Country Radio’s
Secret Weapon
Country Insider - Feb 24, 2025
Country radio has always been more than just a source of music. It’s a community, a cultural hub, and a voice that connects artists with fans. In an era of endless choices, the stations that thrive will not only play the best songs but also create the best experiences.
That's why it's time to start thinking like a digital strategist. Country fans want music and an experience. That means understanding what keeps audiences engaged, how to meet them where they are, and how to create content that moves seamlessly between platforms.
Looking Past The
Dark Ages of AI
Inside Radio - Dec 18, 2024
I am a newsletter junkie. I subscribe to more than two dozen newsletters about AI alone. I’ll never have enough time to read everything that hits my inbox, but now and then, a headline catches my eye. I gravitate towards stories about subjects I’m familiar with and those that seem so wildly beyond my comprehension that I must click to find out how much I do not know.
Two examples: “10 Septillion Years Solved” and “Unlock the Magic of AI for Your Christmas Gift Giving.”
The first headline made me want to know exactly how much 10 septillion is. It turns out it’s a one followed by 24 zeros. The article was about a new computer chip that can solve a complex problem in five minutes, one that would take today’s supercomputers 10 septillion years. A span of time that exceeds the history of the universe.
Storytelling
That Stands Out
Country Insider - Oct 21, 2024
The only thing more amazing than the enormous amount of video, visual, audio, and digital content created today is how much of it feels like a masterclass in boredom.
Have we gradually become comfortable with scrolling and sifting through the noise and nonsense, hoping to stumble across something that captures more than our eye? Is the art of storytelling being squashed and nudged into the shadow of an endless AI content parade of nothingness? Is our search for entertainment, inspiration and community becoming a chore masquerading as fun?
Probably not. It's always been this way.
User Generated
Content =
Engagement
Inside Radio, Nov 20, 2024
When Christmas lights start appearing in my neighborhood at this time of year, I think of the Tacky Light Tour. It was a great annual holiday promotion at the station I worked for in a small Southern market. Listeners would tell us where to find the most glaring, overdecorated houses. We'd map out a route, load up a bus full of listeners (and a few coolers), and go check them out.
It was only a short time before listeners were competing and lobbying the station to add their house as a tour stop, usually after blowing a month's salary on the gaudiest decorations they could find. When giant, lit-up versions of our logo started appearing in the displays, our listeners magically transformed the promotion into a marketing tactic.
Taking On The
Content Surge
Inside Radio, Sept 24, 2024
The value of being live and in the moment is undeniable when covering news, sports, and significant events. Content wrapped in topics and experiences unique to a local community validates a brand’s authenticity with its audience. You know this. Nothing new here.
But what about being live and local when you’re not on the air? In-person, human-to-human experiences with your audience have transitioned from being a good idea to a critical tactic for survival in radio. Here’s why.
Connecting To Your
Creative Ability
Country Insider, June 3, 2024
What is creativity, anyway? We know it when we see or hear it, but where does it come from? Why do some people seem to have more of it than others? Can AI replace creativity?
The American Psychological Association defines creativity as the ability to produce or develop original work, theories, techniques, or thoughts. Simple enough, but are we born with creative ability, or must we learn to be creative? It turns out that both are true. Curiously, our creative ability is best gauged by how much we've unlearned about suppressing it.
How Much Fun
Are You Having
In Country Radio?
Inside radio, Aug 27, 2024
The legendary Coyote Calhoun told a story at the end of his Country Radio Hall of Fame induction speech that I’ll never forget.
When he was still in grade school, Calhoun met his favorite radio DJ at a shopping center remote. Calhoun looked at his hero and said, “When I grow up, I want to be a DJ just like you!” With a wry smile, the DJ replied, “Kid, ya can’t do both.”
That was one of Calhoun’s many superb closers. He left the stage with the room rolling. While everyone was having a good laugh, I had a moment of clarity. The story was a grounding reminder about why anyone would chase a career in radio.
A smattering of radio branding imaging copy by format
AC - HOT AC
YOU SHOULD ALWAYS KEEP A BOTTLE OF WINE HANDY FOR SPECIAL OCCASIONS. YOU KNOW, LIKE WEDNESDAY.
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PLAYING THE MUSIC THAT REMINDS YOU THAT YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE. AND IF YOU DO IT RIGHT, ONCE IS ENOUGH.
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IF YOU’VE EVER BEEN THROWN TO THE WOLVES,… AND THEN RETURNED LEADING THE PACK, THIS IS YOUR MUSIC.
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THE MUSIC WE PLAY PROVES THAT YOU’RE REALLY NOT RICH UNTIL YOU HAVE SOMETHING MONEY CAN’T BUY.
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THIS SONG DIDN’T START GLOBAL WARMING …BUT IT AIN’T HELPIN’ ANY EITHER.
COUNTRY
IF A COUNTRY GIRL IS SMILING, SHE’S THINKING OF DOING SOMETHING CRAZY. IF SHE’S LAUGHING, SHE’S ALREADY DONE IT.
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NO ONE FROM HERE EVER ASKS IF YOU HAVE CRAZY PEOPLE IN YOUR FAMILY OR NOT. THEY JUST ASK WHAT SIDE THEY’RE ON.
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SPILLING YOUR ALCOHOLIC DRINK IS THE ADULT EQUIVALENT OF A KID LOSING A BALLOON.
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THE GLASS IS NOT HALF FULL. THE GLASS IS NOT HALF EMPTY. THE GLASS,…IS MISSING. MISSING THE JACK AND ICE.
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YOU THOUGHT YOU’D DIE WHEN YOU HEARD YOUR EX HAD FOUND SOMEONE. THEN YOU MET THEM …AND DIED LAUGHING.
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AFTER WHAT THEY DID TO YOU? YEAH, YOU’D PROBABLY UNPLUG THEIR LIFE SUPPORT TO CHARGE YOUR PHONE. THIS SONG GETS IT.
ROCK
THE BEST THING YOU CAN GET IN YOUR CAR …EXCEPT FOR ONE OF THE CHEETAH GIRLS. (STATION) C’MON, …HIGH FIVE
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WE PUT OUR PANTS ON LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE. FRANTICALLY. WHEN THE DOORBELL RINGS.
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HUMANS ARE A BUNCH OF ATOMS THAT REALIZE THEY'RE JUST A BUNCH OF ATOMS.
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THOSE WITH "TRUST NO ONE" TATTOOS ARE LIARS. THEY'VE ALREADY TRUSTED THE TATTOO ARTIST.
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SOMETIMES YOU GOTTA WONDER HOW SHE EVEN PUTS UP WITH YOU. THEN YOU REMEMBER,… YOU PUT UP WITH HER. THAT’S HOW IT WORKS, … WHEN IT WORKS.
CHRISTIAN ROCK
DEAD, BURIED, RESURRECTED. TALK ABOUT YOUR THREE-DAY WEEKENDS! IT'S EASTER SUNDAY, ON (STATION)
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WHEN YOU CAN WALK ACROSS THE POOL, YOU GET TO MAKE THE RULES..
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THE BAD NEWS IS TIME FLIES. THE GOOD NEWS IS, YOU’RE THE PILOT.
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LISTEN RELIGIOUSLY.
