)

5848

341

1887

0.746

131

DEVIN DAWSON/All On Me (Atlantic/WEA)

5798

427

1939

148

11.079 0.926

120

KELSEA BALLERINI/Legends (Black River)

4271

1373

6.512

0.062

128

GRANGER SMITH/Happens Like That (Wheelhouse)

3882

1376

5.684

0.229

131

BRANTLEY GILBERT/The Ones That Like Me (Valory)

3619

161

1206

6.548

0.009

120

CHRIS STAPLETON/Broken Halos (Mercury)

3477

230

1268

5.425

0.536

111

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

3340

164

1106

5.932

0.732

LEE BRICE/Boy (Curb)

3289

256

1075

6.125

0.724

SCOTTY MCCREERY/Five More Minutes (Triple Tigers)

3229

424

1043

130

5.173

0.632

JORDAN DAVIS/Singles You Up (MCA)

2866

175

997

3.561 -0.229

108

MICHAEL RAY/Get To You (Atlantic/WEA)

2488

107

744

4.362

0.127

ZAC BROWN BAND/Roots (SouthernGrnd/Elektra/WAR)

2424

271

900

3.681

0.534

DAN + SHAY/Road Trippin' (Warner Bros./WAR)

2411

168

822

3.077

0.296

BRETT ELDREDGE/The Long Way (Atlantic/WMN)

2158

161

719

3.265

0.211

LITTLE BIG TOWN/When Someone Stops Loving You (Capitol)

2055

159

721

2.135

0.187

100

9.2

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

1867

718

2.46

0.062

101

PARMALEE/Sunday Morning (Stoney Creek)

1774

100

648

2.238

0.174

DARIUS RUCKER/For The First Time (Capitol)

1687

177

540

2.395

0.266

JOSH TURNER/All About You (MCA)

1601

603

2.332

0.131

Debut 47

OLD DOMINION/Written In The Sand (RCA)

1571

1013

425

257

3.307

2.266

Debut 48

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

1479

507

1.727

0.07

Debut 49

COLE SWINDELL/Stay Downtown (Warner Bros./WMN)

1432

135

513

2.237 -0.043

LINDSAY ELL/Waiting On You (Stoney Creek)

1405

-68

511

-14

1.777 -0.187

Re-Enter 50

Chart Page 3

September 25, 2017 Country Aircheck Add Leaders

Activator Top Point Gainers

Adds

1660 ✔

MIDLAND/Make A Little (Big Machine)

BLAKE SHELTON/I'll Name The Dogs (Warner Bros./WMN)

LADY ANTEBELLUM/Heart Break (Capitol)

LUKE BRYAN/Light It Up (Capitol)

746 ✔

RUNAWAY JUNE/Wild West (Wheelhouse)

CHRIS JANSON/Fix A Drink (Warner Bros./WAR)

738 ✔

OLD DOMINION/Written In The Sand (RCA)

LUKE COMBS/When It Rains It Pours (River House/Columbia)

628 ✔

BILLY CURRINGTON/Wake Me Up (Mercury)

BRETT YOUNG/Like I Loved You (BMLGR)

589 ✔

RONNIE DUNN/That's Why They Make Jack... (Nash Icon/Valory)

KENNY CHESNEY/All The Pretty Girls (Blue Chair/Columbia)

564

BRETT YOUNG/Like I Loved You (BMLGR)

CARLY PEARCE/Every Little Thing (Big Machine)

531

JUSTIN MOORE/Kinda Don't Care (Valory)

LANCO/Greatest Love Story (Arista)

524

BLAKE SHELTON/I'll Name The Dogs (Warner Bros./WMN)

JASON ALDEAN/They Don't Know (Broken Bow)

484

WALKER HAYES/You Broke Up With Me (Monument/Arista)

KANE BROWN f/L. ALAINA/What Ifs (RCA)

392

Country Aircheck Top Point Gainers

Activator Top Spin Gainers

BLAKE SHELTON/I'll Name The Dogs (Warner Bros./WMN)

3055

JON PARDI/Heartache On The Dance Floor (Capitol)

2101

KENNY CHESNEY/All The Pretty Girls (Blue Chair/Columbia)

1608

KANE BROWN f/L. ALAINA/What Ifs (RCA)

1598

THOMAS RHETT/Unforgettable (Valory)

1305

BRETT YOUNG/Like I Loved You (BMLGR)

✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

BLAKE SHELTON/I'll Name The Dogs (Warner Bros./WMN)

357

LUKE COMBS/When It Rains It Pours (River House/Columbia)

171

BRETT YOUNG/Like I Loved You (BMLGR)

170

LUKE BRYAN/Light It Up (Capitol)

157

KENNY CHESNEY/All The Pretty Girls (Blue Chair/Columbia)

153

1294

CHRIS JANSON/Fix A Drink (Warner Bros./WAR)

134

FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE/Smooth (BMLGR)

1082

KANE BROWN f/L. ALAINA/What Ifs (RCA)

125

LUKE BRYAN/Light It Up (Capitol)

1079

CARLY PEARCE/Every Little Thing (Big Machine)

108

LUKE COMBS/When It Rains It Pours (River House/Columbia)

1058

JASON ALDEAN/They Don't Know (Broken Bow)

104

OLD DOMINION/Written In The Sand (RCA)

1013

LANCO/Greatest Love Story (Arista)

100

Country Aircheck Top Recurrents

Country Aircheck Top Spin Gainers

Points

SAM HUNT/Body Like A Back Road (MCA)

16384

OLD DOMINION/No Such Thing As A Broken Heart (RCA)

15591

514

BILLY CURRINGTON/Do I Make You Wanna (Mercury)

14253

KENNY CHESNEY/All The Pretty Girls (Blue Chair/Columbia)

507

BRETT YOUNG/In Case You Didn't Know (BMLGR)

11310

LUKE COMBS/When It Rains It Pours (River House/Columbia)

382

THOMAS RHETT f/M. MORRIS/Craving You (Valory)

10995

376

DYLAN SCOTT/My Girl (Curb)

9941

THOMAS RHETT/Unforgettable (Valory)

361

LUKE COMBS/Hurricane (River House/Columbia)

8812

CHRIS JANSON/Fix A Drink (Warner Bros./WAR)

347

MIDLAND/Drinkin' Problem (Big Machine)

8806

BRETT YOUNG/Like I Loved You (BMLGR)

337

JUSTIN MOORE/Somebody Else Will (Valory)

8397

CARLY PEARCE/Every Little Thing (Big Machine)

309

JOSH TURNER/Hometown Girl (MCA)

6922

BLAKE SHELTON/I'll Name The Dogs (Warner Bros./WMN)

971

JON PARDI/Heartache On The Dance Floor (Capitol)

726

KANE BROWN f/L. ALAINA/What Ifs (RCA)

FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE/Smooth (BMLGR)

Chart Page 5

September 25, 2017 COUNTRY AIRCHECK ACTIVITY DARIUS RUCKER/For The First Time (Capitol) Moves 50-45* 1687 points, 540 spins 4 adds: KBEB, WTGE, WGGY, KATM* JOSH TURNER/All About You (MCA) Moves 49-46* 1601 points, 603 spins 5 adds: KSON, WFMS*, WGH, WTGE, KFDI OLD DOMINION/Written In The Sand (RCA) Debuts 47* 1571 points, 425 spins 17 adds: W1HC, WUSN, KUBL*, WUBE, WWKA*, WKTI, WIRK, KJKE, WGKX*, WWGR, KBQI, WTGE, WYNK, KATC*, KDRK, WPOR, WKSJ CHASE RICE/Three Chords & The Truth (Broken Bow) Debuts 48* 1479 points, 507 spins 4 adds: WDRQ*, KEEY, WIL, WQNU COLE SWINDELL/Stay Downtown (Warner Bros./WMN) Debuts 49* 1432 points, 513 spins 4 adds: KAJA, KBEB, KSSN, KRYS LINDSAY ELL/Waiting On You (Stoney Creek) Re-enters 50* 1405 points, 511 spins; no adds DYLAN SCOTT/Hooked (Curb) 1404 points, 443 spins 5 adds: WNSH*, KUBL*, KWNR, WGH, WPCV DANIELLE BRADBERY/Sway (BMLGR) 1273 points, 419 spins 3 adds: WYCD, KXLY, WKSJ ADAM CRAIG/Just A Phase (Stoney Creek) 1270 points, 433 spins; no adds

A D D DAT E S October 2

Kid Rock/Tennessee Mountain Top (Red Bow) WILLIAM MICHAEL MORGAN/Vinyl (Warner Bros./WMN) Tyminski/Bloodline (Mercury) DENNY STRICKLAND/We Don’t Sleep (Star Farm)

October 9

JACKSON MICHELSON/Rollin’ (Curb)

October 16

Delta Rae/No Peace In Quiet (Valory) Ashley McBryde/A Little Dive Bar in Dahlonega (Atlantic/WAR) Send yours to adds@countryaircheck.com

CHECK OUT 9/29 Shania Twain Now (Mercury)

Twain's latest album features 12 tracks written solely by her, with four additional tracks on the deluxe version. Songs include "Swingin' With My Eyes Closed," "Poor Me," "Life's About To Get Good" and "You Can't Buy Love." Chase Rice Lambs & Lions (Broken Bow) Rice's debut for the label was produced by Jacquire King, Ross Copperman, Mac McAnally and Chris DeStefano. Songs include single "Three Chords & The Truth," plus "On Tonight," "One Love" and "This Cowboy's Hat" (featuring Ned LeDoux). Little Feather Self Titled (Curb) Featuring debut single "Hillbilly Love Song," the project was produced by lead singer Liz Sharpe, Will Rambeaux and Bill MacDermott. Sharpe is a distant relative of Loretta Lynn and multi-instrumentalist/ singer Shannon Campbell is the son of the late Glen Campbell. Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Anthology (Capitol) The band celebrates its 50-year anniversary with this two-disc set, beginning with the first song on their first album, "Buy For Me The Rain," and culminating with "The Resurrection" from 2009's Speed Of Life."

Chart Page 6

September 25, 2017 LW

Artist/Title (Label)

Points

+/- Points

Plays

KENNY CHESNEY

10966

564

2433

All The Pretty Girls (Blue Chair/Columbia)

+/- Plays Stations ADDS

153

JON PARDI/Heartache On The Dance Floor (Capitol)

10327

-204

2347

-17

JASON ALDEAN/They Don't Know (Broken Bow)

9791

484

2214

104

KANE BROWN f/L.ALAINA/What Ifs (RCA)

9590

392

2170

125

KIP MOORE/More Girls Like You (MCA)

8848

1969

DUSTIN LYNCH/Small Town Boy (Broken Bow)

8622

-1815

1999

-348

LUKE COMBS/When It Rains It Pours (River House/Columbia) ✔

8286

628

1808

171

CARLY PEARCE/Every Little Thing (Big Machine)

8115

531

1800

108

THOMAS RHETT/Unforgettable (Valory)

7488

307

1582

BROTHERS OSBORNE/It Ain't My Fault (EMI Nashville)

7450

1660

10 9 9

11 11

CHRIS JANSON/Fix A Drink (Warner Bros./WAR) ✔

7010

738

1577

134

13 12

GARTH BROOKS/Ask Me How I Know (Pearl)

6016

-5

1335

14 13

ERIC CHURCH/Round Here Buzz (EMI Nashville)

5977

271

1274

15 14

LUKE BRYAN/Light It Up (Capitol) ✔

5914

746

1228

157

12 15

MAREN MORRIS/I Could Use A Love Song (Columbia)

5905

-141

1283

16 16

LANCO/Greatest Love Story (Arista)

5599

524

1207

100

17 17

BRAD PAISLEY/Last Time For Everything (Arista)

4886

1034

18 18

LOCASH/Ring On Every Finger (Reviver)

4554

1013

19 19

AARON WATSON/Outta Style (Big)

4325

911

28 20

BLAKE SHELTON/I'll Name The Dogs (Warner Bros./WMN) ✔

3833

1660

846

357

23 21

BRETT YOUNG/Like I Loved You (BMLGR) ✔

3782

589

796

170

22 22

FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE/Smooth (BMLGR)

3772

379

852

21 23

CHRIS YOUNG/Losing Sleep (RCA)

3484

713

20 24

EASTON CORBIN/A Girl Like You (Mercury)

3450

-16

738

-2

24 25

BIG & RICH/California (B&R/New Revolution)

2813

-30

631

26 26

RUSSELL DICKERSON/Yours (Triple Tigers)

2628

162

591

27 27

KELSEA BALLERINI/Legends (Black River)

2350

-19

457

-2

30 28

MIRANDA LAMBERT/Tin Man (RCA)

2227

186

549

29 29

DEVIN DAWSON/All On Me (Atlantic/WEA)

2195

417

31 30

CHRIS STAPLETON/Broken Halos (Mercury)

1736

351

Chart Page 7

September 25, 2017 LW

Artist/Title (Label)

Points +/- Points

34 31

WALKER HAYES/You Broke Up With Me (Monument/Arista)

1716

208

Plays

361

+/- Plays

Stations Adds

32 32

LITTLE BIG TOWN/When Someone Stops Loving You (Capitol)

1708

349

33 33

LEE BRICE/Boy (Curb)

1648

129

319

36 34

BRANTLEY GILBERT/The Ones That Like Me (Valory)

1418

181

281

39 35

BRETT ELDREDGE/The Long Way (Atlantic/WMN)

1266

319

212

35 36

GRANGER SMITH/Happens Like That (Wheelhouse)

1240

-42

281

-2

37 37

ZAC BROWN BAND/Roots (SouthernGrnd/Elektra/WAR)

1147

-15

272

38 38

OLD DOMINION/Written In The Sand (RCA)

980

-20

133

-8

40 39

JORDAN DAVIS/Singles You Up (MCA)

890

-28

152

41 40

DAN + SHAY/Road Trippin' (Warner Bros./WAR)

884

-4

165

43 41

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

830

140

45 42

LADY ANTEBELLUM/Heart Break (Capitol)

808

42 43

SCOTTY MCCREERY/Five More Minutes (Triple Tigers)

768

-30

190

46 44

DARIUS RUCKER/For The First Time (Capitol)

719

-10

120

50 45

MIDLAND/Make A Little (Big Machine)

708

44 46

CODY JOHNSON/Wild As You (Cojo)

704

-86

155

-15

47 47

COLE SWINDELL/Stay Downtown (Warner Bros./WMN)

692

-33

132

-11

630

51 48

ADAM DOLEAC/Whiskey's Fine (287)

52 49

MICHAEL RAY/Get To You (Atlantic/WEA)

621

55 50

CARLY PEARCE/If My Name Was Whiskey (Big Machine)

620

48 51

LINDSAY ELL/Waiting On You (Stoney Creek)

610

-52

-7

54 52

KANE BROWN/Better Place (RCA)

570

-10

-1

LUCAS HOGE/Dirty South (Rebel Engine/Star Farm)

520

DANIELLE BRADBERY/Sway (BMLGR)

489

110

Re-Enter 53 Debut 54 56 55

BRANDON LAY/Speakers, Bleachers And Preachers (EMI Nashville)

483

-2

53 56

JUSTIN MOORE/Kinda Don't Care (Valory)

477

-125

-1

58 57

JANA KRAMER/I've Done Love (---)

470

JOSH TURNER/All About You (MCA)

465

57 59

DUSTIN LYNCH/Love Me Or Leave Me Alone (Broken Bow)

448

-20

-2

59 60

RASCAL FLATTS/Back To Us (Big Machine)

442

Debut 58

Chart Page 8