weekly May 8, 2023, Issue 857
Monster Of The Midday: Katie Neal
Nearly three years after picking up internal syndication, Audacy Katie & Company host Katie Neal can be heard on 26 stations, including six outside the company, and is quite possibly the most-heard personality on Country radio. She tells Country Aircheck about the evolution of her show and plans for continued expansion. Neal joined then-Cumulus Hot AC WPLJ/New York in 2013, not as an on-air talent, but as an Account Exec. “My sales background actually helps me understand the importance of localization and creating content that can generate revenue,” says Katie Neal Neal. She had previously spent a year on-air in Bloomington, IL and handled some weekend and swing shifts for then-Country clustermate WNSH before being named to middays full-time in 2017 (CAT 2/8/17). “Being in New York, when people came to town in the industry, it was for a concert or another specific reason to visit us,” remarks Neal. “Now that I’ve been in Nashville for a couple years, I understand how different it is to live and work in the midst of the industry every day. I’m enjoying it so much!” Then-Entercom began internally syndicating Neal in 2020 (CAT 9/11/20), and Katie & Company picked up an external syndication partnership with United Stations last October (CAT 10/17/22). “We are continuing to grow quietly, at an organic pace, and I don’t have any specific threshold goals for affiliate count,” admits Neal. Audacy VP Programming/Country Format Captain Tim Roberts tells Country Aircheck, “[Katie’s] reach just among Audacy alone is 2,752,700, persons 12+.” Because the show’s hours vary by market, precise audience figures are difficult to ascertain, but Country Aircheck’s analysis of PPM ratings alone puts its 6+ cume near 2 million, well above PPM cume leaders in other dayparts. To facilitate continued growth, Neal recently added Exec. Prod. Brody Smith (CAT 4/5). “Brody made the move to Nashville quickly, and he has been drinking from a fire hose since,” Neal admits. “He’s coming up to speed on the technical side, and he has been a fantastic help with audio editing, production and show prep.” She says their daily routine begins with show prep at 8:30am CT before hitting the studio at 10am CT. “We record (continued on page 5)
Easy, Breezy, Keysey: Columbia’s Elle King and Warner Music Nashville‘s Madeline Edwards at the 27th Annual Key West Songwriters Festival. Pictured (l-r) are BMI‘s Shannon Sanders and Leslie Roberts, Sony‘s Ella Langley, King, Edwards, The Bluebird Cafe‘s Erika Wollam Nichols and We‘ve Got The Keys‘ Liz Anderson.
Route, Route, Route For The Home Team WFMS/Indianapolis MD/ afternoon personality Matt Malone offers his take on the opening weekend of Thomas Rhett’s Home Team Tour: Indianapolis played host to the third stop of the Home Team Tour, bringing Rhett, Nate Smith and Cole Swindell to the home of the Indiana Pacers, Gainbridge Fieldhouse. For all of the times Thomas has played Indy, this
Thomas Rhett
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