Country Radio Gets A ‘Blind Date’ With Its Audience

Allen (Photo: John Shearer)

STONEY CREEK RECORDS artist JIMMIE ALLEN brought his engaging personality to the panel “Blind Date With Your Audience” at last week’s “CRS 2021: The Virtual Experience.” During the first half of the session, ALLEN drew out a handful of Country music fans about their listening preferences, habits and sources of music discovery. In the panel’s second half, a group of Country radio programmers dissected what the listeners shared with ALLEN.

The listeners surveyed by ALLEN represented a good cross-section of real Country fans, saying they find their favorite music everywhere from FM radio and SIRIUS XM, to SPOTIFY, APPLE MUSIC, AMAZON MUSIC, to apps like INSTAGRAM and TIKTOK. Asked what makes them tune in to FM Country radio, the range of answers included “to relax,” weather and traffic and contests, but most said they tuned in primarily for the music. Asked to name the #1 thing that would make them tune out of FM radio, most predictably mentioned commercials, with one person saying they’ve gotten “spoiled” by not having to listen to spots on DSPs.

Next up, three Country programming pros — KUZZ/BAKERSFIELD’s BRENT MICHAELS, WGAR/CLEVELAND’s CARLETTA BLAKE and KNCI/SCARAMENTO’s JOEY TACK — noted that none of the listeners seen in the session’s first half cited FM radio as their top source of music discovery. That was something BLAKE said “hurts my heart a little bit,” although she also said she wasn’t that surprised. As programmers, “We have to be cognizant of all the different ways people find and consume music,” she said.

TACK agreed that hearing from Country consumers during the sessions was “a good gut check,” even though learning that radio is not their go-to for music discovery “did kind of sting.” However, he added, “We have our marching orders,” adding that radio has to adapt a little more to the many other ways fans are consuming music.

Responding to the same choice the panel’s music fans were given about music, BLAKE said, “I would rather hear a remarkable song by an artist I don’t know than an OK song by an artist I’m familiar with.” TACK agreed, but added that, from a programming standpoint, that “doesn’t mean your station has to be unfamiliar all the time. We have ways to balance it. But I think we can be playing more new music as long as we protect it.”

Added BLAKE, “If there’s a song you really believe in, play it between two superstars and let your listeners hear it.”

MICHAELS, who moderated the discussion, noted in conclusion that in competing with streaming services, radio has plenty of its own strengths to play up that DSPs can’t provide.

Registered CRS attendees can watch the full session by logging in here.

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