CRS In Action: Country Radio Has A New Role

Shomby Tells It Like It Is (Photo: Courtesy of CRB/CRS | Kayla Schoen)

COUNTRY RADIO SEMINAR (CRS 2022)’s final day welcomed a first of its kind “TED TALK” with longtime Country programmer and current COUNTRY'S RADIO COACH INC. Owner JOHN SHOMBY, providing some truths that exist in current day Country radio. “You’re not the only game in town anymore,” SHOMBY told the broadcasters present.

He reflected on looking at the industry from the other side of the aisle for the first time in 45 years, since his departure from CUMULUS MEDIA/NASHVILLE (NET NEWS 4/7/20). "I’ve listened to stations across the country for an hour or two a day for the last 20 months. Many times, I thought to myself, 'Oh, did I listen to this station yesterday? I must have.' But I realized I didn’t. It’s just that these stations all sound the same. Get creative,” advised SHOMBY. “Now is the time to package songs better, to do things that gets attention."

SHOMBY moved on to the topic of controlling the format. “You don’t have any say as to what’s Country and what’s not. Hello WALKER HAYES. The consumer is at the head of the table. Whatever they want, when they want, how they want, we have to understand that."

“Let’s do something about this now," he continued. "I don’t want a panel on this again next year. Let’s use the relationships that got me so enamored with this industry when I first got into it."

“Learn to say no. An underperforming employee won’t last a day in that radio station. But I’ll be dammed, an underperforming song will last a year on that station,” said SHOMBY, inviting Country programmers to be OK with passing on a song that isn’t testing well or being fearful of hurting a relationship by not playing it.

SHOMBY invited the Country radio community to start a committee to work on some of the current challenges facing the industry, throwing up a slide featuring the email address of COUNTRY RADIO BROADCASTERS, INC. Executive Dir. R.J. CURTIS, and inviting those interested in participating to reach out to him. About five minutes after the slide went up, CURTIS mentioned that he had already received 10 emails from interested parties.

In closing, SHOMBY delivered a final message: “We all can make this industry better. It’s not about the artist thanking us, they know what we do. Focus on making this system better and it will make our industry better.”

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