September 23, 2019, Issue 671
What’s Working In Diary Land
by Scott Ward PPM methodology and an increasingly fickle audience have put programmers in a tightly focused housekeeping role. Meanwhile, more than a few diary stations exhibit market dominance despite the distractions and shrinking marketing budgets that mark our era. We talked to PDs from three such markets about the broad and specific ways they achieve success – lessons that may be applicable across the board. Primary among them: Localism and consistency. Flake News: The morning show has been crucial to a marked upsurge at KCTR (Cat Country 102.9)/Billings, MT, according to Brand Manager Johnny Vincent. “The Breakfast Flakes – Mark Wilson and Paul Mushaben – have been on Cat Country for 32 years,” Vincent says. “They are so wellentrenched, so Billings, that listeners always respond to them.” KCTR has posted remarkable gains over the past year: 8.4, 12.3, 14.0 12+ (Spring-Fall-Spring), a trend Vincent credits to getting back to the basics of station selfJohnny Vincent promotion. “We make sure the morning show is promoting forward and the rest of the day is promoting back to mornings,” he says. Service is also a pillar. “We do our big ‘Flakesgiving’ every November, giving out 15,000 meals in the community,” Vincent says. “The guys recently mobilized listeners to help a rancher rebuild miles of fence that he lost in a wildfire. We also turn to social media with the weekly Q&A session that Mark & Paul do while riding 23 floors on an elevator in town.” Once in a lifetime experiences are key to connecting with listeners. “Whether we are giving away a trip to sing onstage with Toby Keith or executing a Townsquare text-towin contest, we take ownership and let them know they only get this kind of opportunity on Cat Country,” he says. While Vincent keeps the playlist consistent year-round, before the books he “looks under the hood to ensure a good flow of music.” Jug Life: At KKJG (98.1 K-Jug)/San Luis Obispo, CA PD Pepper Daniels says local awareness begins with the well(continued on page 5)
The Fest Wing: RCA’s Old Dominion at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas. Pictured (l-r) are Morris Higham’s Will Hitchcock, the label’s Dennis Reese, OD’s Matthew Ramsey, iHeart’s Tom Poleman and OD’s Brad Tursi, Geoff Sprung and Trevor Rosen.
Miranda Tour Bars No Holds
Country radio got its first look at Miranda Lambert’s Roadside Bars & Pink Guitars Tour this weekend, and iHeartMedia/Grand Rapids, MI SVPP Dave Taft caught the local Van Andel Arena show Thursday (9/19). Here’s his report: Lambert’s set opened with video of a locomotive wheel slowly building speed. “The whistle on the train blows and boom, lights Grand On The Run: RCA’s Miranda Lambert come on and in Grand Rapids. Pictured (l-r) are WBCT’s Miranda and the Matt “Gilly” Gilcheck, Aly Mac and Dave band kick off with Taft, Lambert, WITL/Lansing’s Chris Tyler ‘Locomotive’ into and the label’s Matt Galvin. ‘Kerosene,’” Taft says.
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