weekly October 2, 2023, Issue 878
Radio Reacts: People’s Choice Country As with any new awards show, the first hurdle is building awareness. That appears to be the initial challenge for the People’s Choice Country Awards, which made its debut on NBC Thursday (9/28) live from Nashville’s Grand Old Opry House. While the Little Big Town-hosted show drew 3.9 million viewers, attention (and interest) was relatively low among Country broadcasters. Nearly half of the more than 30 radio pros Heather Froglear contacted for feedback said they didn’t watch, with some saying they either didn’t know or didn’t remember the show was even airing. That includes one programmer who said he mentioned the awards on his morning show that day, then still forgot to watch. Among those who did tune in, however, the comments were largely positive. • KFRG/Riverside PD Heather Froglear says it was “well-produced for its inaugural show. The highlight Laurie DeYoung was 100% Toby Keith being honored and his haunting performance. It was both poignant and heartbreaking. Feedback on socials from listeners was he left everyone in tears. We are just so lucky to work in a format that reveres legends such as Wynonna Judd and Toby.” • WPOC/Baltimore morning host Laurie DeYoung: “I loved the show. Everyone there, audience and artists, seemed to be sincerely excited about being a part of it. There was an intimacy Danny Dwyer about it. I felt like the curtain was somehow pulled back a little on Nashville’s music business. There was just an overall electric vibe about the night. It didn’t feel like a cookie-cutter awards show, just a lot of heart. The Toby Keith segment was a highlight all the way around. The heartfelt intro from Blake Shelton was warm and funny, and Toby’s performance/song was so poignant and moving.” • KUPL/Portland APD/MD Danny Dwyer: “The location was a great choice and showcased our Lois Lewis little national treasure, The Grand Ole Opry.”
The Rolling Rhinestone: Country Music/Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Dolly Parton (c) talks Rockstar and Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones with iHeartCountry’s “Wayne D” Danielson and Tay Hamilton.
NSHOF: David Lee Murphy
Spotlighting inductee David Lee Murphy ahead of the Oct. 11 Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala. Murphy landed his first cut on Reba McEntire’s 1985 album Have I Got A Deal For You, but it would be another decade before his own breakthrough 1995 hit, “Party Crowd.” It and follow up No. 1 “Dust On The Bottle” are still standards of the ‘90s country boom, and Murphy has gone on to compile an impressive list of No. 1s for other artists as well. See profiles of David Lee fellow inductees Kix Brooks here, Rafe Van Hoy here Murphy and Keith Urban here.
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