Issuu

April 5, 2021, Issue 750

Post Post-Pandemic: Full Playbook

Daniel Anstandig

Susan Larkin

Todd Lawley

Dave Kelly

CRS 2021’s “PPP: Post-Pandemic Playbook” drew raves for its look ahead at best-practices for working remotely, revenue strategies and organizational structures. But moderator and Futuri CEO Daniel Anstandig says, “We missed some opportunities to talk about better ways to create content, attract audience and drive revenue growth.” In fact, the session only covered about 40% of the material prepared by the panel, which included Audacy COO Susan Larkin, Townsquare SVP Todd Lawley, BMLG VP/Digital Consumption Dave Kelly, Cox Country Format Leader & Country KKBQ/ Houston PD Johnny Chiang and Elevate Marketing Research Founder Nicole Bergen. So Country Aircheck reached out for the whole enchilada. Unexpectedly, it includes a game that’s fun for the whole (office) family. Seriously. Content Meant: Johnny Chiang First order of business: Content, where supply and demand are both increasing, but staff are decreasing. “There is more pressure on managers to create content across social and digital channels,” Nicole Bergen Anstandig says. Meanwhile, Kelly says to prepare for an onslaught of music and content from record labels and artists.

(continued on page 7)

Signage: Singer/songwriter Joe Nichols signed with Quartz Hill Records, reuniting him with Label Head Benny Brown. Pictured (standing, l-r) are BSB Management’s Shawn Pennington and the label’s April Rider and Paul Brown; (seated, l-r) the label’s Jason Sellers, Nichols and Brown.

A Country Call-To-Arms

With vaccinations rising, restrictions loosening and warmer weather coming, there may be more at stake during April 18’s 56th ACM Awards than a few trophies. “This year may be more important than any other to have the support of the artists, industry, Country radio, our label partners, the DSPs and others,” says Academy CEO Damon Whiteside. “It’s a rallying cry moment for shows like this, the city of Nashville and country music in general. We’re excited for it to signal the live shows we’re getting closer to having this summer.” An updated approach to radio, a plea to the artist community and a wall-to-wall Damon music lineup are all part of the plan. As is ... Whiteside wait for it ... an actual audience.

© 2 0 2 1 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

April 5, 2021

Show Up: “A lot of awards shows have happened since we opened that string of rescheduled shows in September,” says Whiteside, noting the pandemic-related push of the 55th ACMs from last April to Sept. 16. Also broadcast from Nashville on CBS, that iteration featured empty venues, a more solemn tone and, happily, among the best ratings for an awards show during the pandemic. “This one is going to be a return to more of what fans expect from us and from country music,” he says. And most of all, country fans expect a good time. “There will be a bit more fun and energy,” Whiteside says. “We’ll also have some poignant moments acknowledging the challenges we’ve been through. Even more than last year, it’s important to embrace and showcase Nashville after a rough 2020 capped by the Christmas bombing.” ACM, production partner DCP and the network aim to show country’s tent is bigger than ever. “We have a great balance of artists, from those who have never performed on our show to superstar legends,” Whiteside says. “We also have a strong mix of male and female artists – good diversity across the board.” As in September, safety remains a priority. “Our approach is consistent with what we did then,” Whiteside says. Two of the three principal venues – the Opry House and Ryman Auditorium – will have audiences in-house. Vaccinated front-liners from the Academy’s longstanding partner Vanderbilt University Medical Center will be seated in both balconies. The small size of the Bluebird Café precluded having an audience; however, more venues will be announced soon. The show’s optimistic forward view will be buoyed by the first airings of a PSA campaign featuring Eric Church, Ashley McBryde and Darius Rucker encouraging vaccinations. And the Academy will also take time to address the dreadful impact the lack of live music has had on many in the industry. Donations to the ACM Lifting Lives COVID Relief Fund will be sought on-air. “We’ve distributed $3.5 million already,” Whiteside says. “But there are still so many on our waiting list who need help.” Do It For Your Country: The Academy’s call-to-action includes giving artists and their teams tools to support the telecast. “We’re creating more content than ever for them to share and talk about their involvement,” Whiteside says. “We’re even asking those who aren’t part of this year’s show to support it by talking to their fanbases and encouraging viewing.” As for radio, traditional remotes have been supplanted by a satellite radio tour, primarily to facilitate greater artist participation. “Because the show is in multiple venues, it was going to be hard getting artists scheduled,” says Cumulus VP/Country Charlie Cook, who heads the Academy’s Radio Task Force. “And with the brown-bag option, any station can get interview audio with

Page 3

top artists in real time next Wednesday and Thursday.” Interested stations can get access to the free audio content here. Later this week, details on a free, one-hour, Carly Pearcehosted radio special for airing April 16-18 will be made available. Cook emphasizes the importance radio should place on the event. “Every station that Charlie Cook plays country music is in this together, along with the artists and the industry,” he says. “With TV viewership declining, fewer people are going to see the network’s on-air promotion. How great would it be if country music could turn around the narrative about awards shows in decline? How great would it be if the support of Country radio was one of the factors? Successful ratings could be a huge win for radio as an industry.” Ratings for awards shows have declined precipitously over the past year, but Whiteside is optimistic. “Our fans are hungry for this,” he says. “We know they’ll show up, and it’s a great time to show the world country music is on top for a reason. The community we have of fans, artists and the industry – including radio – is unlike anything else.” –Chuck Aly

Chart Chat

Congratulations to Florida Georgia Line, Matthew Hargis, Michelle Tigard Kammerer and the BMLGR promotion team on landing this week’s No. 1. “Long Live” is the duo’s 15th No. 1. Songwriters are Brian Kelley, Corey Crowder, David Garcia, Josh Miller and Tyler Hubbard. Florida Georgia Line And kudos to Kevin Herring and the Triple Tigers crew on scoring 19 first week adds for Cam’s “Till There’s Nothing Left,” which leads this week’s add board and marks her first time returning to the pinnacle since “Burning House” did so the week of July 6, 2015.

News & Notes

NPR and Edison Research will present “Radio: Live On Air And Everywhere” April 15 at 2pm ET. Webinar information and registration here. The Independent Broadcasters Association (IBA) has partnered with Broadcast Depot as a for-members-only resource for knowledge, service, planning and equipment acquisitions. “Not only will this provide better pricing, but they also have access

April 5, 2021

Page 5

WI TH Apple Music Country’s Ward Guenther shares how he’s spending his Quaran-Time: Last year forced me to slow down — something I wasn’t aware how badly I needed. I got to spend time with my wife, my kids and even my yard that I had often been “too busy” to enjoy. I’ve already found myself nostalgic for the summer of 2020. Through the spring and summer in 2020, we would wake up and cook a big “Sunday breakfast” every day of the week and enjoy the morning with the family. I had a routine of listening to new music while I watered the plants around our house. It was pretty perfect. I wouldn’t go as far as to say I’m a full-blown gardener, but I developed a new appreciation for tending to our plants. I even nursed a little transplanted tree from a brittle sapling to a healthy shrub – one of my prouder green-thumb moments. Its name is Phoenix. Although it was nice to decelerate for a bit, I am by no means ready to stop. I was always

looking for opportunities to work and further the missions of my Apple Music show and Whiskey Jam in new or improvised ways. Social media is pretty much our lifeline these days. I had to be mindful of how much time I was spending on social media … not to get absorbed in the alternate reality. It’s a struggle still, but we’re so lucky to have the platforms and connectivity of modern technology. This would’ve been a different scene 20 years ago. We watched a lot of How The Universe Works and documentaries about the universe. Oh, and I watched Contagion about 15 times. Real smart. We did establish a great new family tradition of Saturday night movie night, sharing some of our favorite childhood movies with our kids as well as watching new ones for the first time together. My go-to quarantine snack is vodka Red Bull. Kidding (maybe). Honestly, I ate a lot of shrimp. BBQ shrimp, boiled shrimp, fried shrimp, shrimp quesadillas, shrimp tacos …. For a guy who’s spent the last 18 years

to potential equipment funding when stations need help buying equipment,” says IBA Pres. Ron Stone. More here. The IBA is also asking stations wishing to participate in the upcoming Radio Cares: Feeding America Radiothon to sign up here for the conference call set for April 6 at 11:30am ET. The radiothon will take place April 14, and stations may register here to participate through April 13. IBA has also announced a members only webinar with talent coach Tracy Johnson for Thursday, April 15 at 2pm ET. More on the “How to Develop, Coach & Grow High Profile Radio Personalities” session here. Luna County Broadcasting Company is selling Country KOTS-AM/Deming, NM to Bravo Mic Communications in a deal that includes AC sister KDEM for $190,000.

... WAR D GU EN TH ER

Cul-de-Snack running full speed in Nashville, it was a healthy break to spend time with family. I truly enjoyed it. We’ll be happy when it’s all over, but we’ll look back on it fondly.

The Week’s Top Stories

Full coverage at countryaircheck.com. • Read memories of the late Connie Bradley and reflections from the 45-year career of Gerry McCracken in last week’s (3/29) Country Aircheck Weekly. • iHeartMedia’s Charlie Thomas was named Mid-North Area Pres. (CAT 4/1) • Spotify Global Head/Country Programming John Marks exited.(CAT 3/31) • Entercom Communications and Radio. com rebranded under the name Audacy. (CAT 3/30) • David Corey joined Cumulus/Detroit as Dir./FM Programming. (CAT 3/29)

April 5, 2021

Post Post-Pandemic: Full Playbook (continued from page 1)

“The pipeline is a little bit wider in trying to get out and reach fans,” Kelly says. “And the dynamic continues to change as we make sure we are always where the fans are.” Kelly cites the need to continue utilizing multiple platforms to discover new talent, but also to spread content in order to make it available to fans wherever they are. The same rings true for radio stations. “This is where AI for content can be helpful and why we believe broadcasters are going to need AI to point them towards the best content on a minute-by-minute basis,” Andstandig says. As an example, he cites his company’s TopicPulse product, which can reveal what’s trending in a market and predict what will trend in the next six-to-24 hours. On the platform front, podcasting is still underutilized. “Radio generally misses the greatest opportunity, which is to use their best broadcast content – benchmarks, interviews and bits – in an on-demand format to increase sampling and social listening of their audio content,” Anstandig says. “We’ve seen stations dramatically increase PPM listening [by converting] broadcast content into on-demand and social content,” he says. The key is converting that content quickly, publishing to multiple channels and promoting it to digital audiences in a way that leads to increased broadcast listening.” Come Sales Away: In terms of revenue generation, both Anstandig and Chiang note that programmatic and transactional business is not enough to meet budgets. Chiang says his biggest takeaway from the panel – and put into practice immediately after CRS – was, “More focus on direct, client-facing business and less reliance on transactional business.” While Anstandig believes Country to be among the best formats in the NTR space, he cites 2020 as the year the format went above and beyond to help local communities and businesses. He hopes sellers in a post-pandemic climate will be prepared to capitalize on those surges. “Country radio consistently provides a strong qualitative profile, but few sellers are prepared to present their case in an understandable and concise way,” says Anstandig. “That has only been exacerbated by work-from-home routines that limit the amount of face-to-face contact with clients and prospects.” The panelists agree that establishing direct relationships with clients will be more critical post-pandemic. Additionally, the importance of data and research to media buyers will see a sharp upward as the year progresses. “Data-driven marketing planning and buying decisions are the norm for buyers in all market sizes; research is being used throughout every step of the sales process

Page 7

these days, because we have to break through the noise and attention,” explains Anstandig. “We see a tremendous amount of growth in buyers asking for sales research to support their decisions to buy.” Data’ll Be The Day: According to Bergen, can add qualitative to the quantitative – a strength of the Country format sellers should emphasize. “Looking behind audience ratings and leveraging qualitative data to tell the story of how a particular station parallels with a target customer’s lifestyle is so important,” he says. “Qualitative data helps tell stories that result in a prospect buying emotionally then justifying the buy rationally.” Adds Larkin, “If you can deliver that targeted audience at scale, then it’s meaningful. If you can provide the data, analytics and ultimately the attribution to that audience, they’ll buy it.” Bergen, Larkin, Lawley and Anstandig all point to stations making better use of digital platforms and social assets for revenue growth in 2021, and all say they are encouraged by the feedback they received in regard to the topic in the days following CRS. Events Spaced: Optimism surrounding the return of live events was another key takeaway. “Masks and social distancing are here to stay, regardless of vaccinations and herd immunity,” says Chiang, whose view of protocols for the next 18 months has not changed since February. “Promoting a safe and healthy return” is the idea, according to Anstandig. “Events are likely to see a strong resurgence in attendance in 2021, but promotion of these events has permanently changed,” he says. “Broadcast marketing only will not be as efficient as marketing plans that include targeted digital and social campaigns.” In general, Anstandig says he is “feeling better about a return to 2019 levels of normal sooner than later,” but thinks radio is going to look very different through 2021. “Managers will have more pressure to create content on multiple platforms, retain audience with larger and stronger competition and defend revenue shares,” he says. Game On: While the panelists covered less than half of their intended topics, they feel strongly enough about what was covered to create a group activity teams can use going forward. Any CRS attendee or #FOMO rate registrant (CAT 2/25) can share an on-demand viewing of the PPP session in a sales, programming or similar team meeting. Afterwards, download and play the Agree/ Disagree game the panelists created, and add additional questions specific to the team’s business segment. Find the game cards here; watch the Agree/Disagree portion of the panel at the 33:05 minute mark here. –Monta Vaden CAC

SEEK & EMPLOY

April 5, 2021

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. Midwest WDEZ/Wausau, WI OM Rusty James is looking for a Brand Mgr./on-air personality with strong music scheduling aptitude and digital and social media skills. Send résumés and airchecks to James here. Steel City KBEQ/Kansas City PD Todd Nixon is seeking an afternoon personality to succeed TJ McEntire. Send résumés and airchecks to him here. Midwest WNCY/Appleton-Oshkosh, WI Brand Mgr. Dan Stone is searching for a midday personality. Send résumés, references and airchecks to him here. Alpha KZEN/Columbus, NE Dir./Content David Gustafson is looking for a morning host. See the complete job description and apply here; reach Gustafson here. NORTHEAST WVRC WKKW/Morgantown, WV PD Mike Vincent is searching for part-time on-air talent for weekend and fill-in positions. Send résumés and airchecks to him here. Saga Classic Country WSIG/Harrisonburg, VA Dir./Group Programming Scott Chase and PD Paul “Uncle Pauly” McDaniel are searching for a morning co-host. Send résumés and airchecks to Chase here. VerStandig WAYZ/Hagerstown, MD is seeking an afternoon personality. Send résumés and airchecks here. Summit/Richmond, VA is seeking an OM for the cluster that includes Country WKHK. PD duties for Hot AC WURV and a possible on-air shift are included. Send résumés and airchecks here. SOUTHEAST ADX WYCT/Pensacola OM Kevin King is seeking a full-time midday talent with additional duties that may include promotions and on-air work for sister stations within the cluster. Interested candidates can send résumés and airchecks here. King is also searching for a WYCT/Pensacola morning co-host to succeed Candy Cullerton who will serve alongside PD/morning host Brent Lane. Must be knowledgeable in digital content creation

and be active on a variety of social media outlets. Apply here; reaching King here. Golden Isle/Brunswick, GA Dir./ Programming Mark “The Shark” Ediss is seeking a successor for outgoing OM/PD/on-air talent Paul Andresen. The cluster includes Country WRJY. Duties will include on-air, production, promotions, sales and handling technical issues. Send résumés and airchecks to Ediss here. Curtis/Lenoir, NC GM Charlene Hall is looking for an OM/on-air talent for the cluster that includes Country WKVS. See the complete job posting here; send résumés, programming philosophies and airchecks to Hall here. Beasley WKXC/Augusta, GA OM Tee Gentry is seeking an on-air personality to join the Kicks Wake Up Krew. Send résumés and airchecks to Gentry here. Summit/Louisville is searching for a GM to oversee the cluster that includes Country WQNU. Complete job description here; send résumés and cover letters here with the subject line General Manager Louisville. Curtis WQDR/Raleigh PD Mike Biddle is looking for a morning co-host to succeed Janie Carothers and join incumbent Mike Wheless for The Q Morning Crew. Three or more years of experience is required. See the complete posting here; send résumés, production samples, social media links, references and airchecks to Biddle here. Summit/Louisville OM Cagle is seeking a full-time midday personality with at least two years of on-air experience; PPM experience is a plus. Candidate should have an engaging presence, strong social media and tech skills, production and digital editing chops and the ability to communicate in an authentic way. Send résumés and airchecks to Cagle here. Cumulus/Savannah, GA is searching for a PD/afternoon personality for Country WJCL to succeed the retiring Gerry McCracken. See the complete job description and apply here. SOUTHWEST Townsquare KQBR/Lubbock, TX Brand Mgr. Lance Ballance is seeking an APD/on-air personality to succeed Jan Miller. Send résumés and airchecks to him here. LKCM Country KFWR/Fort Woth, TX PD Shayne Hollinger is looking for a morning co-host with five or more years of full-time on-air experience. Knowledge of Texas, Red Dirt and Americana music

is preferred but not required. Send résumés, cover letters and airchecks to Hollinger here. WEST COAST Badlands/Rapid City, SD is searching for a GM/DOS who can build, train and motivate a team for the cluster that includes Country KRKI. Interested parties can send résumés and references here. Frontier/Juneau, AK GM Cherie Curry is seeking an OM/PD/on-air talent for the cluster that includes Country KTKU. Send résumés with references and an aircheck to Curry here. Townsquare/Yakima, WA Dir./Content Brian Stephenson is looking for a Brand Mgr./morning host for Country KDBL. Send résumés and airchecks to him here. Cherry Creek Media Group PD Mark Elliott is looking for an OM to join the Wenatchee, WA cluster, including handling Country KYSN PD duties. Send résumés and airchecks to Elliott here. Beasley/Las Vegas VP/MM Peter Burton is searching for Cat Thomas’ successor to handle OM & Urban AC KOAS PD duties. Details here; send cover letters and résumés to Burton here. Townsquare KXLB/Bozeman, MT Market Pres. Scott Souhrada is seeking a Dir./Content with on-air duties to succeed Dave Wooten. See the complete job description and apply here. OTHER Entercom is adding a Coord./Country Content to serve as a conduit between national programming and local stations and deploy format-wide promotions and initiatives. Candidates should be located in one of the following cities: Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Greensboro, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Norfolk, Richmond or Seattle. See the complete job description and apply here. RWPC Pres. JJ Jobe is looking for a Brand Mgr./PD to join a three-station cluster in Tennessee. Must-haves include excellent writing skills, on-air and production chops and experience with Wide Orbit and Adobe Audition. Send résumés and airchecks to Jobe here. Monument VP/Promotion Drew Bland is searching for a Coord./Promotion to handle administrative support for him and the team of regional promotion executives. See a complete job description and apply here; reach Bland here.

SEEKING JOBS •Cactus Jack Former Entercom/Phoenix Dir./Production GoGoJack@msn.com 602-430-5908

•Marc Lavik (aka Dave Marcus) Former on-air talent ZimaGuy@gmail.com 401-467-6737

•Tony Kelly Former WUSN/Chicago morning producer KellyT_60468@yahoo.com 708-642-8518

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

•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

•”Big” John Horton Former KFSA/Ft. Smith, AR afternoon host BigJohn@TheBigJohnShow.com •Kris Richards Former WKJO/Smithfield, NC afternoons FireCop947@yahoo.com

•Mac Daniels Former KPLX & KSCS/Dallas PD MacDaniels@me.com

•Amy Nic Former WAMZ/Louisville afternoon host AmyNicRadioChick@gmail.com

•Dave Schaefer •Ron “Keyes” Stevens Former iHeartMedia/Farmington, NM SVPP Former WQRB/Eau Claire, WI afternoons & Country KTRA PD RonStvns@yahoo.com DRSchaefer@gobrainstorm.net •Scott Davidson •Brittany Tully Former WHOF-HD2/Canton, OH PD/ Former WYNK/Baton Rouge PD on-air host BriLynn718@gmail.com Davidson1023@gmail.com •Steve Knoll Former KMAG/Ft. Smith, AR PD/on-air talent SteveKnoll@cox.net

•AJ McCloud Former WWFF/Huntsville, AL APD/afternoons •Bill Hickok AJ.McCloud@charter.net Former KBMR/Bismark, ND morning host 256-503-2301 BillHickok1950@gmail.com

•Trace Hamilton Former WEBG/Chicago night host TheTraceHamilton@gmail.com •Daryl Thomas Ledyard Former WBBS/Syracuse on-air talent DarylLedyard@gmail.com

SEEK & EMPLOY

April 5, 2021

SEEKING JOBS •Ryan McCall Former WGLR/Platteville, WI MD/afternoons RyanMcCall@yahoo.com •David Dean Former KXDD/Yakima, WA afternoons DaviDean5@gmail.com •Kasper Former WUSN/Chicago afternoons KasperShow@gmail.com and www. KasperShow.com

(continued) •Jared “Marshall” Goldberg Former KMLE/Phoenix APD/middays & Cluster Dir./Digital Programming ImJaredGoldberg@gmail.com •Tami Rumfelt Former WPAW/Greensboro afternoons TamiRumfelt@gmail.com •Mike Allan Former WNSH/New York nights MikeAllanRadio@gmail.com

•Brian “Wookie” Kostek Former WDSY/Pittsburgh APD/MD/ afternoons BKostek24@gmail.com

•Darlene Evans Former WKIS/Miami middays DarleneInc@yahoo.com

•Blair Thomas Former WXCY/Wilmington, DE mornings BThomas330@yahoo.com

•Nathan Cruise Former In2une Dir./Regional Promotion NCruise27@gmail.com 615-496-6356

•Dr. Don Carpenter Former WYCD/Detroit mornings Dr.DonCarpenter@gmail.com

SEEKER SPOTLIGHT MARK PHILLIPS

Former KPLX/Dallas afternoons MarkP995@gmail.com 214-226-9076 Find his blogs, podcasts and airchecks here. “I am an expert team builder. Whether through my time as an Army Officer or the many years as a PD, I have learned success only comes from everyone buying into the vision

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

of the station and knowing their roles. I am equipped with

•Jeff Hunt Former WXCY/Wilmington, DE MD/evenings JeffreyJHunt@gmail.com 570-309-4698

•“Wes McShay” Gardipe Former Appaloosa Dir./Western Region Programming WesGardipe@gmail.com 307-899-0007

new things. I’m always looking to sharpen my skills, and I’m

•Brent Jones Former Capitol Dir./Midwest Promotion DBJones615@gmail.com 615-482-5653

•Nicholas Nixon Former KFRG/Riverside personality Kn3ick@outlook.com 909-754-3031

•Kim Brixton Former WNWN/Battle Creek, MI mornings/middays KimBrixton@gmail.com

•Kerry Wolfe Former WMIL/Milwaukee SVPP & PD KerryLWolfe@hotmail.com 414-788-3764

•Mark McKay Former Riser House Dir./Southeast Promotion MMcKay973@gmail.com

•Chase Daniels Former WRWD/Poughkeepsie, NY PD/ afternoons ChaseDaniels106@gmail.com

•Jake Byron Former KUPL/Portland mornings JakeByronMedia@gmail.com

•Fletcher Keyes Former WWQM/Madison, WI PD KeyesCreative@gmail.com www.FletcherKeyes.com

•Keith Abrams Former iHeartMedia/Cleveland OM KeithAbrams961@gmail.com

•Steve Richards Former Townsquare/Albany, NY OM SVal622@sbcglobal.net 901-481-2669

•Mike McKay Former WQRB/Eau Claire, WI Brand Mgr./mornings McKProd@charter.net

•Kelley Bradshaw-Brock Former WKDF/Nashville afternoons KelleyBra13@gmail.com 423-802-4987

•Jimmy Elliott Former WOVK/Wheeling, WV WPP/PD/ MD/mornings JimmyElliottSchlosser@gmail.com

•Tim Taylor Former KWJJ/Portland afternoons Tim.Taylor1@comcast.net •Ginny Harman Former KFRG/Riverside mornings GinnyHarmanVO@gmail.com •Nina D. Former KMLE/Phoenix afternoons MissNinaD@gmail.com •Erin Austin Former KILT/Houston Asst. MD/middays ErinAustinOnline@gmail.com •Amber Rainey Former KSON/San Diego middays AmberRaineyOnAir@gmail.com

•JJ Cook Former iHeartMedia/Cedar Rapids, IA SVPP IowaViking@mchsi.com •Steve Powers Former iHeartMedia/Mobile, AL SVPP StevePowers961@yahoo.com •Jim Dorman Former iHeartMedia/Wichita SVPP & Country KZSN PD/middays JimDorman2@aol.com •Eddie Rupp Former iHeartMedia/Sarasota, FL SVPP/ OM & Country WCTQ middays ER-1001@hotmail.com

experience as a major-market PD and air talent, and I love both roles while also enjoying the experiences of learning the first to volunteer when needed.”

•Mike Tyler Former WCKT/Ft. Myers, FL PD/ afternoons RadioGuy.101@gmail.com

•Jess Tyler Former WOKQ/Portsmouth, NH Brand Mgr./MD/middays JTyler1999@yahoo.com

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

•Mark Phillips Former KPLX/Dallas afternoons MarkP995@gmail.com 214-226-9076

•Jake McBride Former KKIX/Fayetteville, AR afternoons MrJakeMcBride@gmail.com •Bill “Stu” Stewart Former KASH/Anchorage, AK PD/ morning co-host BStu1013@gmail.com •Doug Kramer Former KHLR/Little Rock, AR mornings DougKramerLive@gmail.com •Ashley King Former KHLR/Little Rock, AR afternoons AKingMarsh@gmail.com •Matt Cruz Former KSSN/Little Rock, AR on-air/promotions MatthewsPersonalEmail@gmail.com •Jeremy “Otis” Maher Former WUBL/Atlanta MD/afternoons JeyMaher20@yahoo.com •Claire Beverly Former KNUC/Seattle mornings ClaireBeverlyRadio@gmail.com

•Jim Pearson Former KDBL/Yakima, WA PD/mornings JimsCoolEmail@gmail.com 831-261-1822 •Emily Bermann Former Joe’s Live Mgr./Marketing EmilyBermann@gmail.com 435-632-9452 •Krystle Former WAYZ/Hagerstown, MD afternoons KrystleBonet@gmail.com 352-615-3192 •Brad Hansen Former Townsquare/Ft. Collins, CO OM & KUAD PD GetHansonNow@gmail.com 970-541-8261 •Aaron “Gator” Glass Former WQNU/Louisville mornings GatorGlass.53@gmail.com •Tom Scott Former Seven Mountains/Pennsylvania “Big Foot Country” afternoons TomScottRadio@gmail.com

•Bryant “Ryder” Konold Former KNUC/Seattle mornings BryantRyderKonold@gmail.com

April 5, 2021

Artist/Title (Label)

FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE

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

Long Live (BMLGR)

25757

2531

8197

841

46.649 4.634

159

BRETT YOUNG/Lady (BMLGR)

24520

-3024

7673

-1154

46.147 -3.731

159

THOMAS RHETT/What's Your Country Song (Valory)

23647

-2451

7660

-650

45.237 -2.968

159

GABBY BARRETT/The Good Ones (Warner/WAR) 4

22547

2024

7335

579

40.514 3.433

157

DUSTIN LYNCH/Momma's House (Broken Bow)

20731

1444

6554

335

35.761

158

PARMALEE f/BLANCO BROWN/Just The Way (Stoney Creek)

19714

334

6270

-16

35.295 -0.124

158

CHRIS STAPLETON/Starting Over (Mercury)

19633

406

6478

170

34.701 0.476

158

JAKE OWEN/Made For You (Big Loud) 4

18965

1762

6202

488

32.379 3.205

159

TENILLE ARTS/Somebody Like That (19th & Grand)

18662

339

6029

252

31.149 0.643

158

RASCAL FLATTS/How They Remember You (Big Machine)

15826

648

5088

191

26.171 0.767

159

SAM HUNT/Breaking Up Was Easy In The... (MCA)

15389

1171

4871

333

26.306 1.579

153

DYLAN SCOTT/Nobody (Curb)

15025

521

4832

244

25.072 1.813

159

ERIC CHURCH/Hell Of A View (EMI Nashville)

14832

712

4827

218

25.469 1.507

159

JORDAN DAVIS/Almost Maybes (MCA)

13625

642

4350

176

22.916 1.161

158

DIERKS BENTLEY/Gone (Capitol)

12167

691

3977

175

21.379 1.511

158

MIRANDA LAMBERT/Settling Down (RCA)

11924

619

3927

19.349 0.929

157

KEITH URBAN w/PINK/One Too Many (RCA/Capitol)

11405

269

3676

250 -122

18.686 0.902

152

BLAKE SHELTON/Minimum Wage (Warner/WMN)

11379

657

3616

168

19.111 1.366

159

JASON ALDEAN/Blame It On You (Macon Music/Broken Bow) 4 11169

1715

3458

538

2.622

159

LUKE COMBS/Forever After All (River House/Columbia) 4

10968

2951

3418

903

18.599 4.367

155

T. MCGRAW & T. HUBBARD/Undivided (Big Machine/BMLGR)

10886

375

3534

17.492 1.155

157

CHRIS YOUNG & KANE BROWN/Famous Friends (RCA)

10176

854

3111

279

15.913 0.994

154

COLE SWINDELL/Single Saturday Night (Warner/WMN)

9506

622

3145

209

14.523 1.329

149

DAN + SHAY/Glad You Exist (Warner/WAR)

9229

509

2883

13.534 1.203

156

CARLY PEARCE/Next Girl (Big Machine)

8297

236

2696

11.503 0.637

159

17.29

2.71

4 =Top 5 Point Gainers

Chart Page 1

April 5, 2021 LW

Artist/Title (Label)

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

BRANTLEY GILBERT/Hard Days (Valory)

7416

589

2320

113

10.478 0.978

155

JUSTIN MOORE/We Didn't Have Much (Valory)

7133

353

2347

148

10.966 0.163

157

LAINEY WILSON/Things A Man Oughta Know (Broken Bow)

5845

778

1940

210

7.184

1.405

146

ELVIE SHANE/My Boy (Wheelhouse)

5130

155

1796

6.401

0.18

139

CHASE RICE f/FGL/Drinkin' ... (Dack Janiels/BBR/BMLGR)

5005

142

1508

7.019

0.149

135

LITTLE BIG TOWN/Wine, Beer, Whiskey (Capitol)

4897

1571

4.858

0.368

142

SCOTTY MCCREERY/You Time (Triple Tigers)

4507

114

1477

5.924

0.362

140

KANE BROWN/Worship You (RCA)

4435

1384

5.227

0.049

128

GARTH BROOKS & TRISHA YEARWOOD/Shallow (Pearl)

4214

419

1303

116

5.13

0.315

103

LEE BRICE/Memory I Don't Mess With (Curb)

4174

166

1339

5.531

0.318

127

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

3444

1092

3.992 -0.177

117

JIMMIE ALLEN & BRAD PAISLEY/Freedom... (Stoney Creek)

3318

349

1029

4.773

0.833

104

J. RODGERS f/L. COMBS/Cold… (River House/Columbia)

3249

351

1033

118

4.57

-0.274

116

LADY A/Like A Lady (BMLGR)

3219

339

981

106

4.24

0.547

110

MICHAEL RAY/Whiskey And Rain (Warner/WEA)

3028

944

4.209

0.41

KENNY CHESNEY/Knowing You (Blue Chair/Warner/WEA)

2928

387

879

123

4.247

0.651

107

JON PARDI/Tequila Little Time (Capitol)

2750

359

858

114

2.605

0.014

101

RUSSELL DICKERSON/Home Sweet (Triple Tigers)

2721

419

833

112

3.84

0.15

102

CHRIS JANSON/Waitin' On 5 (Warner/WAR)

2577

261

835

100

2.645

0.426

LOCASH/Beers To Catch Up On (Wheelhouse)

2574

164

804

2.509

0.224

INGRID ANDRESS/Lady Like (Warner/WEA)

2534

187

817

2.941

0.478

TEDDY ROBB/Heaven On Dirt (Monument)

2171

-99

831

-7

1.923 -0.206

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

2135

304

613

108

2.471

0.328

RYAN HURD w/MAREN MORRIS/Chasing After You (Arista)

2002

353

622

116

1.747

0.285

HARDY/Give Heaven Some Hell (Big Loud)

1761

585

1.293

0.01

Debut 49 Re-Enter 50

4 =Top 5 Point Gainers

Chart Page 2

April 5, 2021 Country Aircheck Add Leaders

Adds

Activator Top Point Gainers 1033 4

LUKE COMBS/Forever After All (River House/Columbia)

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

JAKE OWEN/Made For You (Big Loud)

LUKE COMBS/Forever After All (River House/Columbia)

JASON ALDEAN/Blame It On You (Macon Music/Broken Bow) 786 4

RUSSELL DICKERSON/Home Sweet (Triple Tigers)

COLE SWINDELL/Single Saturday Night (Warner/WMN)

744 4

JON PARDI/Tequila Little Time (Capitol)

CHRIS YOUNG & KANE BROWN/Famous Friends (RCA)

604 4

CHASE RICE f/FGL/Drinkin' Beer... (Dack Janiels/BBR/BMLGR)

KENNY CHESNEY/Knowing You (Blue Chair/Warner/WEA)

492

DARIUS RUCKER/My Masterpiece (Capitol)

LAINEY WILSON/Things A Man Oughta Know (Broken Bow)

467

GARTH BROOKS & TRISHA YEARWOOD/Shallow (Pearl)

ERIC CHURCH/Hell Of A View (EMI Nashville)

458

RYAN HURD w/MAREN MORRIS/Chasing After You (Arista)

MIRANDA LAMBERT/Settling Down (RCA)

438

KENNY CHESNEY/Knowing You (Blue Chair/Warner/WEA)

GABBY BARRETT/The Good Ones (Warner/WAR)

433

CAM/Till There's Nothing Left (Triple Tigers)

922 4

Activator Top Spin Gainers

Country Aircheck Top Point Gainers LUKE COMBS/Forever After All (River House/Columbia)

2951

FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE/Long Live (BMLGR)

2531

GABBY BARRETT/The Good Ones (Warner/WAR)

2024

JAKE OWEN/Made For You (Big Loud)

1762

JASON ALDEAN/Blame It On You (Macon Music/Broken Bow)

1715

4 LUKE COMBS/Forever After All (River House/Columbia) 4 JASON ALDEAN/Blame It On You (Macon Music/Broken Bow) 4 JAKE OWEN/Made For You (Big Loud) 4 COLE SWINDELL/Single Saturday Night (Warner/WMN) 4 SAM HUNT/Breaking Up Was Easy In The... (MCA)

DUSTIN LYNCH/Momma's House (Broken Bow)

1444

GABBY BARRETT/The Good Ones (Warner/WAR)

SAM HUNT/Breaking Up Was Easy In The... (MCA)

1171

LAINEY WILSON/Things A Man Oughta Know (Broken Bow)

CHRIS YOUNG & KANE BROWN/Famous Friends (RCA) LAINEY WILSON/Things A Man Oughta Know (Broken Bow) ERIC CHURCH/Hell Of A View (EMI Nashville)

240 190 176 141 105 103 101

854

FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE/Long Live (BMLGR)

778

ERIC CHURCH/Hell Of A View (EMI Nashville)

712

KENNY CHESNEY/Knowing You (Blue Chair/Warner/WEA)

Country Aircheck Top Recurrents

Country Aircheck Top Spin Gainers

Points

903

LUKE COMBS/Lovin' On You (River House/Columbia)

8042

FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE/Long Live (BMLGR)

841

OLD DOMINION/Make It Sweet (RCA)

2400

GABBY BARRETT/The Good Ones (Warner/WAR)

579

LUKE COMBS/Beautiful Crazy (River House/Columbia)

2967

538

KELSEA BALLERINI/Hole In The Bottle (Black River)

6062

JAKE OWEN/Made For You (Big Loud)

488

MIRANDA LAMBERT/Bluebird (RCA)

3574

DUSTIN LYNCH/Momma's House (Broken Bow)

335

THOMAS RHETT/Sixteen (Valory)

2197

333

LUKE BRYAN/Sunrise, Sunburn, Sunset (Capitol)

1745

CHRIS YOUNG & KANE BROWN/Famous Friends (RCA)

279

LUKE COMBS/She Got The Best Of Me (River House/Columbia)

3222

TENILLE ARTS/Somebody Like That (19th & Grand)

252

CHASE RICE/Eyes On You (Dack Janiels/Broken Bow)

2294

250

TRAVIS DENNING/After A Few (Mercury)

3692

LUKE COMBS/Forever After All (River House/Columbia)

JASON ALDEAN/Blame It On You (Macon Music/Broken Bow)

SAM HUNT/Breaking Up Was Easy In The... (MCA)

MIRANDA LAMBERT/Settling Down (RCA)

4 =Top 5 Point Gainers

Chart Page 3

April 5, 2021

COUNTRY AIRCHECK ACTIVITY LOCASH/Beers To Catch Up On (Wheelhouse) Moves 43-45* 2574 points, 804 spins 2 adds: WBUL, WKIS INGRID ANDRESS/Lady Like (Warner/WEA) Moves 44-46* 2534 points, 817 spins 4 adds: KHGE, KKIX, KSSN, WMAD TEDDY ROBB/Heaven On Dirt (Monument) Moves 48-47 2171 points, 831 spins 1 add: WSSL LAUREN ALAINA f/JON PARDI/Getting Over Him (Mercury) Moves 49-48* 2135 points, 613 spins 5 adds: KASE, KMNB, KZSN, WMAD, WRBT RYAN HURD w/MAREN MORRIS/Chasing After You (Arista) Debut 49* 2002 points, 622 spins 8 adds: KCCY, KCYE, KKIX, KPLX*, WAVW, WLHK, WNCB, WWGR HARDY/Give Heaven Some Hell (Big Loud) Re-entry 50* 1761 points, 585 spins 3 adds: KCYY, KSSN, WKIS CLAY WALKER/Need A Bar Sometimes (Show Dog) 1697 points, 638 spins; No adds RILEY GREEN/If It Wasn’t For Trucks (BMLGR) 1544 points, 831 spins; No adds CAITLYN SMITH f/OLD DOMINION/I Can’t (Monument) 1524 points, 452 spins 2 adds: KHGE, WKIS LARRY FLEET/Where I Find God (Big Loud) 1483 points, 547 spins; No adds

ADD DATES Send yours to adds@countryaircheck.com

APRIL 12

IAN MUNSICK/Long Haul (Warner/WEA) LUKE BRYAN/Waves (Capitol)

APRIL 19

KELSEA BALLERINI f/K. CHESNEY/Half Of My Hometown (Black River) MADDIE & TAE/Woman You Got (Mercury) NIKO MOON/No Sad Songs (RCA) DILLON CARMICHAEL/Hot Beer (Riser House)

APRIL 26

LUCAS HOGE/Get Lost (Forge) BROTHERS OSBORNE/I’m Not For Everyone (EMI Nashville) MO PITNEY/Local Honey (Curb)

CHECK OUT APRIL 9

BRETT KISSEL What Is Life (OneRPM) Produced by Kissel, Bart McKay and Jesse Frasure, the 14-track collection of original material features ten musical compositions, including single “Make A Life, Not A Living,” and four short monologues reflecting on the title What Is Life? from Kissel and his children. TIM MONTANA Long Shots (Music Knox/BBRMG) Teaming with producer Michael Knox for his first album as a signed artist, Montana has writing credit on all 12 songs, including “Get Em Up,” “Cars On Blocks” and “Be A Cowboy.”

Chart Page 4

April 5, 2021 LW

2 5

Artist/Title (Label)

THOMAS RHETT

Points 5th Week at No. 1

+/- Points

Plays

What’s Your Country Song (Valory)

10873

-863

2284

FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE/Long Live (BMLGR)

10260

341

2171

GABBY BARRETT/The Good Ones (Warner/WAR)

9511

433

2010

+/- Plays Stations ADDS

-193

103

BRETT YOUNG/Lady (BMLGR)

8894

-994

1944

-205

JAKE OWEN/Made For You (Big Loud) 4

8818

922

1824

176

TENILLE ARTS/Somebody Like That (19th & Grand)

7679

-298

1603

-54

ERIC CHURCH/Hell Of A View (EMI Nashville)

7634

458

1558

10 8

DUSTIN LYNCH/Momma's House (Broken Bow)

7279

126

1560

11 9

DIERKS BENTLEY/Gone (Capitol)

6536

230

1255

13 10

BLAKE SHELTON/Minimum Wage (Warner/WMN)

6206

302

1244

15 11

SAM HUNT/Breaking Up Was Easy In The... (MCA)

6008

417

1244

105

14 12

KEITH URBAN W/PINK/One Too Many (RCA/Capitol)

5937

289

1169

17 13

MIRANDA LAMBERT/Settling Down (RCA)

5876

438

1157

12 14

TIM MCGRAW & TYLER HUBBARD/Undivided (Big Machine/BMLGR)

5809

-308

1150

-76

18 15

DYLAN SCOTT/Nobody (Curb)

5794

412

1213

16 16

JORDAN DAVIS/Almost Maybes (MCA)

5744

200

1184

20 17

CHRIS YOUNG & KANE BROWN/Famous Friends (RCA) 4

5421

604

1001

19 18

RASCAL FLATTS/How They Remember You (Big Machine)

5408

286

1093

22 19

JASON ALDEAN/Blame It On You (Macon Music/Broken Bow) 4

4908

786

961

190

25 20

LUKE COMBS/Forever After All (River House/Columbia) 4

4893

1033

981

240

23 21

DAN + SHAY/Glad You Exist (Warner/WAR)

4151

200

797

24 22

CARLY PEARCE/Next Girl (Big Machine)

3868

-56

801

27 23

COLE SWINDELL/Single Saturday Night (Warner/WMN) 4

3385

744

717

141

26 24

JUSTIN MOORE/We Didn't Have Much (Valory)

3264

347

692

29 25

LAINEY WILSON/Things A Man Oughta Know (Broken Bow)

2548

467

504

101

28 26

BRANTLEY GILBERT/Hard Days (Valory)

2524

194

507

30 27

ELVIE SHANE/My Boy (Wheelhouse)

2234

228

438

35 28

KENNY CHESNEY/Knowing You (Blue Chair/Warner/WEA)

1805

492

341

31 29

LITTLE BIG TOWN/Wine, Beer, Whiskey (Capitol)

1660

340

32 30

GARTH BROOKS & TRISHA YEARWOOD/Shallow (Pearl)

1582

104

339

4 =Top 5 Point Gainers

Chart Page 5

April 5, 2021 LW

Artist/Title (Label)

Points +/- Points

36 31

CHASE RICE f/FGL/Drinkin' Beer. Talkin' God. Amen. (Dack Janiels/BBR/BMLGR)

1556

281

Plays

285

+/- Plays

Stations Adds

33 32

SCOTTY MCCREERY/You Time (Triple Tigers)

1463

315

38 33

JON PARDI/Tequila Little Time (Capitol)

1413

258

262

34 34

LADY A/Like A Lady (BMLGR)

1369

272

37 35

LEE BRICE/Memory I Don't Mess With (Curb)

1149

-53

224

-7

42 36

JAMESON RODGERS f/LUKE COMBS/Cold Beer… (River House/Columbia)

1094

291

233

39 37

KANE BROWN/Worship You (RCA)

941

168

41 38

MICHAEL RAY/Whiskey And Rain (Warner/WEA)

903

147

45 39

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

828

114

175

40 40

TIM DUGGER/You're Gonna Love Me (Curb/MCC)

824

-24

150

-6

44 41

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

819

193

47 42

PARKER MCCOLLUM/To Be Loved By You (MCA)

737

113

43 43

HARDY/Give Heaven Some Hell (Big Loud)

728

-59

135

-14

50 44

RYAN HURD w/MAREN MORRIS/Chasing After You (Arista)

698

52 45

KAMERON MARLOWE/Giving You Up (Columbia)

690

230

48 46

LILY ROSE/Villain (Big Loud)

670

46 47

ERIC CHURCH/Lynyrd Skynyrd Jones (EMI Nashville)

660

49 48

ELLE KING & MIRANDA LAMBERT/Drunk (And I Don't Wanna Go..) (RCA)

644

Re-Enter 49

CHRIS JANSON/Waitin' On 5 (Warner/WAR)

577

111

129

53 50

TEDDY ROBB/Heaven On Dirt (Monument)

494

128

55 51

LOCASH/Beers To Catch Up On (Wheelhouse)

461

112

57 52

CARLY PEARCE/Should've Known Better (Big Machine)

450

56 53

ADAM DOLEAC/Another (Arista)

450

54 54

TIFFANY WOYS/Do Ya (Tiffany Woys)

447

-10

-1

58 55

MITCHELL TENPENNY/Bucket List (Columbia)

440

59 56

CHRIS STAPLETON/You Should Probably Leave (Mercury)

430

KYLIE FREY/I Do Thing (Deep Frey'd)

400

-5

-2

Debut 58

RUSSELL DICKERSON/Home Sweet (Triple Tigers)

400

196

101

Debut 59

CHRIS STAPLETON/Maggie's Song (Mercury)

400

Debut 60

LUKE DICK f/MIRANDA LAMBERT/Polyester (Republican Hair)

390

Re-Enter 57

4 =Top 5 Point Gainers

Chart Page 6