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We Get Letters...
August 27, 2013
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. In fact, it is Rock’s recent musical doldrums that is responsible for sending listeners to Country, believes Bryan. “Rock sucks right now,†he bluntly asserts, adding, “Country is now Rock and provides a destination for young males who aren’t getting that sound fulfilled via Rock radio.†That’s probably a topic for another, entire column. Hmnn … note to self.
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Two weeks ago in the “Peter Principal†column, I pointed out that Country is enjoying some of its best-ever ratings. Former programmer Bob McNeill posted this comment:
“I hate to pour cold water on the Country ratings gains, but I will anyway. Everything is cyclical. And, if you take the time to go back in history, you'll notice that about every 10 years pop/Top 40 takes a dive and Country becomes the de facto pop/Top 40. The current crop of pop/country is attracting disenfranchised Top 40 listeners.â€
Bob’s impressive resume includes WMZQ/Washington, Westwood One and most recently, KNTY/Sacramento. He’s right. Historically, Country has benefited in times of a musical decline for Top 40.
But this isn’t one of those times. Not even close.
In fact, Top 40 is enjoying one of its best-ever music cycles, paralleling Country in that regard and with numbers. That premise is supported by the format’s recent performance. Last week I cited Country’s dominance via #1 rankings in 11 of 48 PPM markets so I’ll use the same measuring stick. Top 40 ranked #1 in nine PPM markets in the same (July) survey.
And programmers recognize it’s a special time for Top 40, too. “It’s on freakin’ fire,†says Clear Channel/Nashville OM Michael Bryan, who oversees the cluster’s Country WSIX and Top 40 WRVW (The River). “[Top 40] has been growing for at least the past two years and even more so the last 18 months.†Bryan’s background prior to ‘SIX was exclusively Top 40; he arrived in Nashville after programming Clear Channel Top 40 WXXL/Orlando for five years
“I love that Top 40 now allows it to perform well with adults†says Bryan. “It’s a really big time for both formats and we see WSIX and The River battle it out big time every month.†Bryan calls records like “Blurred Lines†from Robin Thicke, “A monster, which is a ‘Song of the Summer’ contender. Two weeks ago we got a new Katy Perry (“Roarâ€) that will have 450,000 downloads and a Lady Gaga coming right behind that.†Bryan also notes releases from Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z this year, which underscore a similar musical depth and strength Country currently enjoys.
In fact, it is Rock’s recent musical doldrums that is responsible for sending listeners to Country, believes Bryan. “Rock sucks right now,†he bluntly asserts, adding, “Country is now Rock and provides a destination for young males who aren’t getting that sound fulfilled via Rock radio.†That’s probably a topic for another, entire column. Hmnn … note to self.
Back to the point: Country’s growth hasn’t come at the expense of Top 40, it is simultaneous to it. And it doesn’t depend on Rock continuing to suck, that’s just icing on the cake. The music is real and radio is doing a solid job of delivering it to fans, new and existing. That’s what makes the current, stellar state of our format even more impressive.
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