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January 10, 2022, Issue 789

Aiming For A Records Year

The evolution of Records/Nashville hit full stride with last month’s hiring of Arista’s Josh Easler and creative community vet Joe Fisher (Breaking News 12/13). Likewise, bringing Matt Stell’s promotion in-house reflects Co-Founder & Partner Barry Weiss’ commitment to being all-in on country. Initially enlisting Keith Gale and Good Company Entertainment for promotion support, Records partnered with Arista on Stell before opening its Nashville office. Helmed by Stell’s manager Ash Bowers, the label had veteran promo execs Andy Elliott Josh Easler and Jamice Jennings working its in-house roster. Weiss stepped in day-to-day last summer when Bowers decided to focus on his core business (CAT 7/7/21). “When Ash went back to management, I thought about something I learned a long time ago ... there’s nothing worse than being half pregnant in this business,” Weiss says. “As a self-professed novice in country – I’m Joe Fisher not Mike Dungan or Billy Sherrill – I knew I needed to rip off the band-aid and really go for it. I’m a pretty experienced record executive who can smell a good opportunity, and there’s a real one here for a boutique, artist-focused midsize label. I’ve got two amazing executives in Josh and Joe, and I’m excited for all we’re going to do.” Easler knew Weiss from working on Stell’s Barry Weiss promotion, but as Records/Nashville’s EVP/ Promotion & Commercial Strategy, he’s looking forward to doing more. “This is an opportunity to grow and evolve professionally, not just in oversight of working with radio stations and staff, which I’ve long had, but by including work with the DSPs,” Easler says. (continued on page 7)

Pickin’ & Grinnin’: Valory’s Conner Smith at WKDF/ Nashville’s Country Pickin’ Party. Pictured (l-r) are Big D & Bubba’s Sean “Bubba” Powell, the station’s Tyler Reese, Big D & Bubba’s Derek “Big D” Haskins, Smith, Silverfish Media’s Patrick Thomas and Cumulus’ Charlie Cook.

Nashville Goes National On NYE

Coming in second to Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest (ABC), the inaugural New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash brought in 4.4 million viewers for CBS on New Year’s Eve. Executive produced by Robert Deaton and Mary Hilliard Harrington, the broadcast seemed to prove its concept. “Considering we were only a hair away from the No. 1 spot, we are super encouraged about where this show can go from year Mary Hilliard one,” Harrington says. “We had insanely stiff Harrington competition against the 50th anniversary of the Dick Clark franchise.” Deaton calls DCNYRE the “gold standard” and notes the aim was to provide an alternative. “Any type of variety show is trying to do all things for all people, but the audience is increasingly fragmented,” he says. “Mary Hilliard and I talked more than a year

© 2 0 2 2 Co u n t r y A i rc h e c k ™ — A l l r i g h t s r e s e r v e d . S i g n u p f re e a t w w w. c o u n t r y a i rc h e c k . c o m . S e n d n e w s t o n e w s @ c o u n t r y a i r c h e c k . c o m

January 10, 2022

ago, and our pitch to networks was to be great at one thing – Nashville and country artists. CBS immediately engaged.” Five hours of programming began at 7pm CT – with a 30-minute break for local news – and added up to 48 performances; that’s more than twice as many as typically fill the CMA Awards telecasts Deaton Miranda Lambert also produces. “This would have been a massive undertaking without weather and COVID concerns,” he says. The threat of weather was omnipresent but ultimately proved empty. “I don’t know how the skies parted,” Deaton says. “If there had been a lightning strike within seven miles of Bicentennial Mall, we’d have Chris Janson had to clear the stage and audience. Our contingency was a tour bus out back that we had pre-lit. We would have put artists on it with one of the hosts [Bobby Bones or Entertainment Tonight’s Rachel Smith] and gone acoustic. We had to fill that time.” Unfortunately, Sam Hunt and Zac Brown Band ended up with COVID, forcing a scramble. “We huddled in Jason Aldean the front lounge of a tour bus and completely restructured and rewrote the entire five-hour show,” says Harrington, whose day job is managing Dierks Bentley, among others. “We called Dierks and asked him to do six extra songs and play for 2.5 hours to the live crowd.”

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“Even though it was hard, the artists here are unlike any in the world,” Deaton says. “’Hey Dierks, can you go from 75 minutes on the mainstage to two-and-a-half hours?’ No problem. Same thing with Lady A; they said, ‘Whatever you need.’ Don’t forget, we had the TV songs but also had to perform for the people in front of that stage.” Performers were just part of the issue. Out of a crew of 400, more than 100 were lost to COVID exposure. “We really pulled this off with a skeleton crew,” Harrington says. “[Nashville Convention & Visitor’s Corporation Pres.] Butch Spyridon and his team already had a killer event in place that they’ve been Robert Deaton building for a decade, so Robert and I we were able to just expand on what they were already doing. We added five other venues to the Bicentennial Park stage and supersized it to 48 performances.” Pre-taped performances not only simplified day-of production but showcased the city’s venues. “That’s part of the charm of the show,” Deaton says. “When does anyone get to see Blake Shelton or Jason Aldean perform for 200 people? Everyone wants to be gigantic, and I do as well, but that downtown club feeling really represents Nashville.” One innovation was doing midnight countdowns for both Eastern and Central viewers. “One of the stats we pointed to was the 90 million people who live in the Central Time Zone,” Deaton says. “No other show has done this before.” First-year ratings and the city’s support may bode well for a network renewal. “Butch has a vision of Nashville competing with NYC on New Year’s Eve,” Harrington says. “There is no reason it can’t, and I think we started making inroads this year, [but] it’s too early to talk about how the deals going forward may be structured.”

January 10, 2022

OFF THE RECORD After MidNite Exec. Producer Anthony “Antman” Allen goes Off The Record: My dad was a minority owner of a small AM radio station in southern Oklahoma. They had ABC news at the top of every hour, Paul Harvey at lunch with The Rest of the Story and played lots of country music until they signed off at sundown. They played all country music. You might here an Ernest Tubb song next to Garth Brooks in the ‘90s. ANTHONY ALLEN And, because it was AM radio, it felt even more authentic and classic. My first job was at a small, 3,000-watt Adult Christian station in Oklahoma City. It was called The Light 105. I came in at a very unique time where I got the opportunity to edit commercials on both analog tape and a digital workstation. The analog didn’t last long. Reid Mullins gave me the name “The Antman.” It was just a nickname, and I didn’t use it on-air back then. The guy I tried to emulate on the air for a long time was Tod Tucker. Both guys have unfortunately passed away, but they left incredible impressions on me. Bill Reed gave me my first job in country music, Tom Travis mentored me into my first PD roll, and Jon Anthony mentored me into my first artist-branded radio programming with Yee Yee Radio. Man, I know I’m going to leave someone off. Steve Geofferies was my first what I’d call “peer mentorship” and continues to be. All have endowed qualities that I cherish to this day. My favorite song on the radio right now would have to be Logan Mize’s “I Need Mike.” Roughly 22 veterans commit suicide every day, and this song is helping raise awareness. It’s a reminder that we need them! It’s funny, I got several texts the day Granger [Smith] was announced as the new host of After Midnite assuming I was joining him. I actually didn’t have a conversation with Premiere until just before Christmas when Rod Phillips reached out. But, the answer was quick: absolutely. Zero reservations. It just made sense. You know, as I write this, we’re only a couple of days into the new show. The goal right now is to make sure Granger feels comfortable in his new role. He’s a natural, though! You’ll hear just how natural this comes to him as the show grows. My podcast, Picture This!, will be coming back this year with new episodes. Granger’s podcast will continue to grow, and it’s already continually at the top of the music podcast category. Yee Yee Radio is thriving; it continues to be our soundtrack for the overall Yee Yee brand. Now, it’s time to water all we’ve planted. Reach him here.

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Deaton agrees. “No one gives a multi-year deal until after the first year, and even though this looked like a no-brainer, viewing habits have changed. You’re never sure what kind of reception you’ll get, but we’re encouraged by the numbers and the cooperation we got from artist managers and the city. This could be a new franchise.” –Chuck Aly

Chart Chat

Congratulations to Michael Ray, Kristen Williams, Tom Martens, Shari Roth and the Warner/WEA promotion team on landing at No. 1 this week with “Whiskey And Rain.” The song, which becomes Ray’s fourth No. 1, reaches the top in its 55th week, tying it for the third-longest chart run to No. 1. Writers are Josh Thompson and Michael Ray Jesse Frasure. Kudos to Shane Allen and the Columbia crew on racking up 101 adds for Maren Morris’ “Circles Around This Town.” This shatters Morris’ previous Most Added record, when “Girl” led with 67 adds on Jan. 21, 2019, and comes almost six years to the day after Morris’ debut single “My Church” became her first Most Added (CAW 1/19/16).

News & Notes

Cledus T. Judd has signed with Wasserman Music, Red Street Publishing and DR Artist Management for booking, music publishing and artist management. Clear Media Network is launching a podcast hosted by Pres./ Dir. Operations Mark McCray. Radio Daze Podcast will feature true industry stories from personalities, managers and record promoters. Details here.

The Week’s Top Stories

Full coverage at countryaircheck.com. • Catch up on what you missed during the holidays and preview CRS 2022 in last week’s (1/3) Country Aircheck Weekly. • Cumulus/Bloomington, IL OM & Country WBWN & Classic Country WJBC PD Dan Westhoff has resigned. (CAT 1/7) • Anthony “Antman” Allen will serve as Exec. Producer of After MidNite with Granger Smith. (CAT 1/6) • Matt Derrick is joining Dick/Savannah, GA as OM. (CAT 1/5) • Jeremy “Otis” Maher’s The O Show has been added to

January 10, 2022

the iHeartCustom lineup. (CAT 1/4) • WNCB/Raleigh PD/midday personality Carson Blackley is leaving radio. (CAT 1/3) • Chronicle: Drew Alexander, Randy Jackson.

Aiming For A Records Year

(continued from page 1)

“Our business is evolving at a rate we haven’t seen,” he continues. “Consumer behavior is so different. My mindset now shifts out of working seven to nine artists to having laser focus on great young talent. Walking away from dayto-day work I’ve been so proud of with Old Dominion, Ryan Hurd, Brad Paisley and the others was not an easy decision. But I get a blank piece of paper and a big box of crayons to try new things.” And while Records/Nashville is an upstart, it’s also a joint venture. “I’m still a Sony employee, and this company is part of that George Birge global powerhouse,” Easler points out. “That was a big piece of this decision. We have all the offerings of the mothership and are able to operate on a boutique level.” A long-tenured Nashville creative executive, Fisher was introduced to Weiss through Bowers. “When Barry asked if I was interested – first, yes,” Fisher says. “But it was important to hear what he intended in terms of building out the team, particularly, his intentions with Matt Stell radio. Being in the artist development world, there’s a lot we can do with DSPs but, absent radio, it’s really hard to build superstars. Once he explained how committed he is to building out the promotion team, I knew this was a great opportunity. And being able to bring Matt back in-house is a game changer. We now have that flagship artist with a history of No. 1s and can build off that with a proper team. When he told me Josh Easler was joining the company, I was incredibly excited to be part of it.” Being fully staffed for promotion may also make Fisher’s job finding songs a bit easier. “I come from publishing and know the importance of radio in this town for our writers and publishers,” he says. “Getting to millions of streams is big, but we all want to be on the radio. The luxury of this format and its loyal fan base is we can have both.”

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The new thinking in artist development is only part of Fisher’s mindset. “You have to find a balance,” he says. “I definitely come from the old school of A&R, and I’m all for the success kids are having on TikTok – it’s a great way to get a head start. But it’s incumbent on us to do our homework and make sure these aren’t just moments becoming bigger than the artist. Dig in and find if they have more to say.” The label’s Erin Kinsey is an example, Fisher says. “She’s gotten some momentum via TikTok and the DSPs, but she sent me another dozen songs, and I realized she’s not just a fleeting phenom. Yes, she’s only 21, but she’s been doing this since she was 14, knows how to communicate with her peers and she has something to say. She’s legit.” Easler agrees, noting, “Erin is already making things happen at the DSP level. Matt Stell is making new music. George Birge has ‘Mind On You’ out, and you’ll hear from Chris Bandi this year, as well.” Also on the roster, Jennifer Smestad and Nelly. “He’s done some country things and will be worked into what we’re doing in different ways,” Easler says of the latter. The promotion plan won’t be focused on traditional regions. “We’re throwing the map in the trash to focus on where each has relationships, which is what we value most,” explains Easler. On the front lines, a team with which he is already quite familiar. “I worked with Chele Fassig as a regional when she was at WSOC/Charlotte. Andy Elliott and I worked together at Sony. Obviously Jamice Jennings and I worked together on Matt Stell. These are very talented promotion people who bring varied insights. We’re going to make magic happen.” Speaking of magic, Weiss sees a bit of it in the format itself. “Despite how glacially slow the pace of Country radio is, it’s one of the few true artist development formats left,” he says. “It’s challenging and frustrating – particularly for the uninitiated like myself – but you can really build artists over a long period and create some equity in terms of by-in from the format. At Pop and Rhythm crossover, you’re fighting record by record and song by song, which is a very challenging way for a record company to live. I find it heart-warming and a bit nostalgic that Country radio actually commits to artists.” Reach Weiss here, Easler here and Fisher here. –Chuck Aly Lon Helton, lon@countryaircheck.com Chuck Aly, chuck@countryaircheck.com Caitlin DeForest, caitlin@countryaircheck.com Monta Vaden, monta@countryaircheck.com Chris Huff, chris@countryaircheck.com

To my friends at Country Radio, T H A N K YO U. T H A N K YO U S O M UC H F O R S UP P O RT I N G M E I N S O M A N Y WAYS . TO DAY, O N H Y P O C R I T E ’ S I M PAC T DAT E , I A M ES P EC I A L LY TA K E N BY H OW G R AT E F UL I A M F O R E AC H O N E O F YO U. I A M S O I N C R E D I B LY E XC I T E D A B O U T T H I S S O N G ’ S F U T UR E , A N D E V E N M O R E F O R W H AT I S TO C O M E . I LO O K F O R WA R D TO S E E I N G YO U A L L S O O N !

T H E

N E W

S I N G L E

F RO M

h y p o c r i t e IMPACTING

NOW

January 10, 2022

SEEK & EMPLOY

AVAILABLE JOBS MIDWEST Summit KFDI/Wichita OM Justin Case is searching for a morning co-host. See the complete posting here; send résumés and airchecks to Case here. Alpha KZEN/Columbus, NE Dir./Content David Gustafson is seeking a morning host. See the complete job description and apply here; reach Gustafson here. Midwest/Peoria, IL VP/MM Mike Wild is looking to add an OM for the cluster that includes Country WXCL. See the complete job description here; send résumés, cover letters and airchecks to Wild here. Townsquare KOEL/Waterloo, IA Dir./ Content Johnny Marks is searching for a Brand Mgr./morning host. See the complete job description and apply here; send résumés and airchecks to Marks here. Zimmer KATI/Jefferson City, MO OM Jeremy Washington is seeking a PD/morning co-host. Send résumés, social media samples and airchecks to him here. Townsquare SVP/Content & Programming Kurt Johnson is looking for a Dir./Content for the Lansing, MI cluster that includes Country WITL. Send résumés and airchecks here. MacDonald WKCQ/Saginaw, MI OM/PD Jason Addams is looking for a full-time, live night host. Send résumés and airchecks to him here. Mid-West Family WWQM/Madison, WI VP/ Programming Randy Hawke is searching for a morning host/content creator. Send résumés and airchecks to him here. Cumulus/Bloomington, IL VP/MM Paula Williams is looking for an OM for the fivestation cluster and PD for Country WBWN & Classic Country WJBC. Complete job description and application here. NORTHEAST Cumulus WCTO/Allentown, PA OM/PD Jerry Padden is searching for a morning co-host. Complete job description and application here. Audacy/Rochester, NY VP/GM Sue Munn is looking for an OM for the five-station cluster that includes Country WBEE. Complete job description and application here. Townsquare/Atlantic City, NJ Dir./Content Joe Kelly is on the hunt for an Asst. Dir./Digital & Radio Content to join the cluster that includes Country WPUR. Complete job description and application here. Townsquare/Portsmouth, NH Regional Market Pres. Christine Sieks is looking for a Dir./Digital & Radio Content for the cluster that includes Country WOKQ. Complete job description and application here. Sieks is also searching for a Digital & Radio Content Leader/on-air host and a morning co-host for WOKQ; apply here and here, respectively. Townsquare WFRG/Utica, NY Content Dir./ Brand Mgr. Bill McAdams is seeking his successor as he retires. Complete job description and application here; send résumés and airchecks here. SOUTHEAST Summit/Louisville OM Cagle is seeking

a full-time midday personality with at least two years of on-air experience to join Country WQNU; PPM experience is a plus. Send résumés and airchecks to Cagle here. Mel Wheeler WSLC/Roanoke, VA Dir./HR Cheryl Skinner is looking for a midday personality. Send résumés and airchecks to her here. Gulf South WTVY/Dothan, AL GM Bryan Holladay is seeking an OM/PD/morning cohost who can also handle PD duties for Top 40 sister WKMX. Send résumés and airchecks here. Townsquare KMDL/Lafayette, LA PD Jude Walker is searching for a midday personality. Complete job description and application here. Summit/Knoxville Pres. Chris Protzman is looking for a Mgr./Promotions to oversee the four-station cluster that includes Country WCYQ. Complete job description here; send résumés here. iHeartMedia WUBL/Atlanta SVP/ Programming Meg Stevens is “looking for future stars” to join for mornings. Complete job posting and application here. Cumulus WIVK/Knoxville PD Rich Bailey is seeking a midday personality. Complete job description and application here; reach Bailey here. Saga Group PD Scott Chase is looking for a morning host to join WCVL/Charlottesville, VA. Complete job posting here; send résumés and airchecks to Chase here. Saga Classic Country WSIG/Harrisonburg, VA OM/PD Paul “Uncle Pauly” McDaniel is searching for a morning co-host. Send résumés and airchecks to him here. ADX WYCT/Pensacola PD Brent Lane is looking for a midday personality. See the complete job description here; send résumés, social media samples and airchecks to Lane here. iHeartMedia EVP/Country Programming Strategy Rod Phillips is seeking a PD/midday personality for Country WNCB/Raleigh to succeed Carson Blackley. Reach him here. Summit/Birmingham Chief of Staff Kori White is looking for an APD/MD/afternoon personality for Country WZZK. Complete job posting here; send résumés and airchecks here. iHeartMedia/Arkansas-Texas SVPP Dave Ashcraft is searching for an APD to join Country KKIX/Fayetteville, AR. Candidates will also handle promotional duties for the cluster and a TBD airshift. Complete job posting and application here. Cumulus/Huntsville, AL VP/MM John Lewis and OM Steve Smith are seeking a Dir./ Promotions & Marketing for the six-station cluster that includes Country WWFF. Complete job description and application here. Consultancy RWPC Pres. JJ Jobe has a client at a family-owned and managed company in Natchez, MS searching for two new hires. Send résumés, cover letters, production samples and airchecks here. SOUTHWEST Brazos Valley KORA/Bryan-College Station, TX VP/GM John Seigler is searching for an MD/morning co-host with an understanding of Texas country. Send résumés and airchecks to him here. Seigler is also seeking a PD/afternoon

personality for KORA; send résumés and airchecks here. Cumulus VP/Country Charlie Cook is looking for a PD/midday personality for KAYD/Beaumont, TX. See the complete job description and apply here. Alpha/Amarillo, TX MM Cal Hall is seeking a Content Dir./Brand Mgr. for the cluster that includes Country KGNC. Complete job description and application here. LKCM/Wichita Falls, Fort Worth & Corsicana, TX OM Mark Phillips is searching for a PD for Country KRVF/Corsicana. Send résumés and airchecks to him here. Cumulus KSCS/Dallas PD Mike Preston is looking to add a morning show producer to join Hawkeye In The Morning alongside Mark “Hawkeye” Louis and Michelle Rodriguez. Complete job description and application here. WEST COAST Cumulus KBUL/Reno, NV PD/morning host Bob Richards is seeking a full-time morning co-host to join The Moo Crew. Complete job description here; send résumés and airchecks to Richards here. Cumulus KATM/Modesto, CA PD Andy Winford is looking for a third-mic morning cohost to join DJ Walker and Jaimee Lee. See complete job description and apply here. Townsquare KAWO/Boise Brand Mgr. Chris Pickett is searching for a live midday personality. Job description and application here. Bicoastal/Centralia, WA OM/Sports Dir. & Country WMNT afternoon personality Ryan Trotter is heading up the search for his own successor. Send résumés and airchecks to him here. OTHER Townsquare Country Format Lead Doug Montgomery has immediate openings for PDs and morning talent. Send résumés and airchecks to him here. iHeartMedia EVP/Country Programming Strategy Rod Phillips has current openings for “great PDs in various size markets.” Send résumés and airchecks to him here. Pandora is adding a Dir./Country Programming to manage the programming and curation of country music destinations on the platform. See the complete job description and apply here. Townsquare Country Format Lead Doug Montgomery is searching for an Exec. Prod./ Content Prod./on-air talent to join nationally syndicated Taste Of Country Nights. Complete job description and application here. Midwest VP/Programming Jeff McCarthy is currently recruiting future air talent and managers. Interested candidates can send résumés, programming materials and airchecks here. BBR Music Group has two current openings for Nashville-based staff: Dir./Streaming and Dir./Digital Marketing. Complete job descriptions and applications here and here, respectively.

January 10, 2022

SEEK & EMPLOY

SEEKING JOBS •Tony Kelly Former WUSN/Chicago morning producer KellyT_60468@yahoo.com 708-642-8518 •Greg Cole Former WKCQ/Saginaw, MI OM/PD GCole27000@gmail.com 916-502-4734 •Jonathan West Former WKTI/Milwaukee afternoons JonathanWestRadio@gmail.com 320-774-9300 •Marc Lavik (aka Dave Marcus) Former on-air talent ZimaGuy@gmail.com 401-467-6737

•Brian “Wookie” Kostek Former WDSY/Pittsburgh APD/MD/afternoons BKostek24@gmail.com •Kim Brixton Former WNWN/Battle Creek, MI mornings/middays KimBrixton@gmail.com •Mark McKay Former Riser House Dir./Southeast Promotion MMcKay973@gmail.com •Tim Taylor Former KWJJ/Portland afternoons Tim.Taylor1@comcast.net •Amber Rainey Former KSON/San Diego middays AmberRaineyOnAir@gmail.com

•Cory Mikhals Former KIZN/Boise morning co-host CoryProductions@icloud.com

•Tami Rumfelt Former WPAW/Greensboro afternoons TamiRumfelt@gmail.com

•”Big” John Horton Former KFSA/Ft. Smith, AR afternoon host BigJohn@TheBigJohnShow.com

•Mark “Skid” Lavin Former WOTW/Orlando Dir./Production & On-Air MarkLavin@yahoo.com 407-619-5346

•Kris Richards Former WKJO/Smithfield, NC afternoons FireCop947@yahoo.com •AJ McCloud Former WWFF/Huntsville, AL APD/afternoons AJ.McCloud@charter.net 256-503-2301 •Mac Daniels Former KPLX & KSCS/Dallas PD MacDaniels@me.com •Brittany Tully Former WYNK/Baton Rouge PD BriLynn718@gmail.com •Bill Hickok Former KBMR/Bismark, ND morning host BillHickok1950@gmail.com •Amy Nic Former WAMZ/Louisville afternoon host AmyNicRadioChick@gmail.com

•Kerry Wolfe Former WMIL/Milwaukee SVPP & PD KerryLWolfe@hotmail.com 414-788-3764 •Mike McKay Former WQRB/Eau Claire, WI Brand Mgr./mornings McKProd@charter.net •Jimmy Elliott Former WOVK/Wheeling, WV WPP/PD/MD/mornings JimmyElliottSchlosser@gmail.com •Steve Powers Former iHeartMedia/Mobile, AL SVPP StevePowers961@yahoo.com •Jim Dorman Former iHeartMedia/Wichita SVPP & Country KZSN PD/middays JimDorman2@aol.com

•Ron “Keyes” Stevens Former WQRB/Eau Claire, WI afternoon host RonStvns@yahoo.com

•Eddie Rupp Former iHeartMedia/Sarasota, FL SVPP/OM & Country WCTQ middays ER-1001@hotmail.com

•Scott Davidson Former WHOF-HD2/Canton, OH PD/on-air host Davidson1023@gmail.com

•Amy Lynn Former WCKT/Ft. Myers, FL middays AmyLynnRadio@gmail.com

•Trace Hamilton Former WEBG/Chicago night host TheTraceHamilton@gmail.com

•Bill “Stu” Stewart Former KASH/Anchorage, AK PD/ morning co-host BStu1013@gmail.com

•Ryan McCall Former WGLR/Platteville, WI MD/afternoons RyanMcCall@yahoo.com •David Dean Former KXDD/Yakima, WA afternoons DaviDean5@gmail.com

•Ashley King Former KHLR/Little Rock, AR afternoons AKingMarsh@gmail.com •Jess Tyler Former WOKQ/Portsmouth, NH Brand Mgr./ MD/middays JTyler1999@yahoo.com

•Jim Pearson Former KDBL/Yakima, WA PD/mornings JimsCoolEmail@gmail.com 831-261-1822 •Crash Poteet Former WPOR/Portland, ME Brand Mgr./afternoons OKCCrash@gmail.com •Aaron “Gator” Glass Former WQNU/Louisville mornings GatorGlass.53@gmail.com •Todd Elbrink Former Cox/Houston DOS TElbrink@icloud.com •Carly Quinn Former WGH/Norfolk morning co-host NewEnglandClamChowder2021@yahoo.com 757-617-8171 •Chuck Reeves Former KTFW/Dallas & KTWF/Wichita Falls, TX PD/afternoons ChuckReeves33@yahoo.com •Chuck “DZL” Thompson Former WKKT/Charlotte PD DZLradio@gmail.com 704-615-7095 •Corey Garrison Former WTHT/Portland, ME PD GarrisonCorey@yahoo.com •Jared Marlowe Former WWOF/Tallahassee weekender RadioJared@gmail.com •Dan Gallo Former KTHT/Houston morning co-host DanJGallo@hotmail.com •Chuck Akers Former KTHT/Houston morning co-host chuckakers@comcast.net •Ryan Wild Former WLHK/Indianapolis PD/middays WildOnAir@aol.com 815-353-6101 •Stephanie Crist Former KMDL/Lafayette, LA midday personality StephanieCrist1956@gmail.com •Kyle Murphy Former KSJB-AM/Jamestown, ND morning personality KyleMurphyRadio@gmail.com •Steph Peters Former WWQM/Madison, WI morning personality StephPeters888@gmail.com

January 10, 2022 LW

Artist/Title (Label)

Total Points +/- Points Total Plays +/- Plays Audience +/- Aud Stations ADDS

MICHAEL RAY

28064

358

7772

126

36.691 0.675

159

Whiskey And Rain (Warner/WEA)

DUSTIN LYNCH f/M. PORTER/Thinking 'Bout You (Broken Bow)

27942

-1790

7494

-648

35.762 -2.146

159

CHRIS STAPLETON/You Should Probably Leave (Mercury)

26912

271

7468

34.661 0.303

157

JON PARDI/Tequila Little Time (Capitol) 4

26727

3188

7298

949

33.626 3.347

159

JORDAN DAVIS f/LUKE BRYAN/Buy Dirt (MCA)

25337

156

7144

30.427 0.049

158

J. ALLEN & B. PAISLEY/Freedom Was A Highway (Stoney Creek)

21958

114

6036

26.949 -0.287

159

MORGAN WALLEN/Sand In My Boots (Big Loud) 4

21339

1624

6078

525

26.089 1.241

158

KANE BROWN/One Mississippi (RCA)

20898

523

5818

151

25.344 1.475

159

K. BALLERINI f/K. CHESNEY/Half Of My Hometown (Black River) 4 18606

877

5304

265

22.923 1.358

159

PARKER MCCOLLUM/To Be Loved By You (MCA)

16990

734

4636

186

21.306 1.149

156

SAM HUNT/23 (MCA)

15470

577

4229

152

17.744 0.772

157

ERIC CHURCH/Heart On Fire (EMI Nashville)

15060

484

4059

148

18.126 0.313

158

RUSSELL DICKERSON/Home Sweet (Triple Tigers)

14257

647

3929

239

16.153 0.929

158

ELLE KING & MIRANDA LAMBERT/Drunk ... (RCA/Columbia)

13961

156

3837

14.928 0.227

136

C. PEARCE & A. MCBRYDE/Never ... (Big Machine/WMN)

12241

120

3510

13.226 0.554

158

BLAKE SHELTON/Come Back As A Country Boy (Warner/WMN)

11960

523

3296

13.182 0.842

158

D. BENTLEY f/BRELAND & HARDY/Beers ... (Atlantic/Big Loud/Capitol) 11007

286

2931

134 -95

12.672 0.838

155

CALLISTA CLARK/It's 'Cause I Am (Big Machine)

10808

121

3085

10.497 -0.073

159

HARDY/Give Heaven Some Hell (Big Loud)

10574

512

2930

149

11.261 0.761

154

CODY JOHNSON/'Til You Can't (Warner/CoJo/WMN) 4

10431

788

2882

233

11.673 0.509

143

KEITH URBAN/Wild Hearts (Capitol)

9682

-266

2668

-57

10.346 -0.435

154

MIRANDA LAMBERT/If I Was A Cowboy (RCA)

9337

177

2645

9.604

0.5

153

C. SWINDELL & L. WILSON/Never... (Warner/WMN/BBR)

8792

519

2375

146

9.849

0.57

149

JAKE OWEN/Best Thing Since Backroads (Big Loud)

8777

327

2414

117

8.844

0.342

154

THOMAS RHETT/Slow Down Summer (Valory)

8720

575

2393

171

9.246

0.674

150

4 =Top 5 Point Gainers

Chart Page 1

January 10, 2022 LW

Artist/Title (Label)

Total Points +/- Points Total Plays +/- Plays Audience +/- Aud Stations ADDS

LUKE BRYAN/Up (Capitol)

6726

1828

TIM MCGRAW/7500 OBO (Big Machine)

6338

1738

DAN + SHAY/Steal My Love (Warner/WAR)

6099

1699

6052

1642

MAREN MORRIS/Circles Around This Town (Columbia) 4 DEBUT 6052

7.033 -0.276

147

-0.132

147

5.592 -0.125

143

7.723

101

5.77

LAUREN ALAINA w/JON PARDI/Getting Over Him (Mercury)

5990

199

1734

4.759 -0.225

152

TOBY KEITH/Old School (Show Dog)

5011

182

1496

3.451

0.462

137

BROTHERS OSBORNE/I'm Not For Everyone (EMI Nashville)

4773

379

1335

100

4.525

0.172

133

SCOTTY MCCREERY/Damn Strait (Triple Tigers)

4282

280

1168

4.774

0.061

117

TENILLE ARTS/Back Then, Right Now (19th & Grand)

4039

289

1229

2.248

-0.06

129

DYLAN SCOTT/New Truck (Curb)

4021

1187

3.059

0.065

107

FRANK RAY/Country'd Look Good On You (Stoney Creek)

3890

-27

1158

-4

2.653

-0.16

102

C. YOUNG w/M. TENPENNY/At The End Of A Bar (RCA)

3743

108

951

3.855

0.294

109

0.068

115

0.825

1.229 -0.134

WALKER HAYES/AA (Monument)

3397

141

964

3.016

T. SWIFT f/C. STAPLETON/I Bet You Think About Me (Republic/MCA)

3341

-151

998

-32

2.198 -0.555

LUKE COMBS/Doin' This (River House/Columbia)

3055

742

768

207

5.001

CAROLINE JONES/Come In ... (Mailboat/New Revolution)

3039

-22

954

LEE BRICE/Soul (Curb)

2942

519

765

136

1.996

0.592

CHRIS JANSON/Bye Mom (Warner/WAR)

2706

302

754

1.371

0.007

CHRIS LANE/Fill Them Boots (Big Loud)

2699

772

2.194

0.037

PARMALEE/Take My Name (Stoney Creek)

2614

-85

727

-18

2.246 -0.138

DREW PARKER/While You're Gone (Warner/WMN)

2381

627

-5

1.876

0.113

CHASE RICE/If I Were Rock & Roll (Dack Janiels/Broken Bow)

2308

-13

645

1.136 -0.212

MORGAN WADE/Wilder Days (Arista)

2220

226

655

1.329

0.023

ADELE f/CHRIS STAPLETON/Easy On Me (Columbia/Mercury)

2150

-135

634

-58

2.048 -0.239

MIDLAND/Sunrise Tells The Story (Big Machine)

2067

114

573

1.867

Re-Enter 50

0.111

4 =Top 5 Point Gainers

Chart Page 4

January 10, 2022 Country Aircheck Add Leaders MAREN MORRIS/Circles Around This Town (Columbia)

Adds 101

LUKE COMBS/Doin' This (River House/Columbia)

C. YOUNG w/M. TENPENNY/At The End Of A Bar (RCA)

CHRIS JANSON/Bye Mom (Warner/WAR)

CODY JOHNSON/'Til You Can't (CoJo/Warner/WMN)

WALKER HAYES/AA (Monument)

LEE BRICE/Soul (Curb)

SCOTTY MCCREERY/Damn Strait (Triple Tigers)

C. SWINDELL & L. WILSON/Never Say Never (Warner/WMN/BBR)

OLD DOMINION/No Hard Feelings (Arista)

JON PARDI/Tequila Little Time (Capitol) MORGAN WALLEN/Sand In My Boots (Big Loud) K. BALLERINI f/K. CHESNEY/Half Of... (Black River) CODY JOHNSON/'Til You Can't (Warner/CoJo/WMN)

Activator Point Gainers will return 1/17.

Activator Top Spin Gainers

Country Aircheck Top Point Gainers MAREN MORRIS/Circles Around This Town (Columbia)

Activator Top Point Gainers

4 3188 4 1624 4 877 4 788 4 6052

LUKE COMBS/Doin' This (River House/Columbia)

742

PARKER MCCOLLUM/To Be Loved By You (MCA)

734

RUSSELL DICKERSON/Home Sweet (Triple Tigers)

647

SAM HUNT/23 (MCA)

577

THOMAS RHETT/Slow Down Summer (Valory)

575

Activator Spin Gainers will return 1/17.

Country Aircheck Top Recurrents

Country Aircheck Top Spin Gainers

Points

RASCAL FLATTS/How They Remember You (Big Machine)

314

CHRIS STAPLETON/You Should Probably Leave (Mercury)

867

D. LYNCH f/M. PORTER/Thinking 'Bout You (Broken Bow)

631

THOMAS RHETT/Remember You Young (Valory)

330

J. ALLEN & B. PAISLEY/Freedom Was A Highway (Stoney Creek)

531

RILEY GREEN/I Wish Grandpas Never Died (BMLGR)

334

C. SWINDELL & L. WILSON/Never... (Warner/WMN/BBR)

519

FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE/I Love My Country (BMLGR)

336

MORGAN WALLEN/Sand In My Boots (Big Loud)

369

KIP MOORE/She's Mine (MCA)

337

PRISCILLA BLOCK/Just About Over You (InDent/Mercury)

357

KANE BROWN/Homesick (RCA)

339

CODY JOHNSON/'Til You Can't (Warner/CoJo/WMN)

321

CARLY PEARCE/Next Girl (Big Machine)

344

MICHAEL RAY/Whiskey And Rain (Warner/WEA)

294

JORDAN DAVIS/Slow Dance In A Parking Lot (MCA)

349

THOMAS RHETT/Slow Down Summer (Valory)

289

LUKE BRYAN/What She Wants Tonight (Capitol)

352

JORDAN DAVIS f/LUKE BRYAN/Buy Dirt (MCA)

278

BLAKE SHELTON/Minimum Wage (Warner/WMN)

368

4 =Top 5 Point Gainers

Chart Page 6

January 10, 2022

COUNTRY AIRCHECK ACTIVITY PARMALEE/Take My Name (Stoney Creek) Moves 42-45 2614 points, 727 spins 4 adds: KAJA, KCYE, WIL, WIRK DREW PARKER/While You’re Gone (Warner/WMN) Moves 48-46* 2381 points, 627 spins 1 add: KKGO CHASE RICE/If I Were Rock & Roll (Dack Janiels/Broken Bow) Moves 46-47* 2308 points, 645 spins 2 adds: KMLE, WKLB MORGAN WADE/Wilder Days (Arista) Moves 50-48* 2220 points, 655 spins 2 adds: KBQI, WAVW

ADD DATES Send yours to adds@countryaircheck.com

JANUARY 17 None Listed

JANUARY 24

KIP MOORE/Crazy One More Time (MCA) ERNEST f/MORGAN WALLEN/Flower Shops (Big Loud)

JANUARY 31

JOE NICHOLS/Good Day For Living (Quartz Hill) LADY A/What A Song Can Do (BMLGR)

ADELE f/CHRIS STAPLETON/Easy On Me (Columbia/Mercury) Remains at 49 2150 points, 634 spins 5 adds: WGNE, WJVC, WRNX*, WWGR, WYCD MIDLAND/Sunrise Tells The Story (Big Machine) Re-enters at 50* 2067 points, 573 spins 2 adds: KAJA, KKGO JUSTIN MOORE/With A Woman You Love (Valory) 1947 points, 587 spins 2 adds: KKGO, WZZK NIKO MOON/Paradise To Me (RCA) 1845 points, 577 spins; No adds MORGAN EVANS/Love Is Real (Warner/WEA) 1810 points, 523 spins; No adds OLD DOMINION/No Hard Feelings (Arista) 1768 points, 488 spins 6 adds: KMNB*, KYGO, WDRM, WUSN*, WXBQ, WXTU NATE BARNES/You Ain’t Pretty (Quartz Hill) 1584 points, 503 spins

CHECK OUT JANUARY 14

CONNER SMITH Didn’t Go Too Far (Valory) Smith co-wrote four of the six tracks on his Zach Crowell-produced debut, including current single “Learn From It,” and served as the sole writer on opening track “College Town.”

JANUARY 21

WALKER HAYES Country Stuff The Album (Monument) BROTHERS OSBORNE Skeletons Deluxe (EMI Nashville) TEXAS HILL Heaven Down Here (—)

Chart Page 7

January 10, 2022 LW

---

Artist/Title (Label)

D. LYNCH f/M. PORTER

Points 4th Week at No. 1

+/- Points

Plays

+/- Plays Stations ADDS

Thinking ‘Bout You (Broken Bow)

11940

2302

JORDAN DAVIS f/LUKE BRYAN/Buy Dirt (MCA)

11084

2184

CHRIS STAPLETON/You Should Probably Leave (Mercury)

11068

2239

JON PARDI/Tequila Little Time (Capitol)

10060

2012

MICHAEL RAY/Whiskey And Rain (Warner/WEA)

9796

1938

MORGAN WALLEN/Sand In My Boots (Big Loud)

9176

1852

KANE BROWN/One Mississippi (RCA)

8263

1652

JIMMIE ALLEN & BRAD PAISLEY/Freedom Was A Highway (Stoney Creek)

8054

1610

ERIC CHURCH/Heart On Fire (EMI Nashville)

7587

1481

KELSEA BALLERINI f/KENNY CHESNEY/Half Of My Hometown (Black River)

7377

1495

PARKER MCCOLLUM/To Be Loved By You (MCA)

7003

1364

BLAKE SHELTON/Come Back As A Country Boy (Warner/WMN)

6350

1205

C. PEARCE & A. MCBRYDE/Never Wanted To Be That Girl (Big Machine/WMN)

6334

1225

SAM HUNT/23 (MCA)

6091

1134

KEITH URBAN/Wild Hearts (Capitol)

5462

990

MIRANDA LAMBERT/If I Was A Cowboy (RCA)

5184

1006

CODY JOHNSON/’Til You Can't (CoJo/Warner/WMN)

5045

947

DIERKS BENTLEY f/BRELAND & HARDY/Beers On Me (Atlantic/Big Loud/Capitol) 5008

933

E. KING & M. LAMBERT/Drunk (And I Don't Wanna Go Home) (RCA/Columbia)

4689

848

LUKE BRYAN/Up (Capitol)

4387

828

RUSSELL DICKERSON/Home Sweet (Triple Tigers)

4150

848

JAKE OWEN/Best Thing Since Backroads (Big Loud)

4067

758

HARDY/Give Heaven Some Hell (Big Loud)

3878

748

COLE SWINDELL & LAINEY WILSON/Never Say Never (Warner/WMN/BBR)

3848

755

CALLISTA CLARK/It's 'Cause I Am (Big Machine)

3407

670

THOMAS RHETT/Slow Down Summer (Valory)

3144

570

TIM MCGRAW/7500 OBO (Big Machine)

2636

495

LUKE COMBS/Doin' This (River House/Columbia)

1975

390

TAYLOR SWIFT f/CHRIS STAPLETON/I Bet You Think About Me (Republic/MCA)

1826

305

DAN + SHAY/Steal My Love (Warner/WAR)

1704

321

4 =Top 5 Point Gainers

Chart Page 8

January 10, 2022 LW

Artist/Title (Label)

Points +/- Points

TOBY KEITH/Old School (Show Dog)

1665

Plays

325

BROTHERS OSBORNE/I'm Not For Everyone (EMI Nashville)

1517

300

SCOTTY MCCREERY/Damn Strait (Triple Tigers)

1454

255

CHRIS YOUNG f/MITCHELL TENPENNY/At The End Of A Bar (RCA)

1423

261

JUSTIN MOORE/With A Woman You Love (Valory)

1384

245

LAUREN ALAINA w/JON PARDI/Getting Over Him (Mercury)

1343

279

CHRIS JANSON/Bye Mom (Warner/WAR)

1333

257

MAREN MORRIS/Circles Around This Town (Columbia)

1236

230

OLD DOMINION/No Hard Feelings (Arista)

1222

202

WALKER HAYES/AA (Monument)

1097

179

DYLAN SCOTT/New Truck (Curb)

1060

192

CAROLINE JONES/Come In (But Don't Make Yourself...) (Mailboat/New Revolution) 932

182

CHASE RICE/If I Were Rock & Roll (Dack Janiels/Broken Bow)

906

167

TENILLE ARTS/Back Then, Right Now (19th & Grand)

860

192

CODY JINKS/Like A Hurricane (Late August)

744

131

MIDLAND/Sunrise Tells The Story (Big Machine)

653

JASON ALDEAN/Whiskey Me Away (Macon Music/Broken Bow)

650

PARMALEE/Take My Name (Stoney Creek)

635

ASHLEY COOKE/Never Til Now (Ashley Cooke/Black Blocks)

610

FRANK RAY/Country'd Look Good On You (Stoney Creek)

534

110

INGRID ANDRESS w/SAM HUNT/Wishful Drinking (Warner/WEA)

496

RANDALL KING/Record High (Warner/WMN)

480

102

JAMES ROBERT WEBB/Stealing Home (Bison Creek)

468

CONNER SMITH/Learn From It (Valory)

439

BRIAN CALLIHAN/Broke It Down (Reviver)

422

JASON ALDEAN/Small Town Small (Macon Music/Broken Bow)

420

MORGAN WADE/Wilder Days (Arista)

404

AVERY ANNA/Narcissist (Warner)

400

LEE BRICE/Soul (Curb)

397

RUTHIE COLLINS/Hypocrite (Sidewalk/Curb)

396

+/- Plays

Stations Adds

4 =Top 5 Point Gainers

Chart Page 9