Issue 978 - September 15, 2025

weekly September 15, 2025, Issue 978

Greg Beharrell: Keeping Radio Weird

When Alpha (now Connoisseur) KUPL/Portland, OR picked up YEA Media Group’s syndicated The Greg Beharrell Show for nights last month (CAT 8/4), it became the first Country outlet for a show originating from Rock KLOS/Los Angeles that airs on almost 90 affiliates. Beharrell’s quote in the KUPL press release was a tip-off to his peculiar particular brand of humor, where he noted his happiness to have “a second type of ranch in my life.” Beharrell does his show (and interviews, as exhibited below) in “character,” a practice he likens to that of comedy legends like Bob Newhart and Greg Beharrell Christopher Guest. That also extends to his selfwritten press releases, which feature self-deprecating headlines like “Several Stations Add The Greg Beharrell Show. Most Stations Still Have Not.” To get a glimpse into his humor, check out his interview attempt with “best friend” Bobby Bones here, hear sample audio here and read on. CA: What should we make of you being Canadian? GB: I actually have dual citizenship. It wasn’t until after obtaining it that I realized [dual] is not spelled with an E and doesn’t involve fencing gear. What drew you to a career in radio? I started in radio when I was still living with my parents; my 30s were such a strange time. I feel like I’ve always been drawn to a career in radio. Even when I’d attend concerts with friends, I would always talk over the song intros. What were your impressions of your first CRS earlier this year? After attending, I can say that the Country Radio Seminar is not only one of my favorite seminars, but also uses three of my top 26 favorite letters. The best part of CRS is the lasting friendships formed; some of mine lasted for weeks after the show. Why the interest in Country radio? Is your plan to expand in that format beyond Portland? The relationship between country music and radio is special: both are genres with a true sense of community and fun. If I could bottle the magic of Country radio, I would, but several labs have refused to collaborate with me on that project. We have already been approached by half a dozen Country stations looking for a show that’s truly unique, and we are confident they’ll return to us when they can’t find such a thing. (continued on page 6)

Happen To KEEY: Triple Tigers’ Russell Dickerson (c) celebrates No. 1 “Happen To Me” before the Minnesota Vikings’ home opener against the Falcons. Pictured (l-r) are KEEY’s Pat Knight, Dickerson, the label’s Julianna Vaughn and KEEY’s Gregg Swedberg.

NaSHOF: Tony Martin

A second-generation country songwriter and son of country composer Glenn Martin, Tony started in journalism as a staff writer in Chicago, Franklin, TN and as a stringer for The Tennessean. Writing parodies to entertain his fellow journalists turned into a career that spawned “Baby’s Gotten Good At Goodbye” (George Strait), “I’ll Think Of A Reason Later” (Lee Ann Womack), “Just To See You Smile” (Tim McGraw), “No Place That Far” (Sara Evans), “Third Rock from The Sun” (Joe Diffie), “You Look Good In My Shirt” (Keith Urban), “A Little More Summertime” (Jason Aldean) and “Settle For A Slowdown” (Dierks Tony Martin Bentley). Martin will be inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame (NaSHOF) Oct. 6 at Nashville’s Music City Center. See interviews with NaSHOF inductees Jim Lauderdale here, Don Cook here and Steve Bogard here. (continued on page 3)

©2025 C o u n t r y A i rc he c k ™ — A l l r i g h t s re 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 rc he c k . c o m