Ft. Worth’s 95.9 The Ranch Comes Under Fire After Format Change (+ Playlist Analysis)
For years, radio station 95.9 The Ranch based in Ft. Worth, TX has been a bastion for fans of true country music, Texas country, Red Dirt, Americana, and country classics that are so often missing or never even given a chance on corporate country radio stations. Owned and operated by LKCM Radio Group, with its studios located in Ft. Worth’s Sundance Square, The Ranch is one of those rare gems that actually plays what they want to play. Garnering a devout following in Ft. Worth and beyond via their web stream, The Ranch is considered an institution of the independent country world for the scores of devoted listeners who tune in every day, and the artists who enjoy airtime that most other country radio stations would never consider giving to such artists.
That is why it came as such a shock when late last week the radio station decided to slightly tweak their format, and began to file in songs from a few select mainstream acts—artists like Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley, and Miranda Lambert. For independent and Texas country fans who often share a radio with co-workers and are used to hearing these names in the rotation along with Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line, and Sam Hunt, they’re probably wondering what all the hubbub is about. They feel lucky to hear a Chris Stapleton song every once in a while, and can’t imagine a station that regularly plays Sturgill Simpson and the Turnpike Troubadours.
But this is the reason country music these days marks a dividing line of the culture war. True country fans, especially ones that have been listening to The Ranch for years as a safe harbor from pop country, are so diametrically opposed to mainstream music, they would rather hear rock or pop invade their radio station than even the best of what country radio’s mainstream stations play.
Fans are so furious over the move, they have hammered The Ranch’s social media accounts with complaints, filled the station’s message board with missives of discontent, someone has set up a Facebook page boycotting the station, and program director/DJ Shayne Hollinger has even received threats of violence from angry listeners. This is partly because for years The Ranch has been such a pristine gem, staunchly ignoring current trends and Top 40 hits, so even including one Dierks Bentley song every other hour is an affront to the entire institution to these listeners.
Saving Country Music studied a multi-hour bloc of The Ranch’s playlist as it streamed Saturday (3-4) evening to see just how significant the format change is (see below). Most independent and Texas country listeners would probably salivate to have a station like this within antenna range, and will wonder why they didn’t tune in online sooner, while the amount of mainstream songs and artists added in the rotation—despite the characterization by some listeners that The Ranch has completely flipped to a pop country model—is marginal at the worst.
The question is not what The Ranch is playing now, but where the station could be headed in the future, and if it may entice other Texas country stations to consider similar moves, especially if The Ranch format tweak is successful luring in new ears. Listeners of The Ranch have a legitimate concern that it might only be one or two songs an hour right now added from mainstream playlists, but it could go to one quarter, then a third, then half, and completely flip some day if the incremental moves are effective—sort of mission creep if you will, but on your radio dial.
It’s also a fair argument to say that by giving precious spins to major mainstream country stars and taking them away from Texas country and Americana acts, your robbing these artists, however incrementally, of one of the few radio outlets they have for their music.
On the other hand, if adding just a few songs from the mainstream entices more mainstream-oriented fans to the radio station, and the station sticks to their guns and only keeps those mainstream spins to a minimum, it could potentially result in a sum positive for all the independent and Texas artists featured regularly on The Ranch by exposing them to an entirely new demographic.
It also must be emphasized here that The Ranch has clearly selected artists from the mainstream that don’t represent the worst, but the best of what the mainstream has to offer. I understand, to many Texas country and Americana fans, Brad Paisley still represents putting ketchup on a $48.00 steak. But there is something to be said for pragmatism in trying to build a wider fan base behind independent artists. If using Kacey Musgraves and Dierks Bentley as gateway drugs is what it takes, then this may not be a bad compromise.
But let’s be honest here about the motivations behind this format change by 95.9 The Ranch: MONEY. They need more listeners. Radio is a dying business model in America, and in the very near future may only exist more as a novelty, and for ultra niche audiences like The Ranch appeals to right now. It’s a shame that radio stations like The Ranch aren’t duplicated all across the country, and with the increased popularity of independent country, perhaps that will happen someday. A lot of the artist on The Ranch’s playlist are selling out large venues and have huge followings. But there is still work to do to get those artists to the next level, and a massive gulf between the popularity of mainstream and independent artist.
Does it suck that The Ranch has acquiesced and started putting some mainstream country stuff in their rotation? Of course it does. And though it’s painful to say it, all the bellyaching by hardcore listeners still may not outweigh the gains the radio station could receive by the slight change in the format. In fact, all the commotion is likely to draw a bigger crowd of folks tuning in to see what all the complaining is about. That is why radio stations “stunt” when they change their formats in the first place. As an example, often when mainstream stars put out terrible singles, much of their fan base complains. We saw this with Carrie Underwood’s “Somethin’ Bad” and Jason Aldean’s “Burnin’ It Down.” Yet the songs still get to #1 because a silent majority will listen to whatever the radio serves them, no matter what.
The big test for The Ranch may not be right now, but in a few weeks when they find out if the format tweak is effective. If it is, then maybe they pat themselves on the back and go about their business. Or, perhaps they ask what more mainstream country songs could do. The worry is where it may lead The Ranch and stations like it in the future.
Saving Country Music reached out to The Ranch program director Shayne Hollinger for comment on this story, but emails were not immediately responded to.
95.9 The Ranch Playlist Analysis
To attempt to analyze just how dramatic or marginal the format change of 95.9 The Ranch has been, Saving Country Music logged a roughly 2 1/2 to 3-hour segment of The Ranch’s playlist on Saturday evening that included 54 total songs. Here are some observations:
• Out of 54 songs, only TWO could be considered current mainstream country music singles. That’s less than 4% of the playlist. And those two songs, highlighted in red below, which are “My Church” by Maren Morris, and “Vice” by Miranda Lambert, are both critically acclaimed singles from women, both of which were nominated for Best Country Song at the 2017 Grammy Awards, both artists are from Texas, and both arguably represent some of the best music in the mainstream.
• Out of the 54 songs, 10 could be considered either current mainstream country hits, OR back catalog mainstream hits. That’s 18.5% of the playlist (highlighted in black below). And even in there, you have a 28-year-old song from Garth Brooks, a 17-year-old and 10-year-old song from Gary Allan that may have been in the rotation before the change, a 14-year-old Dierks Bentley song, a 13-year-old Brad Paisley song written by Bill Anderson, a single from Kacey Musgraves that bombed on country radio a few years ago, and a song from “King” George Strait. There’s no Bro-Country, no Florida Georgia Line, no indecent country singles that are an embarrassment to the format, even though none of them may be the favorites of Texas country and independent fans.
• 81.5% OR MORE of the playlist is likely the same as before the format change. Since we don’t have a baseline, it’s hard to say if any of the ten mainstream songs would have been included before the change, but some of them probably were. So it could be as high as 90%. So were likely talking 1 in 10 songs is new to the playlist. Meanwhile for Americana/independent fans you have Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell, Jon Moreland, and Hank Williams III. For Texas country fans you have the Turnpike Troubadours, Cody Jinks, Jack Ingram, Stoney LaRue, William Clark Green, and the Randy Rogers Band. Traditional country fans have Dwight Yoakam, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and Jerry Jeff Walker.
***UPDATE: According to some listeners, The Ranch has also added much more classic rock than what was played on the previous format. Depending on the amount of classic rock compared to previously, the percentage of change could be greater than 81.5% , but this would NOT be because of pop or mainstream country.
CONCLUSION: The current 95.9 The Ranch playlist—after the change—is not only extremely diverse and filled with a vast majority of Texas country, independent, Americana, and traditional country music, with a little classic rock filled in, it may constitute the ideal American country music playlist, and not in spite of, but because it also includes the topmost standout singles from the mainstream.
Look, Saving Country Music loves to find instances where companies and radio stations screw up and undervalue the independent/traditional country fan. And yes, it is alarming to see this marginal, but clear change of format from 95.9 The Ranch. But The Ranch still comprises one of the best playlists in the entire country, and if people want to see it remain filled with the best of Texas country and Americana, and inspire other radio stations to adopt similar formats, they should support it instead of slogging it just because they want smart mainstream listeners to also feel accepted into the listenership.
The playlist sample songs:
- “Fire On The Mountain” – The Marshall Tucker Band
- “In Bloom” – Sturgill Simpson
- “My Church” – Maren Morris
- “Carnival Lights” – The Dirty River Boys
- “Streets of Bakersfield” – Dwight Yoakam
- “Every Girl” – Turnpike Troubadours
- “Much Too Young (To Feel This Old)” – Garth Brooks
- “Jackpot” – Nikki Lane
- “I See Red” – Brandon Jenkins
- “Easy” – The Departed
- “Whiskey Lullaby” – Brad Paisley
- “24 Frames” – Jason Isbell
- “We’re All In This Together” – Jack Ingram
- “Lay Down Sally” – Eric Clapton
- “Mendocino County Line” – Lee Ann Womack
- “I’m The Only Hell My Mama Ever Raised” – Johnny Paycheck
- “Wanna Wanna Bar” – Roger Creager
- “Feels Like It Should” – Pat Green
- “Wish You Were Here” – Cody Jinks
- “Run With The Devil” – Bart Crow Band
- “The Wall” – Willie Nelson (Damn good song, btw)
- “All Over The Road” – Easton Corbin
- “No Depression” – Uncle Tupelo
- “Look At Me Fly” – Stoney LaRue
- “Night Moves” – Bob Seger
- “Burn Down The Trailer Park” – Paul Thorn
- “What Was I Thinking” – Dierks Bentley
- “Ain’t Nobody Got a Hold On Me” – Rob Baird
- “Brown Eyed Handsome Man” – Waylon Jennings
- “The Weary Kind” – Ryan Bingham
- “How ‘Bout Them Cowgirls” – George Strait
- “Stone” – Whiskey Myers
- “Next Big Thing” – William Clark Green
- “Back Roads” – Brandon Rhyder
- “Highway 40 Blues” – Ricky Skaggs
- “Blowin’ Smoke” – Kacey Musgraves
- “Watching Airplanes” – Gary Allan
- “Hang Me in the Tulsa County Stars” – John Moreland
- “Too Late For Goodbye” – Randy Rogers Band
- “I’m a Mess” – Rodney Crowell
- “Call Me The Breeze” – Lynyrd Skynyrd
- “Look At Miss Ohio” – Gillian Welch
- “Smoke Rings in the Dark” – Gary Allan
- “Flood Gate” – Erick Willis
- “Think I’ll Stay Here And Drink” – Merle Haggard
- “Bad Live And A Broken Heart” – Hayes Carll
- “Vice” – Miranda Lambert
- “13 Years” – Sundance Head
- “Middle of America” – Will Hoge
- “Sangria Wine” – Jerry Jeff Walker
- “High Cost of Living” – Jamey Johnson
- “My Drinking Problem” – Hank Williams III
- “Small Town Kid” – Eli Young Band
- “Dead Flowers” – The Rolling Stones
March 5, 2017 @ 11:43 am
I wonder if they’re testing the waters to go full mainstream? If so, hopefully the sharks smelling mainstream blood will win.
March 6, 2017 @ 8:22 am
But getting violent over a minor change in a radio format? Pathetic.
March 5, 2017 @ 11:44 am
I wonder if you may have missed some songs on the playlist that could also be “against the old format”. Were Marshall Tucker, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Clapton, and Seger played before this change (could be a shot at grabbing some classic rock listeners)? “Streets of Bakersfield”, “Highway 40 Blues”, and “High Cost of Living” may have been ‘mainstream’ back catalogue inclusions, as well. Also, wouldn’t Eli Young Band fall into the category of being a more mainstream act of today as well?
March 5, 2017 @ 12:01 pm
Unfortunately, I do not have a snapshot of the old playlist pre format change to make a direct comparison, but someone correct me if I’m wrong in saying it was not out of the ordinary to hear Lynyrd Skynrd or other classic rock previously. Also, that’s not what anyone’s complaining about. They’re complaining about Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert, etc. specifically.
And yes, my labeling of back catalog “mainstream” singles is up for interpretation, but if a song is 30-years-old, then it’s a classic if by not other definition than the date.
Take Eli Young Band’s “Small Town Kid.” First, Eli Young was totally a product of Texas country that then moved on to Nashville. But that song is 12 years old. You would never hear that song on any mainstream iHeartMedia or Cumulus country channel. People hear Garth Brooks and throw their hands up, but “Much Too Young” is a 28-year-old song, and was a traditional country semi-hit before Garth was even a star.
I’m not saying folks don’t have a right to be concerned. I am concerned. But I also think a little context is needed with this concern.
And yes, maybe some of the worst I missed in my specific 54-song bloc. But I do have a life 🙂 and didn’t want to spend my entire Saturday/Sunday compiling a 200-plus playlist.
March 5, 2017 @ 12:17 pm
Tap the brakes, it wasn’t a critique/insult, I literally was wondering if some of those slipped past ya.
March 5, 2017 @ 12:27 pm
Hey Issac,
I didn’t take it as a critique or insult at all, I took it as a question. Sorry if my tone came across as weird.
March 5, 2017 @ 12:32 pm
Trigger, I share your perspective. Thus far their format has not changed too much, but fans are rightly concerned that it might be the beginning of a bigger shift. Regarding the playlist, I don’t care for Maren Morris, and “What Was I Thinking” sounds like a semi bro country song to me. On the other hand Brad Paisley’s “Whiskey Lullabye” fits their original format and was a great example of the little bit of classic country influence that made it back into the mainstream around 2002-2004. Overall the playlist looks good to me.
March 5, 2017 @ 2:24 pm
“Whiskey Lullaby” does not fit their original foremat. “All Texas, All The Time” does not include Brad Paisley. Ever. It’s why we listened to The Ranch.
March 5, 2017 @ 6:29 pm
Right, so we should also remove Turnpike Troubadours, Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell, Stony LaRue, and Merle Haggard? None of them are from Texas, and that’s only five names out of many off this list that would be excluded.
March 5, 2017 @ 6:59 pm
Boy did that go over your head. The Texas music scene isn’t exclusive to people born and raised in Texas.
March 5, 2017 @ 7:08 pm
I wouldn’t insult my knowledge of the Texas scene. To that end, Turnpike Troubadours and Stoney LaRue are Red dirt, not Texas. However, even excluding that point, this still doesn’t include Isbell, Simpson, or Haggard. The point is all Texas, all the time is a ridiculous argument against “Whiskey Lullaby” given the format of the Ranch.
March 6, 2017 @ 8:29 am
Whiskey Lullaby is better than the whole body of songs of lots of Red Dirt artists.
Stop dragging great songs down just because they had mainstream success.
March 7, 2017 @ 1:30 pm
The point is, the song doesn’t fit their original format. To argue otherwise shows you never listened to the station.
March 5, 2017 @ 11:46 am
I would kill to have a station like that here in Maryland.
March 5, 2017 @ 11:51 am
See…
March 5, 2017 @ 12:11 pm
It’s XM radio, streaming service, or become victim to the iHeart/Cumulus desert up here.
March 6, 2017 @ 5:05 am
When are they going to get an XM station just for the Texas/Red Dirt scene? Outlaw Country comes close every once in a while… or even doing a radio show on that channel every once in a while. Heck, even streaming Radio Texas Live on Saturday nights would be great…
March 6, 2017 @ 3:42 pm
Turned on Outlaw Country this morning (while waiting for the Depeche Mode presale to start) and they were playing U2.
March 5, 2017 @ 12:17 pm
Hell, I’d kill for one here in Nashville!
March 6, 2017 @ 10:37 am
In Nashville it’s WSM AM 650. My radio never leaves it. Best station ever!
March 6, 2017 @ 10:28 pm
along with WSM, Check out Lighting 100… 100.1 FM nashville. They have a very diverse playlist similar to Sun Radio and KUTX in Austin. Play alot of Alt country as well as Sturgill, Isbell, Margo Price etc.
March 5, 2017 @ 12:19 pm
I wouldn’t listen to a station like that here in Minnesota. I used to stream the Ranch daily. No more.
March 5, 2017 @ 1:07 pm
I live on the outskirts of the San Francisco Bay Area. This metro area with over 6 million people has only one country radio station, KRTY, which an underpowered transmitter about 50 miles south of San Francisco. KRTY has been around for a long time, and was supposed to be an independent station. But they mostly play the same crap that most of the big commercial mainstream “country” stations play. They have made some minor adjustments to accommodate the Bay Area’s progressive culture, such as occasionally playing a Brandy Clark song, or such as not boycotting the Dixie Chicks during the 2003 Iraq War. But they are a mainstream commercial station in most respects and I started tuning them out around 2010.
The nearest big commercial FM country station is KATM in Modesto, which is heard from some eastern parts of the Bay Area all the way to Yosemite. Their playlist was mostly the same pop country commercial fare as well, though at least they would redeem themselves with a classic country program for a few hours on Sundays, I’d hear the occasional Loretta Lynn or George Jones song on the drive back from the Sierra but that was 5-10 years ago.
There are much worse places for country radio than Texas.
March 5, 2017 @ 9:13 pm
Wouldn’t mind something like this here in Pittsburgh. Maybe one of the three local “country” stations could implement it. Maybe hell will freeze over, too.
March 5, 2017 @ 9:50 pm
I’m seconding that thought here in Southern IL. I would love to see that line-up everyday. Try hearing the same FGL song 20 times in 8 hours.
March 7, 2017 @ 1:33 pm
I don’t understand why you’d hear Florida Georgia Line at all, unless you’re in a bar or somewhere that someone plays them on the jukebox, or maybe in a store with the clerk having a radio on? I don’t listen to the local “country” stations, because they don’t play country music. Just turn it off.
March 7, 2017 @ 4:35 pm
Well I have a job, and I’m not the radio czar. Plus I work in a factory, so the radio only picks up like 2-3 stations. Best I can do is try to sing to myself or ignore it.
March 6, 2017 @ 3:44 pm
I’m in PA and I listen to the Ranch via Tunein Radio. There’s a phone app and also on Roku. Don’t bother with their own app because it’s terrible
March 5, 2017 @ 12:03 pm
the other day I start a Turnpike Troubadours “station” on my Amazon app on the fire stick. It’s starts out pretty typical…Turnpike of course, shifts to Reckkess Kelly, Sturgill, Ryan Beaver, Cody Jinks…then whoa…an old Brantley Gilbert song sandwiched in between Rob Baird, and The Casey Donahue Band…at first it threw me off, but then I realized it was actually a nice change of pace. It occurred to me if commercial radio had the same kind of diversity as internet radio did, I probably wouldn’t it mind it so much. Do I want hear Sam Hunt played alongside Wade Bowen? Hell No!!! But if a Song like Kiss Tomorrow goodbye by Luke Bryan was followed by 7&7 by Turnpike Troubadours on commercial radio I probably wouldn’t hate either one near as much as I currently do.
March 5, 2017 @ 12:08 pm
I gave “up” on f.m. radio three years ago here in the Triad of NC, the above playlist is quite nice, to my eyes though.
March 5, 2017 @ 12:09 pm
I counted 23 songs tha were not played before Friday on the ranch…. and I have listened religiously for the last 13 years….
That’s 42.5% of the playlist!!!!!!! How is this a minor tweak??????
March 5, 2017 @ 12:30 pm
Did The Ranch have classic rock songs in their playlist before? Sturgill Simpson and Jason Isbell?
Like I said, I did not have a proper snapshot to make a perfect comparison between the old and new playlist. But if the complaint is they’re adding pop country, and they’re actually adding Americana and classic rock with one mainstream artist an hour, these are two separate concerns.
And I’m not patronizing you, I’m just trying to find out what the concern is.
March 5, 2017 @ 1:37 pm
Trigger, I’m curious as to your opinion of who would be the main target audience for mainstream country radio over the next few years.
As far as I can tell its core audience has become less rural since the end of the neo trad movement in the early 1990s. The country radio audience was very female centric from the 1990s through most of the first decade of the 2000s, catering to suburban mothers. But while there are still a couple of mainstream acts that cater to that demographic (Tim McGraw and Little Big Town come to mind), they seem to be much less predominant in the country genre these days. Also the teen country, “innocent girl” songs seems to have disappeared in the last year or two, perhaps Taylor took that audience with her when she officially left the country genre. And I also recall that political and cultural conservatives seemed to be a big part of mainstream country’s fan base in the years after 9/11, but less so today. When I hear the bro country stuff that has been getting played the last few years, and even some of the mainstream singles being released by some female artists, I would guess that the audience would be young blue collar white people from broken families, perhaps young Trumpers who feel alienated that the economy and society have left them behind …
March 5, 2017 @ 8:48 pm
At this point even mainstream country radio’s audience is a niche market. They’re not trying to appeal to everyone, they’re targeting people that buy brand new full size trucks every two years, drink copious amounts of corporate beer, and pretend they’re from the country when they really live in the suburbs. That’s the reason all the songs sound the same and all mention beer and trucks. It’s all just just a big funnel for advertising dollars. This is also why I think corporate mainstream radio is doomed in the next two years. IHeartMedia and Cumulus are up to their ears in debt with no plan of how to get out of it, streaming continues to take market share, and the music sucks. The only reason Music Row hasn’t moved on is because they’re relied on radio for so long, they know no other way forward.
March 11, 2017 @ 6:27 pm
No, the classic rock was few and far between. This new playlist has increased the classic rock content at least 4-5 times normal. That coupled with the more mainstream song has reduced the old format songs to about 50% of what they were. This comes from someone that has listened to the Ranch from 5am till 3-4 pm 5 days a week for past 10+ years.
Sturgill Simpson and Jason Isbell have always been regular spins, along with more Americana and Red Dirt artists.
March 11, 2017 @ 6:38 pm
They changed the format back days ago. And it was never close to 50%. According to the program director, it was about 10%, and that has now been corroborated independently by numerous studies. Nonetheless, the vocal minority won.
March 11, 2017 @ 9:33 pm
“According to the program director, it was about 10%, and that has now been corroborated independently by numerous studies.”
Please send me these studies. I know you’re just relying on info given to you, but for those of us who have listened to this station for a decade or more, it was quite clear that 10% is a laughable statistic. How do I know? I drove to KC listening the whole way. My informal stats show anywhere from 6-8 “new format” songs per hour during that drive.
The way the new/old distinction was made likely has much to do with the count. It’s true that old/classic country and classic rock did appear on the Ranch occasionally, but the frequency with this change was increased. If you take that into account, along with the clearly more mainstream country, and the other genres (where do the Lumineers fall?) it gets to be much more than 10%.
All this is for naught now since the switch back, just trying to make a point that the 10% number quoted here is a gross misrepresentation of the facts.
March 11, 2017 @ 10:06 pm
New Slang posted an analysis that is even more in-depth (and accurate) than mine. Here it is:
http://www.newslanglubbock.com/the-ranch-double-dipping-in-texas-music-americana-nashville-country-etc-angers-fans-but-why/
March 5, 2017 @ 12:34 pm
By my count 18 of the last 40 songs played on The Ranch, as of 1:30PM CST, wouldn’t have been played last Sunday. About 15 of them are songs I wouldn’t care to hear, Bob Seger’s “Night Moves” anyone? You can see the playlist on their app without having to listen.
March 5, 2017 @ 12:38 pm
The 40 songs before that included gems such as Mellencamp’s “Jack and Diane” and Tyler Farr.
March 5, 2017 @ 1:14 pm
I agree that songs like “Night Moves” and “Jack and Diane” are far from classic country, though they have been around for several decades, long before the millennials took over our airwaves with their hip hop culture. This might be a reflection of the sad state of mainstream country, but I would rather hear Seger and Mellencamp on FM radio, than the likes of Taylor Swift, Kelsea Ballerini, Florida Georgia Line, and Luke Bryan.
March 5, 2017 @ 1:24 pm
There is no excuse for Tyler Farr, I’ll give you that.
March 5, 2017 @ 3:00 pm
Early Saturday, before noon, they played Trampled by Turtles and the Lumineers. By genre they are ‘Folk’ music but the fan base for both are Hipster. I do not think RIPRanch will get Hipsters into the listener pool, so why put us thru that? Anyhow, a longer test period would be called for.
March 5, 2017 @ 12:12 pm
”But this is the reason country music these days marks a dividing line of the culture war. True country fans, especially ones that have been listening to The Ranch for years as a safe harbor from pop country, are so diametrically opposed to mainstream music, they would rather hear rock or pop invade their radio station than even the best of what country radio’s mainstream stations play”
”…..especially if The Ranch format tweak is successful luring in new ears. Listeners of The Ranch have a legitimate concern that it might only be one or two songs an hour right now added from mainstream playlists, but it could go to one quarter, then a third, then half, and completely flip some day if the incremental moves are effective—sort of mission creep if you will, but on your radio dial…
Man Trigger …this is really the nut of the whole issue right now .
You go out of your way to avoid fast food restaurants …try to support places that offer completely healthy , nutritional options , equally or more affordable dishes, better atmosphere , better service , restaurants that set a good example of healthy eating for your kids ….then one day they close ALL of those places and turn them all into Macdonald’s . Its a complete disrespect for choice , for intelligence , integrity and conscience when $$$$$ force folks to shove things down our throats we know are harmful to us socially and spiritually . THIS is the bigger issue . Saving Country Music ( choice ) means supporting independence of spirit , diversity , tradition , the art and power of the song , the talents of people striving to be more , supporting and respecting honest inspiration , and the authenticity of folks dedicated to inspiring .
In a just country music landscape ,far more authentic music and honest , talented artists should be trickling through onto the mainstream playlists rather than the other way around . Far more listeners DESERVE to be exposed to more than the ” cannon fodder ” they are settling for . Honest music DESERVES airplay …and we all deserve to be respected as adults by stations with the reach and power to define culture .
March 5, 2017 @ 12:16 pm
As a formerly loyal Ranch listener I can tell you they most definitely played “My Church” and “Vice” before this horrendous program change. They did not play “How ‘Bout Them Cowgirls,” Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton, Steve Miller Band, Tom Petty, CCR, The Rolling Stones, Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley, etc. though. Shayne would seem to deviate a bit from the format during his show, but not like it is now.
I started my whole foray into this Texas music scene more than a decade ago with Pandora introducing me to artists like Jason Boland & The Stragglers, it snowballed from there, including with help of this website introducing me to artists like Cody Jinks and Mike and the Moonpies. I’m a pretty big consumer, I buy albums and singles, I don’t use Spotify, and very seldom do I use Pandora anymore. I listen to one of three Texas radio stations.
In 2014 I learned about Lubbock’s 105.3 The Red Dirt Rebel, and their mobile app/online streaming. I’ve been a frequent Rebel listener ever since. In 2015 I found The Ranch and their mobile app, it became my primary source of music. Hats off to Ben Ryan. The Rebel app was often glitchy, often repetitive, and didn’t have a live person in studio a lot of the time (which I think contributed to the glitchy and repetitiveness). I absolutely love some of the stuff I hear on The Rebel that I won’t hear anywhere else. I found KOKE-FM in 2016 after following a link from Rita Ballou in the comment section of this website.
I appreciated The Ranch as an alternative to 105.3 The Red Dirt Rebel because I could hear Corb Lund (I’m sure he’s out of rotation now), Jason Isbell, and Sturgill Simpson on The Ranch. Granted it would be a good Sturgill song, not “In Bloom,” and they played Stevie Ray Vaughn on occasion (ack!).
I appreciated The Ranch as an alternative to KOKE-FM because I wouldn’t ever hear Dierks Bentley, Jake Owen, Josh Turner, Little Big Town, Easton Corbin, Brett Eldredge, etc. I can stomach a bit of the aforementioned artists, some might even have a few songs I hear on KOKE-FM that are guilty pleasures (“Are you With Me,” for instance) but it’s nice to have a refuge where the most objectionable song is something by Uncle Lucious, The Dirty River Boys, or Prophets and Outlaws. I don’t mean to disparage those three groups, I absolutely recognize their talent and what they do, it’s just not my type of music. I’m listening to KOKE-FM as I type this in fact.
I would think the loss of listeners would outnumber the listeners gained. Someone who stops their radio dial because they hear Zac Brown Band is just as likely to start it again when Cody Johnson comes on afterwards. People like me simply won’t be tuning in, because we don’t want to hear that stuff in the first place. There’s a reason we don’t like Keith Urban, it’s not the style of music we like, just as someone who loves Keith Urban isn’t likely to get excited about Cody Jinks. I’d rather hear Josh Turner’s “Home Town Girl” than anything by CCR when I’m listening to what I think is supposed to be a country station. Leave classic rock to a classic rock station, that includes Stevie Ray Vaughn, thank you.
Now, if someone’s dream mish-mash of music consists of some of the above mentioned classic rock, mainstream artists, along with our deeply-loved and respected Texas/Red Dirt artists, and that’s what they really want to hear, there’s an app for that. It’s called Pandora. As for me, I’ve turned off The Ranch. Back to The Red Dirt Rebel as soon as they get their stream fixed. #NotMyRanch
March 5, 2017 @ 1:29 pm
Thanks for the insight Former Ranch Fan.
I spent hours last night culling through complaints from “former” listeners of The Ranch, and they were all about Dierks Bentley, Brad Paisley, Miranda Lambert, and “Nashville pop.” Even now that’s what I’m seeing. Didn’t see anyone complaining about the classic rock added, but I can understand why some would be angered.
March 5, 2017 @ 1:34 pm
I did not care for Springsteen or ZZ Top being played. Not that they don’t have great music, that’s just not what I want to hear when I’m expecting country/Texas country/Red Dirt music.
March 6, 2017 @ 4:47 pm
Thanks for listening!
March 7, 2017 @ 7:12 pm
I love your station, even if you do stroll into work with a towel on your head.
March 5, 2017 @ 12:28 pm
I actually don’t hate all mainstream country. Depending on my mood it’s sometimes what I even want to hear. On my pandora station I have a massive mix (including rap, rock, americana etc), but it includes mainstream country. It can be a fun change of pace. The biggest problem with mainstream country radio is that it’s nearly all pop/bro/AC – country…..essentially it’s a diversity problem.
Also Dierks as best of mainstream, hahahhaa, he used to be, but not sure anybody has sold out harder lately. Give me Eric Church any day.
March 6, 2017 @ 10:07 am
Seak …..you make THE point about mainstream country I think . The generic aspect of the sound- the lyric content , the ” melody ” , the ‘grooves ‘, the phrasing , the production, the arrangements and the vocalists becomes overwhelmingly boring and un-stomachable ( yes …I’m making that a word ) ……beyond 3-4 tunes . NO DIVERSITY !
Let’s ALL paint our houses white . Let’s ALL drive grey Corollas . Let’s all eat Penguin meat . THIS DOESN’T HAPPEN , thank God ……With more musical options available to listeners than ever before …WHY does mainstream ‘ country radio’ have to be so narrow and mind-numbingly generic ? (….. he asked somewhat rhetorically ) ..
March 5, 2017 @ 12:34 pm
I live in the area and The Ranch is programmed into my radio, but honestly I only rarely listen to it because for every 30 minute block I try, there are always a few songs that I just don’t care for at all, and I end up switching it to another station or just turning it off. I actually welcome some of the artists you mentioned for some variety, as I’m apparently not as hard-core “pure country” as many on here…whatever the heck that is! I’ve heard Dierks Bentley, Jerry Jeff, Skaggs etc on this station many times, however I can say I’ve never heard Clapton, but that may be because I don’t listen to it enough. I welcome a slight change in format to fill the airplay with really good music, even if some are from the Nashville scene. I’ll give it another listen 🙂
March 5, 2017 @ 12:42 pm
A college here in Nashville about a year ago switched to an all Americana format. When they announced it, I figured it was a godsend. I couldn’t tell you when the last time I listened to it for more than five minutes was. While its true that there is a lot of bad mainstream country out there, the truth is that you will hear a lot of bad Americana/”real country”/Texas country/ etc etc if a station plays nothing but that for long enough.
March 5, 2017 @ 1:33 pm
Yes, there is some irony in some Texas / Red Dirt fans complaining about pop in the format. Has anyone heard of the Josh Abbott Band? Adding a little Americana and some classic rock, and even a 10-year-old Brad Paisley song might chase away some of the pop. Nonetheless, I can appreciate the fans who loved the station because it was unique and played a more narrow, and Texas-oriented playlist. If that’s all I tuned in for, I would be angry too.
March 5, 2017 @ 12:39 pm
An option I’ve come to enjoy is Outlaw Nation. I stream it as an app for my phone.
March 5, 2017 @ 6:03 pm
I use Outlaw Nation’s app a lot as well, although it seems glitchy at times and seems to get a bit repeative after a while. Maybe that’s just me. Sometimes I have a hard time taking it serious though when they play a stray Luke Bryan song. Seriously? He’s considered some kind of outlaw? Haha, it’s way better than any radio station I can dial into here in Ohio, but I think my Hellbound Glory and Hank3 stations are honed in more to my tastes.
March 5, 2017 @ 12:39 pm
All of this talk about Pandora stations *has* got me wondering…would something like a “Jack FM / We play anything!” format work on mainstream/corporate country radio? A situation like the above issue, where within a ten song rotation you would get a Maren Morris/Eric Church/Ricky Skaggs/Luke Bryan/Turnpike Troubadours mix? I think the easy answer is “no”, as you have to wonder if mainstream fans would consider that not getting enough of what they want, but I wonder if the mix would actually make a sizable audience happy?
March 5, 2017 @ 4:06 pm
It does work. Look at the success of wsm650am out of Nashville. They play everything. Not that other stations would have easy access to it but once in awhile they do a guest country star being the dj. They play what they desire.
Adding the opry a few nights a week is pretty cool. Eddie Stubbs is a treasure.
It has a phone app or can listen online. At night on occasion I can get it here in buffalo, ny over 725 miles away on the dial.
March 5, 2017 @ 7:41 pm
Oh, I live in Nashville, and you are pretty correct, as WSM’s AM channel *is* pretty close to what I was talking about. If they could get Opry to agree to syndicate, it’d be the cherry on top, although I know there is a SiriusXM channel that has it, so there might be contract issues there.
March 5, 2017 @ 12:47 pm
If anyone is interested in checking out the previous hour’s playlist, you can pull it up online…
http://player.listenlive.co/48801/en/songhistory
March 5, 2017 @ 12:55 pm
Maybe I’m reaching here but couldn’t this be a good thing for the artists and music that these people support? By including some quality mainstream artists/songs it could bring in a wider audience. They may give the station a listen because of Dierks, Miranda and Maren Morris and go on to discover TPT, Sturgill and Cody Jinks. It could be good for the station for growth while also being good for the fans and it’s not as though they are playing the bad mainstream stuff either. As long as they aren’t playing FGL or Sam Hunt type music and they continue to play mostly Texas and independent music good for them!
March 5, 2017 @ 1:30 pm
People who listen to Marren Morris will most likely switch the station when Cody Jinks or TPT comes on. So that theory is total bs, in my opinion. You just alienated your core fan base because you want to pick up that listener who scrolls looking for a song that is popular, then changes the channel when anything they have never heard before comes on.
March 5, 2017 @ 1:36 pm
That may be true for certain Maren Morris songs, but maybe not for “My Church,” which has found pretty universal acceptance among many country music fans.
The theory of osmosis is very hard to prove in music, but the reason the station made the change is they believe it will make it appeal to more people. IF this is the case, and IF they don’t slowly creep away from the Texas country thing altogether, then perhaps it will help. But I don;t think we will know that until we see the results of this move.
March 5, 2017 @ 2:37 pm
It annoys me to no end when people don’t like a song simply because they haven’t heard it before. If a song checks off whatever boxes in my mind it takes for me to appreciate it, I can surely like it a whole lot the first time I hear it, even if it’s from an artist I’ve never heard before. Some songs I don’t think are that good grow on me of course.
So yes, they will change the station after Dierks. Or the other demographic will hit the button after ZZ Top’s “Tush” is over when they realize it’s not a classic rock station and not what they really dig; which is listening to the same 100 songs in a random rotation that they’ve been listening to since 1965.
March 5, 2017 @ 1:10 pm
I live in Columbus, OH.
We have a very loyal base of Americana/Alt-Country fans up here. Shows by these artists sell out all the time up here.
However, we can’t get a radio station to have a playlist like this!!!
A station like this would be awesome to have up here.
March 5, 2017 @ 6:11 pm
Couldn’t agree with you more Jimmy. I’m about an hour and a half north of you. Nothing up here for radio stations that are worth a damn anymore. We used to have 101.3 WNCO out of Ashland that was pretty good about 6-8 years ago and there’s a real spotty Classic country AM station that started recently in the Bucyrus area. I’m about 20 miles NE of Bucyrus and have a hard time picking that up. I do miss listening to the radio though, you can’t get local weather reports or farm reports on Pandora.
March 6, 2017 @ 7:16 am
I agree with both of you as well. I live in Columbus and 92.3 WCOL is pretty terrible but also an iHeart station so that explains it. I’m originally from the same area (20 mins north of Mansfield) where 101.3 WNCO plays and it was always my favorite. When I go home, I’ll turn it on now and it’s still better than what’s it Columbus, but nothing like it used to be like you said Farmer Brian. Cool to see another fellow northern Ohio person on here!
March 5, 2017 @ 1:27 pm
I find this change to be extremely disappointing and hypocritical; and their excuses for doing it are total bullshit. Shayne keeps saying this is what their listeners have been asking for. Really? Because I see the number of people against this format change far outweigh those who are for it on social media and on their streaming app. The recent playlists have been flat out awful. Aaron Lewis, The Lumineers, Springsteen, Tyler Farr? If they keep with this format change, then they really need to change the name and get rid of their current slogan of “The sound of Texas”. They tried this stupid stunt before where they let listeners vote on what they wanted and now they are doing it again. only they aren’t asking for input from listeners, they just changed it. Then try to pass it off as if it’s better for everyone this way. I have deleted this station from my preset list and will now stream other stations like KOKE or The Range. I realize KOKE plays mainstream and Nashville artists, but at least they are upfront about it and don’t bullshit their listeners. Their DJs are much more like able as well.
March 5, 2017 @ 1:44 pm
I think we can all come together and agree that Tyler Farr is terrible 🙂
Ultimately, what people say on social media is anecdotal. I have seen artists get absolutely blasted by core fans for releasing a certain single as I explained above, but there are 10 times the amount of fans that eat it up. This is the silent majority.
Nonetheless, I totally understand why some listeners are unhappy, I think they have a right to be concerned the format could get even worse in the future, and they should let their voice and opinions be known. If nothing else, perhaps The Ranch will agree to tweaking the new format a little bit, i.e trash the Tyler Farr and Clapton, and stick closer to their Texas country roots while trying to expand their boundaries.
But I also think people should recognize what an anomaly and gift The Ranch is even in its present state. Read the comments here and elsewhere. Many would kill to have a radio station like this in their life.
March 5, 2017 @ 2:16 pm
I know that the Ranch still plays way more good music than most other stations. However, I feel like more stations were beginning to copy what the Ranch was trying to do. 10-15 years ago we didn’t have anywhere near as many stations that played independent country artists as we do now. There was a demand for Reckless Kelly, Jason Borland, Ragweed, Jack Ingram etc. to be played on the radio and now more stations are playing artists like them. I think that 95.9 had a lot to do with stations beginning to play local talent because the Ranch proved it could be done and that people would listen. Now, they are driving away those hardcore fans. The ones they gain from this switch to mainstream will eventually demand even more of the Tyler Farr, Dierks, Miranda Lambert crap to where it won’t be distinguishable from 99.5 or 96.3. I just wish they would come right out and call this what it really is, a money grab. At least I would have a little more respect for them.
March 5, 2017 @ 8:53 pm
“I think that 95.9 had a lot to do with stations beginning to play local talent because the Ranch proved it could be done and that people would listen.”
This is why I think fans of The Ranch do have a right to be concerned. If it works, it could cause a domino affect with a lot of these stations, and The Ranch could decide to put even more mainstream / classic rock in the mix. That is why it’s important for listeners to voice their opinions. But it’s still worth noting that 98% of the country would kill for a playlist like this from a local radio station.
March 5, 2017 @ 1:27 pm
This format sounds very similar to BOB 106.1 in Minnesota. 90% of what they play is traditional country and Independent and local artists. Occasionally you hear a mainstream song that fits in well…usually around ten years old or more. It’s the best station and they stay very true to who they are.
March 5, 2017 @ 1:39 pm
The music list looks pretty good to me.The only thing I see to get offended by is someone threatening violence for playing whatever music. That shit’s messed up.
As for “cross pollination” between the mainstream and anti-mainstream factions, check out the curious lineup for a big annual event in Alabama called “Rock the South,” with Luke Bryan and Sam Hunt headlining, with Cody Jinks among the undercard.
March 5, 2017 @ 2:01 pm
I was wondering when you’d cover this issue. I was hearing some complaints and tried to look into it a little further. Overall, I get the frustration from long-time listeners. If I were listening to a station for the sole reason that they were an alternative to your usual mainstream station I would be pretty bummed out with this format change, and also worried about what this meant for the station’s future. I also can kind of understand WHY the station might be feeling pressure to add more listeners with some recognizable mainstream artists in the mix. It’s hard to picks sides here because I honestly don’t care – the playlist above looks good to me….
March 5, 2017 @ 2:06 pm
When you alienate your core listenership by dickin’ with the playlist, getting rid of the deeply beloved jock or god forbid flipping formats, the damage is irreparable. Joe or Janet P1 doesn’t trust you anymore. That’s not to say the Radio station will fold and die. It just blows out the listenership and thereby justifies more of whatever the change was. In this case, adding more mainstream artists and getting rid of more of what brung you to the dance in the first place. Long gone are the days of respect for the listener. Part and parcel as to why Radio is such a mess anymore. It’s the independent owners that need to super serve their listenership while corporate Radio continues to turn each station into a Pandora or iHeartradio app channel. Don’t program like the “big boys” do. Program what works in your town/area/section of the state. I worked for a Country independent in Kentucky that wouldn’t let me play Kentucky Headhunters because they didn’t TEST well in SEATTLE!!! And he was a lifelong resident of Kentucky. Testing out of market?? I hurt for The Ranch fans. Someone pissed in their favorite cocktail. Here’s a concept….how ’bout doing a listener survey to find out if they even want mainstream artists mixed in?
March 5, 2017 @ 2:17 pm
This is exactly how I feel.
March 5, 2017 @ 3:30 pm
AMEN
March 5, 2017 @ 2:13 pm
I’ve streamed The Ranch for a the past few years since Houston didn’t have anything close to it. Just realized there had been a format change when the Lumineers came on. I can get the new “alternative” songs anywhere.
The irony is Nashville country stations are finally catching onto the popularity of Texas/Red Dirt music and are trying to play catch up. KILT recently added a short-playlist Texas country HD station (KIKK). I listen to The Ranch precisely for the uniqueness they are now turning away from. I’ll be searching for a replacement.
March 5, 2017 @ 5:24 pm
KILT recently added a short-playlist Texas country HD station (KIKK).
I’ve listened to that stream via iTunes on my computer. It’s not bad at all.
March 5, 2017 @ 2:27 pm
As far as the playlist goes … I’d kill to have that kind of station in Pittsburgh. All I’ve ever wanted was a seat at the table (including award shows). As far as I can remember, I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with country radio. Even when times were good, there was a Billy Ray Cyrus, Rascal Flatts, or Restless Heart stinking up the airwaves.
The Sirius Outlaw station I primarily listen to plays classic rock all the time in it’s mix (Hell, Steve Earle plays Prince!) Also, they drop a mainstream songs by Miranda or Kasey every now and then. The list you posted is very similar to the mix one hears on Outlaw.
March 5, 2017 @ 2:31 pm
Ironic that they are complaining about Miranda Lambert. One of the songs on the playlist (“Look At Miss Ohio” written by Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings off Welch’s 2003 album, “Soul Journey”) was covered by Miranda on her 2011 album “Four The Record”. Miranda covered another Welch/Rawlings song, “Dry Town”, on her second album in 2007 (“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend). Miranda made the big-time and has been rewarded for it, but it’s hard to see how anyone would question that she is Texas and she is country. Don’t see how they’re putting The Rolling Stones in that category with no complaints.
March 5, 2017 @ 2:59 pm
Miranda’s version of ‘Dry Town’ is the only time I don’t prefer the composers’ original version. There’s nothing wrong with Welch’s version, but Miranda puts so much attitude/sass/fun in her interpretation. For example, you believe Miranda is flirting with the boy at the station when her transmission blew, where as it’s a simple observation in Welch’s version.
March 6, 2017 @ 10:37 am
They played Miranda Lambert on The Ranch before any recent change. You are fake news.
March 5, 2017 @ 2:32 pm
Wow, that bloc Los incredible to me. I’m gonna be in Dallas next week and now have something to tune in. Any recommendations for radio/club in San Antonio? They’re damned lucky the owners didn’t flip it to news/talk. I’d take a little Seger & Paisley any day along with my Jinks, Eady, Sweeney & Troubadors
March 5, 2017 @ 2:40 pm
That’s great and all, except now they are taking away more of Eady, Jinks, Troubadours, etc. and adding crap you could find on any other station.
March 5, 2017 @ 2:44 pm
Then make yourself a Pandora station and do that. If we loyal listeners wanted Seger and Paisley we’d have either lobbied for them or made a Pandora station.
March 6, 2017 @ 10:50 am
San Antonio country radio blows syphilitic goats, with the exception of KKYX (680 AM/104.9 FM). If you’re gonna be on the north/northeast side you might try KNBT 92.1 out of New Braunfels, but other than that there’s nothing.
March 6, 2017 @ 4:53 pm
My comment was not addressing the playlist. It was a reaction to Miranda being a specific target of the complainers, as per the information in Trigger’s first reply above:
“Unfortunately, I do not have a snapshot of the old playlist pre format change to make a direct comparison, but someone correct me if I’m wrong in saying it was not out of the ordinary to hear Lynyrd Skynrd or other classic rock previously. Also, that’s not what anyone’s complaining about. They’re complaining about Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert, etc. specifically.”
I found it particularly ironic that anyone was complaining about Miranda being on the playlist considering her love and support of both the music and artists – nonsensical complaint, imo.
March 5, 2017 @ 2:46 pm
Hearing a damn good song like Smoke Rings in the Dark on radio again? Fuck yes. I’d love to have this station close to where I live.
March 5, 2017 @ 2:50 pm
Speaking as someone who is a college radio DJ for WNIA Radio, it kind of sucks to hear about something like this. Personally, I’ve found that more freedom in what you can play leads to a greater confusion in what to actually play. Sometimes I play more traditional leaning material, sometimes I play more mainstream material (but not what you’re thinking). Sometimes I play more older artists, sometimes I give more younger artists a chance. Sometimes you know the artist, sometimes you don’t. It’s hard to please everyone’s tastes, and that’s why I try to balance everything out.
Granted, I’m also our only country music DJ, so I get why people don’t tune into the station all that often :p
Personally I like the above playlist, it represents a nice balance, a coming together of many different worlds that all exist under the country music world if you will.
March 5, 2017 @ 2:53 pm
Why. Does. This. Matter. Why. Not. Listen. To. EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT on Spotify, YouTube or pandora? Duh? Radio is dead.
March 5, 2017 @ 7:49 pm
Local radio is a part of your community. I understand that Internet stations are easier, but *someone* has to care about the local airwaves also.
March 5, 2017 @ 2:55 pm
Here’s what I played last week, and here I thought balance was a good thing…
Jason Eady – Barabbas
Aaron Watson – Clear Isabel
Brent Cobb – Black Crow
Jaime Wyatt – Wishing Well
Whiskey Myers – Stone
Sunny Sweeney – I Feel Like Hank Williams Tonight
Cody Jinks – Chase That Song
Lee Ann Womack – Last Call
Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys – Ida Red
Merle Haggard – My Own Kind Of Hat
Kacey Musgraves – Dime Store Cowgirl
John Deery – #32
Jamey Johnson – That Lonesome Song
March 6, 2017 @ 10:39 am
No Seger? No Springsteen? No Petty? No Stones? No Steve Miller?
March 5, 2017 @ 3:06 pm
And I say the same damn thing every time “The Wall” shuffles itself onto my iPhone!
March 5, 2017 @ 3:16 pm
Glad I have no radio loyalty. You tube and itunes serves me well. Quite serves me well too.
March 5, 2017 @ 3:47 pm
I banned the Ranch a year ago when I counted that out of a playlist of 200 songs, they played TEN by women. TEN. And 1 was a duet with Kacey Musgraves and Josh Abbott. I like Kacey Musgraves, I like Josh Abbot, I like the song, but wtf??!! So the Ranch alienates female listeners and then starts playing Dierks Bentley???!! WTF?#!!! He just put out the shittiest country album of his carrer that’s NOT EVEN country, and the Ranch puts him on their rotation?!!!??? NO. Also the Ranch is supposed to be from Texas/Oklahoma I thought. Red dirt, not shitty EDM artists selling out, referring to themselves as country. Fuck this.
March 5, 2017 @ 8:58 pm
How many times have we mentioned the lack of female artists in the Texas country scene? I’ve done articles on the subject. Ironically, this format change from The Ranch allows them to feature more females, and you can see than in the sample playlist.
March 5, 2017 @ 9:40 pm
Trigger, I’m not attacking you , I don’t think you’re a sexist pig. However, I don’t see GREAT current female purely texas country on this list. In this sample, no Sunny Sweeney, no Bri Bagwell, no Sarah Hobbs. Why do we need an Eric Clapton song? There are enough classic rock stations everywhere. And also, where are Cody Johnson, Aaron Watson, Grammy Winner Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell, and Chris Stapleton in this sample list? WAY way too suspect.
March 5, 2017 @ 9:47 pm
Sturgill Simpson and Jason Isbell are on the list. This is only 54 songs among thousands upon thousands of songs on their playlist. I would guarantee they have Aaron Watson, Cody Johnson, and Sunny Sweeney in the rotation too. I was just trying to make a narrow point that the mainstream artists they did add, at least in regards to this specific playlist, were two women. Perhaps by expanding their playlist a bit it might allow them to feature more women. Just a theory.
March 5, 2017 @ 10:03 pm
I’m not feeling very positive about this change. Any spots that are going to classic rock sucks, in my opinion. Country maybe. I don’t remember hearing that many classic rock songs in a 2 hour time frame when I was listening to the Ranch last year. What good is exposing listeners to Cody, Aaron, etc. when all the spots are filled with classic rock and 2000 Nashville Country? That’s what Nashville radio does, barely eking out Jon Pardi or William Michael Morgan. I don’t like these changes, but if the Ranch starts sucking I’m sure all the Texas country fans (and me) will listen elsewhere.
March 5, 2017 @ 9:49 pm
Correction. Just saw Sturgill S. and Jason I. on this list. Still, something rotten smells in Ft Worth-on the Ranch format change.
March 10, 2017 @ 12:19 pm
I’m with you Orgirl1. I counted… 5 songs (maybe 6 if I missed one) from female artists on that list of 54 songs. Barf. I know it gets talked about a lot on here, but it’s still stunning to see it on a written out playlist.
I love Bob Seger, but it does seem like a strange choice given the other songs. As for the mainstream country songs, “What Was I Thinking” is pretty BroCountry to me and has zero nostalgia-factor. If they want to play “classics” from current mainstream artists, they should stick to songs like “Should Have Been a Cowboy” or “Where the Green Grass Grows.”
March 5, 2017 @ 4:13 pm
Commercial radio is increasingly bland because advertisers spend a lot to have radio ads and they want max listeners in return for their spend. If you have a small niche group of listeners that doesn’t grow, the station will eventually be forced to change the format to get more listeners and advertisers. Like a newspaper, radio sfations depend on ad money to stay afloat. That is why I have migrated to Sirius XM and lizten to stations there.
Just looking at this station playlist, it looks good, there is nothing close to this in my market.
March 5, 2017 @ 4:24 pm
This obsession with Maren Morris is utterly dumbfounding. It’s easy to recognize her talent but the two best songs her name has been tied to are “I’ll Be the Moon” and the outstanding live cover of “Fire Away” with Brothers Osborne. Fucking eh.
March 5, 2017 @ 5:13 pm
I do not live in this area, but I hope the format doesn’t get any worse than this. It is great, I like it, but I suppose that one little slip up like adding in songs from mainstream artists can lead to playing some nonsense like “Star of The Show” or whatever it’s called by Thomas Rhett. I discovered this really weird station that comes to my town in the night time that has a similar format. Except they would play some older country song “Murder on Music Row” and make a comment in praise of the song’s message right after, and then they would play that very same Thomas Rhett song right in between Aaron Watson’s “Freight Train” and Luke Bell’s “Where Ya Been.” I don’t understand the benefit in playing something that is disgraceful to the format right in between two songs that other stations normally wouldn’t be playing.
March 5, 2017 @ 5:30 pm
That’s not a bad playlist by any means, at least if the sample here is anything to go by. It’s still a hell of a lot better of an experiment than KSCS playing Ed Sheeran and Kanye West. But I get why people are pissed about it, and given the degree of anger about it, it’ll be interesting to see what happens,
March 5, 2017 @ 6:19 pm
The only thing I can add to this conversation is I wish we had something half as good as the updated format up here in Ohio. Hell I’d take something 1/4 as good for a radio station. You guys in the Ft. Worth area seem to have it a lot better than us up here. I can see the reasoning to pluck the feathers and boil the tar because it sounds like it was pretty fricken awesome at one point. I might have to try streaming them to get a feel for it.
March 5, 2017 @ 6:46 pm
I’m not from the area but I could see how they would be upset. On the other hand, I would be happy as hell if my local station played that playlist.
March 5, 2017 @ 7:53 pm
Just to clarify, put of that list only 10 are new to the playlist
March 6, 2017 @ 10:50 am
And nobody wants to hear them, except you. Was this your idea, or someone else’s? Or are you still deflecting that question? Everything in bold, plus Clapton and the Stones is ten songs, ten songs that plainly don’t belong on your station.
How about my prior post:
“By my count 18 of the last 40 songs played on The Ranch, as of 1:30PM CST, wouldn’t have been played last Sunday.”
That was yesterday.
March 6, 2017 @ 11:21 am
These are songs/artist that we’ve go requests from from regular Ranch listeners over the last three years. Do I like every song we play? Absolutely not, but it’s not my own personal playlist. This is a playlist designed to bring in a larger audience in an attempt to reel in some outsider that have no idea that The Ranch even exists.
March 6, 2017 @ 11:28 am
I don’t believe that for a second. I’m not mad, I’m let down. Someone who listens to The Ranch, because it’s The Ranch, isn’t calling you up asking to play some Zac Brown followed by CCR. Unless they’re trolls, perhaps? Either way, you tell them to F-Off, and hang up the phone.
March 5, 2017 @ 9:30 pm
Miranda, Musgraves should be included. These women make GREAT country music. No matter what some will complain. I love Lambert’s current album & would be great to hear some on her ballads especially on Texas radio. Maren’s Church song is ok but the others are definitely more pop. So pick the more country cuts on all of them. Support Texas ladies on Texas radio!
March 5, 2017 @ 10:44 pm
Listening to complaints that Brad Paisley ain’t Texas country from people who think Jason Boland and Merle Haggard are helps me to better understand how hacks like Pat Green and Kevin Fowler got big in Texas music.
Blaze Foley would listen to the Ranch these days. So would Townes and Stevie Ray and Buddy Holly and Janis Joplin. And like any good music fan, they’d just go take a leak when Dierks Bentley came on. Same deal as when commercials come on during the Super Bowl.
March 5, 2017 @ 11:08 pm
What? These probably hipsters are whining about this station’s playlist? Come on its lucky that this station is on the air. Sturgill Simpson, Kacey Musgraves, Jason Isbell, Waylon, Willie, Merle, Nikki Lane, Miranda Lambert, Uncle Tupelo and so much more! It looks like they took alot of stuff off of my personal Playlist. since I’m not a pretentious hickster snob, I wouldn’t mind that they put sort of decent mainstream country (no bro country thou) and maybe classic rock songs a little bit here and there in the playlist to make some other audiences to feel welcome, hey we might get them into some really great music they haven’t discovered yet!
March 6, 2017 @ 7:50 am
I really wish people would think outside the box sometimes… I completely understand why The Ranch added different music to it’s playlist… Radio stations HAVE to play to their audience… If a station can add a few more songs to draw a larger listener base, that is more revenue when they go to clients for advertising. They can probably now show that client that their listener base WAS this, but now with a slight format change it is NOW this… Reach more demographic, that’s more potential sales, more revenue, which allows the necessary funds to always upgrade and provide a better product… I am the music programmer for 18 radios stations across 2 states. On our country side, we play a vast array of mainstream, classic, and yes, Texas Red Dirt music and our listeners LOVE it… We have listeners call in all the time that say they have travelled all over the US and have never found a station with such a variety. (as i’m typing this, Marshall Tucker band is playing, Luke Bryan was before that, no one is blowing up our phone lines bitching) No matter what you do in radio, theres always gonna be someone who is unhappy, but you can not program a station for just one small group. As much as i hate to say it, I’ve actually had to tell someone before that if they didn’t like it, they make a seek button on your radio for a reason. The Texas Red Dirt music scene is a boiling pot for all music. I think that they are clearly trying to show the musical influences of artists and highlighting the mainstream artists that have made it big time, but are still keeping it country… Hats off to The Ranch and my good friend Justin Frazell and what they are doing for Texas Red Dirt music, but let us not forget, those “mainstream” artists they are playing, at one time, they were a nobody just trying to be heard….
March 6, 2017 @ 8:14 am
This is my town and my station. I’m the odd one who is okay with the new artists being added. I’ve never been one of the “I don’t listen to that Nashville crap”. I like what I like. I like ZBB, the Avett Brothers. I’m fine with Miranda. They have always played The Pistol Annies. I like that they’re playing Dwight Yoakum now. They’ve been playing Kacey Musgraves for years. I’m happy that they seem to be upping the female songs. I’m not a huge fan of the classic rock type songs but that won’t keep me from listening. I’ll still be listening to the Ranch and Shayne Hollinger. I mainly listen to the radio while I’m driving anyway.
March 6, 2017 @ 9:48 am
Not much of variety up here in central Illinois, 99% of the country stations play literally the same shit everyday. Makes a long day plowing ground suck. There is a classic country station in Decatur that I try to catch when im close enough, they play quite a bit of Buck Owens, The Hag, and Hank Snow, etc. I used to tune into 104.5 WFMB in Springfield for their Red Dirt/Texas hour. They played some Aaron Watson and Cody Johnson, and some other good artists that I didnt know. I think they dropped it though.
March 6, 2017 @ 9:50 am
As soon as they play a Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean, Cole Swindell, or Tommy Rhett song, stick a fork in it.
March 6, 2017 @ 10:03 am
Gotta say I always really loved Gary Allan’s “Smoke Rings in the Dark.”
March 6, 2017 @ 10:31 am
Trying to be all things to all people …whether this is an artists approach to their music making or a radio station’s approach to their programming is NEVER a good thing when it comes to finding and keeping a discerning listener . Just ask any club or any band from any genre that’s played a club that changes up their music genres every other week …..and I know there’s a lot of players who relate to this . Your band is booked as a ‘ country band ‘ this week following last week’s Pink Floyd tribute act following last month’s ” Top 40 ” dance band . That club will eventually bite the dust because it can’t find and isn’t appealing ( respecting ) a consistent patron base. Inconsistency by an artist , a club or a restaurant ends up alienating and even pissing off prospective customers who like to know what they can expect
Radio stations trying to play anything and everything will find listeners who only need music ( ads and DJ s ) as a form of company ..a minor distraction ….playing in the background at the shop , playing in the garage , around the house while they vacuum ,playing in the van dropping kids at school .. etc.. These listeners don’t buy music , they don’t support tradition , they don’t go out to hear live music or support a venue and the only reason they MAY go to a club with a schizophrenic band schedule is that its walking distance from their house . I’m not saying a station shouldn’t have some diversity in their playlist …..but it needs to be diversity WITHIN the traditions of the genre to attract and KEEP listeners who care about saving tradition .
March 6, 2017 @ 10:56 am
Couldn’t have said it any better myself.
March 6, 2017 @ 3:52 pm
I understand what has happened, I just don’t like it. Someone made a comment to the effect that people in many other parts of the country would be thrilled to have a station that played this much music that is not considered mainstream country. I get that. The problem is that for the last 10 years or so we had a BETTER (in my opinion) radio station than what we are peft with now. That’s why I’m complaining. I knew where to find those other artists if I wanted to listen to them. The truth is, I didn’t want to very often, and still don’t. What the Ranch is now is still better than most of it’s competition, it’s just not what it was a week ago!
March 6, 2017 @ 4:13 pm
Much like 92.5 circa 2005-6, when they switched to Lonestar. It was Texas based country, and southern rock. Then it seemed like 6 months later, it was back to Aerosmith, Pink Floyd, & The Doors. Some things are better left unfixed.
March 6, 2017 @ 10:25 pm
KOKE FM in Austin has pretty much the exact format incorporated into their playlist since they came back on the air. But They play Sturgill more than anyone in Texas. Also play Bingham, Margo Price, John Moreland, AA, Old Crow, Aaron Tasjan, Luke Bell and few other East Nashville artists more than anyone in Texas. The mainstream they do play is very legit nash artists like Church, D. Bentley(rita loves Dierkes) Brett Eldridge, John Pardi, Gary Allan, William Michael Morgan, Lee Brice, Mo Pitney, Josh Turner. They have always played Miranda from the beginning and played Maren Morris since she dropped her single My Church. They don’t play Carrie Underwood and the only Brad P. song they play was his college football themed song. Their Night format is all Texas Red Dirt along with Sturg and many of the alt country/Americana artists. But their nash selected mix during peak hours is subtle and I love they included those artists. KOKE also plays Southern Rock icons, Grateful Dead”s “Truckin” along with the Texas and Outlaw Icons. I absolutely love KOKE’s format and playlist and I am probably one of the bigger anti-country mainstream guys out there. But I do love the legit nash artists and KOKE plays them. I hope the Ranch loyal listeners that are upset with the format change will come back around. KOKE’s is subtle and based on your analysis, The Ranch’s is mirroring KOKE’s Nash select playlist. Is it all Money driven? Sure… Radio stations are competing for a shrinking pool of radio listeners against on demand streaming options like Spotify or just simply their own playlists through Itunes or Google Play.
March 6, 2017 @ 11:34 pm
I’ve got to disagree with you there. I think KOKE has really slid since it’s reincarnation. Luke Bell? As a frequent KOKE listener, I have literally never heard them play Luke Bell. Maybe they have but playing it “once” hardly constitutes a format distinction. The influx of top 40 country over the past year and a half or so is astonishing. However my complaint with KOKE goes beyond even the music scheduling. They recently redid a majority of their KOKE promo plugs. Previously they had Ray Benson’s version of KOKE station identifications, whereas now they have a much more “modern” or “urban” identification. You may call it petty, but it marks a distinct shift in the identity of KOKE. As Austin rapidly changes and loses its “distinct Texas feel” KOKE is just laying over by the wasteside. Nothing makes this more evident than the “Texas music” they promote. Sam Rigg’s “high on a country song” and Mike Ryan’s “new hometown” are absolutely Nashville pop country songs that they are peddling under the Texas Music banner. I hear so many artists use that phrase just to push their music. Their sound and singles indicate that they could care less about the roots Texas music has. 2 years ago, I wouldn’t have even changed the station from KOKE, now, I frequent KVET because they even do classic country better than KOKE.
In terms of The Ranch, it’s a real shame. Trigger hit it on the head with the whole slippery slope analogy. The problem Texans have is not that The Ranch promoted and took pride in not playing that stuff, now they are backing off that stance but still flying the “Texas music” flag. It’s disingenuous. And Texans can smell that a mile away.
March 7, 2017 @ 5:09 am
It seems to me that people may be more worried that 95.9 will turn to the TOP 40 Pop Country Radio Station like 96.3 and 99.5 .IMO If you look at the old play list some of the Tex RDR songs were being played over and over again .Adding some Classic Rock , I guess that’s where the Alternative comes into play , personally I don’t see where Bruce Springsteen or Tom Petty , and some others should be on a Country Playlist , if I wanted Classic Rock I would tune in 92.5 The Bo and Jim show. Might as well be 95.9 Jack FM now.
March 7, 2017 @ 6:15 am
I’m an avid Ranch listener. The only music station I listen to on my hour plus commute in the afternoon. What worries me is the slippery slope. KVET in Austin was a great classic country & TX formatted station that eventually became full or pop country. IF this is really a “listener” requested change 95.9 should share the data that is driving the change. I like & listen classic country, western swing, TX & red dirt. The Ranch has always played Miranda, Kasey & Maren with ZZ Top, Skynard & SRV mixed in with Willie, Merle & Waylon. I’d rather hear classic rock or pre -2000 country over 99% of current pop/bro/mainstream “radio” country, but wouldn’t trade either for a Guy Clark, Gary P. Nunn or Ray Wylie Hubbard song or Shane Smith & the Saints. I think the fear is just like TNN & CMT or an untold # of great country stations once they start changing the format it starts the transformation to something unrecognizable. Maybe the Ranch can package Alcohol or tequila makes he clothes fall off with something like Sangria Wine, Bourbon Legend or Swerve. If you haven’t lived that far for the stockyards you don’t realize how lucky we are to have great country music. But Just like Billy Bob’s has transformed from the Worlds Greatest honky tonk to a mediocre dance club that plays country, pop, r&b, latin & TX/red dirt the ranch will transform from a great station to one that is tolerable at best. YouTube, & other streaming sources let you be your own program director. Just Remember what RWH says “What you won’t find up in Heaven are
Christian Coalition Right Wing Conservatives
Country program directors and Nashville record executives.” If you like the change enjoy & support the Ranch & if your don’t vote with you feet stop going to remotes & Ranch sponsored shows, stop posting on the wall & facebook. This uproar is giving them free publicity for the format change which will have a greater negative impact on the playlist than just walking away. As for me I think I’ll just plug in my phone & play what I want to hear when I want to hear it & go to Lil Red’s Longhorn to listen to great music that never gets airtime on the ranch. BTW before the format change I swear Shane hacked my phone & was using my play list one afternoon. I think many of us have thought that before the change. That was the impact of great music & a great station had now that impact is somewhat diluted like adding coke to 20 yr old whiskey, you can do it but why?
March 7, 2017 @ 7:09 am
I guess 4% isn’t that big of a change.
At least the listeners don’t have to pay to listen. I still remember the day XM took away XM 12 Cross Country and forced me to listen to Outlaw Country instead.
I still had six months on my contract at the time too.
I now stream music either through Slacker or stations like KNBT or The Ranch. It’s hard to find good music up here in the Rock and Roll hall of fame city.
March 7, 2017 @ 9:59 am
I think this is exactly the playlist I would want transplanted to my local radio station. They replaced the Red Dirt pop with some of the better mainstream stuff. Perfecto!
#BitchYerQuitchen
March 7, 2017 @ 1:11 pm
I will definitely check this station out online. I live in the Buffalo, NY area and work part-time for the country station here, WYRK. We have consistently been the #1 station for many years. A few years ago, we went from “Today’s Country & your All-Time Favorites” to just “Today’s Country”. You know what that means. Even though there are still some ’90s songs mixed in here and there, for the most part if it’s more than 10 years old it doesn’t get played. The only exceptions are a 3 hour show on Saturday mornings where you could hear anything from Cash to LeDoux and a 4 hour request show on Saturday nights. Otherwise, it’s all your usual suspects. But what can you expect from corporate radio, especially when the ratings are there?
March 7, 2017 @ 2:14 pm
I had to stop listening to WYRK a few years ago because I could only take so much FGL and Blake Shelton. I am streaming this at work right now and they’re playing Merle, so it’s a pretty big win so far. Have to say that Wide Open Country on WYRK still gets played in my house on Saturday mornings, though.
March 8, 2017 @ 11:08 am
For me, it’s not so much that they have made a change, but the songs that don’t fit into what I have been groomed by the Ranch to believe is “the sound of Texas” just really, really don’t fit. I don’t want to hear Tom Petty, ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Steve Miller Band and although Whisky Lullaby may be a good song, it doesn’t fit on what I’ve come to expect to be played on The Ranch. Further to that, I can say in 15 years of listening I have never ever wished I could hear these “alternative” songs during my Ranch listening time and now I find myself just turning it off when these songs come on, sometimes for a few minutes, sometimes for the rest of the day (in fact I just turned it off when The Joker came on). Instead of classic rock why not play the likes of Mark Chesnutt (who put out a great album last year), Tracy Byrd, Clint Black, Clay Walker etc. who were the guys I was listening to before I knew there was such a thing as “Texas country”. Personally I’d much rather hear more classic country mixed in because that more accurately reflects what my playlist is and what led me to Texas country in the first place.
I don’t begrudge Shane, Justin or any of the DJ’s for doing what they are told and I’m not going to throw a hissy fit about it. I’m also not surprised that so many artists (except Charlie Robison!) and the folks at Galleywinter are sticking up for the change because they have to maintain those radio relationships – I would probably do the same thing. I’ve been a loyal listener since 2002 but now I will simply listen less and hope they change their minds on “alternative” because that’s all the recourse I have.
March 9, 2017 @ 1:09 am
Id kill to have a local radio station play that setlist.
June 20, 2017 @ 9:49 pm
I listen to The Ranch because I cannot stand what passes for country today, the formulaic P.U. TRuck, Whiskey, & women… I love all three, but you can only take that as the theme of your music for so long, not to mention that these ignorant fools are mixing in Rock & Roll guitar licks, the rock rhythms from the drummers, and guy’s who wear Cowboy hats like they a part of a uniform. Most country music icons didn’t wear “A look” because of their music type, it all came naturally. Today the music is garbage, hell!
August 14, 2017 @ 12:33 pm
I’m in radio and researched the Texas Music format for years and years. On stations I have had the opportunity to program, my research has found the typical listener is familiar with and likes other music than simply a more hardcore country sound. Simply put, the hardest road to travel is too narrow of a scope of music. Thus, I understand the inclusion of the classic rock (and I mean songs that rock and top 40 stations played at the time). I added other songs that were certainly not mainstream country in style, lyric and formula regardless of artist, so long as they fit what might be termed the ‘gritty and raw feeling’ that is Texas Music and Red Dirt Music. I suspect the ability of The Ranch to expand their audience to be commercially viable and financially sound is at play. Simply put, the number of listeners just isn’t sufficient to get enough money per commercial and enough advertisers to match the bottom line operating costs is at play. At this point, The Ranch either has to perform better or 1) drop air talent or 2) change format entirely. As a listener, your voice needs to be heard, you need to support the station’s advertisers and by all means stick with them. To boycott the station is a sure fire way to make sure Texas Country will not be heard in the future. Many people do not realize that radio is a business. It runs just like a car. Radio tries to create an attractive ‘vehicle’ you’ll love but it never gets down the road until you put some gas in the gas tank (aka the money from advertising). In short, we try to create something the greater number of people will love and then we sell those numbers to businesses wanting to reach our listeners in order to stay on the air. And for those boneheads that threaten violence, I’d say buy your own station. By the way, a threat to a station or their employees is considered by the FBI as an act of terror. You might get a knock at your door if they caught your caller ID.