August 17, 2020, Issue 718
Even In A Pandemic: Country Cares
Looking toward the new radiothon roadmap being developed, Country Aircheck spoke with KRST/Albuquerque, NM PD Bev Rainey and WRWD/Poughkeepsie, NY PD Chase Daniels – both of whom have executed Country Cares For St. Jude Kids radiothons during the pandemic. Additionally, ALSAC/St. Jude Mgr./Radio & Music Development John Ortiz offers insight into how the organization is adapting along with radio. Wired For Sound: At the beginning of March, Rainey was just a few weeks into her new gig at KRST and looking forward to Bev Rainey executing her first (the station’s second) St. Jude radiothon. Then, the world closed. The first move was postponement, but when it became clear the quarantine wasn’t ending soon, Rainey made the call to move forward. As she told her staff, “I don’t see why we can’t do this, even if it’s remotely. Raising some money is better than none, so let’s just pick a date and, no matter what is going on in the world, let’s do this for St. Jude.” Chase Daniels KRST personalities live-streamed the twoday event from their home studios on-air and across all their social media platforms. Not only could people listen on the radio, but “people could visually see us in our homes, all coming together, working together, split-screen – even if we were eating lunch,” Rainey says. An engineer at the station coordinated guest appearances and created a virtual green room to let personalities know who was ready John Ortiz to join and when. They also had a staff-only live chat on the side of each screen for internal communication. “We had special guests including Brantley Gilbert, and clients were able to join during the hours they had sponsored,” Rainey says. (continued on page 9)
IT Phone Home: Warner/Nashville Chairman/CEO John Esposito is surprised with the 2020 CMA Jo Walker Meador International Award by CMA’s Sarah Trahern (top) and Milly Olykan during a WMN virtual staff meeting Friday (8/14). “I am teary-eyed,” admitted Esposito. “I promise you, our commitment to this has only just begun. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
Non-Profit Feeds The Music
Last month, a drive-through food distribution event in Nashville provided 22,000 meals – assisting music industry professionals facing food insecurity during the pandemic (CAT 7/20). The organization behind it, Musically Fed, started as a passion project for Insight Management Owner/CEO Maria Brunner, but has morphed into a 501(c)(3) non-profit that feeds the underserved by repurposing food from music industry events and concerts. Brunner and Warner Music Nashville VP/Radio & Streaming Marketing Chad Schultz – who serves on the board for Musically Fed – detail the organization’s mission, purpose and how Maria Brunner the industry can help. “I started Musically Fed in honor of my husband, who was a proud Vietnam veteran,” says Brunner. “I truly didn’t understand
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