Study: Radio Consolidation Not Working
If you listen to the rhetoric of country music’s major labels or the executives of country radio’s biggest companies, most will tell you all is rosy on the country radio front. But the research tends to always be on the side of country music fans sounding the warning bells that the genre has strayed too far away from its roots, and is being unresponsive to the wishes and tastes of a wide swath of the country music listening demographic. Such was the case in 2012 when an Edison Research study concluded that listeners want more classic country on radio. Edison Research’s Larry Rosin as part of the Country Radio Seminar in Nashville said,
“I believe that we as an industry have really made a mistake in our conception of our own stations. While many people don’t want to listen to classic country music, some still do, and we’ve let them float away”¦We run the risk that we just are more and more pleasing to fewer and fewer people until all we are is ecstatically pleasing a tiny, unsustainable number of people.”
This year at the Country Radio Seminar, Larry Rosin was once again sounding the warning bells about the viability of country music on the radio moving forward in the face of rapid consolidation, the evaporation of local and live programming, and the emergence of new technologies and services competing with radio like Spotify and smart phones.
Though things are looking very good for country music in general, country radio is another case according to Rosin and Edison Research. Despite 77% of people agreeing that “Country music is a significant part of American culture,” and 73% of people agreeing that “Country music is becoming more popular,” Larry Rosin says that “Country radio radio is in the fight of its life,” and that voicetracked, or non-live and non-local shows are “essentially a disaster for the radio industry.”
Why? Because country music’s demographics are becoming much younger as the format moves away from the more traditional sound of the genre. Edison Research found that the amount of 12 to 34-year-olds listening to country music positively surged in 2013 from 12% to 27%. But since millenials are more likely to consume their music through technological alternatives to traditional over-the-air radio, the future looks grim for the format. As country radio is abandoning older demographics in favor of a new sound, and the fans of the new sound are abandoning the radio format in favor of new technologies, the amount of people country radio appeals to is getting slimmer by the minute.
Another very interesting statistic Edison Research found is that 62% of people believe “too many country songs sound the same,” once again calling concern to country music’s current trend of male-dominated laundry list or “bro country” songs and the limited amount of songwriters writing the majority of country music’s current hits.
The accumulative conclusions of Edison Research speak to what Saving Country Music and other critics of country music’s current trajectory have been saying for years: that country music is amidst a sugar rush of popularity that is statistically unsustainable and may result in not just creative, but economic burnout of the format in the coming future, especially on radio. So what can be done about it?
According to Larry Rosin and Edison Research, country radio needs to “double and redouble” its efforts to feature live and local shows. The reason is because research into the listening habits and desires of country music’s growing millenial population says that they favor buying local, and they like local personalities as part of their music listening experience. On-air personalities and programming custom made for local tastes and local listeners is the strategic advantage radio has over services like Spotify and Pandora. “It’s never been more important to play up live and local,” says Edison Research’s Jane Charneski.
But of course, this is the exact opposite of what is happening with country radio. Amidst a country music media arms race, the two biggest radio station owners in America—Clear Channel and Cumulus—are fighting it out for who can feature the best nationalized programming under the premise that it is cheaper to pay one DJ and distribute them across your entire radio network as opposed to paying local DJ’s at every radio station the company owns. But once again, this is just feeding the American consumer’s flight from traditional radio. Though companies like Clear Channel are dramatically cutting costs through their consolidation efforts, the company reported a $309 million loss in the last quarter, compared to a $191 million loss in the same quarter the year before. So not only is it bad for radio’s big consolidators, it’s getting worse.
It all is enough to leave the country music radio consumer baffled as to why anyone thinks the idea of radio consolidation will work. Dissent against radio for abandoning country music’s traditional roots, for leaving behind local programming, and for trying to make money by cutting costs instead of trying to appeal to more consumers is not just a matter of taste or opinion. It is clear through specific statistics and research that these things are eroding country radio’s long-term foundation, and the only way to stop it and to retain the solvency of country radio itself is to reverse course.
March 3, 2014 @ 11:29 am
I am shocked. Only 62%?
Seriously, though, how could anybody not have seen this coming?
March 3, 2014 @ 11:44 am
I can see the live and local artist/show format working in specific markets such as Nashville and parts of Texas, but would this really work anywhere else?
March 3, 2014 @ 12:48 pm
Local does not just mean local music. What made local radio stations so successful and vibrant compared to consolidated radio is that they could offer a unique mix of national, mainstream music, regionally-influenced music, and local music. If there isn’t or wasn’t much local music available, maybe there was some from the greater region. Saving Country Music has featured tons of great bands from the Pacific Northwest, the upper Midwest, New York, Boston, all over. But at this point many of these bands don’t receive any local support on the radio, making it harder for them to grow. Local radio used to be a big supporter for touring as well, getting people to venues by playing a band’s music before their shows, doing interviews, ticket giveaways, etc.
Also something the Edison Research seemed to stress is the local DJ personalities, and how listeners connect with them through local news, events, interviews, and music. This is what’s lost in the syndication model. And as Edison points out, many of these national radio shows are now not even live. A national radio personality will come into the studio for an hour, voicetrack intros and outtros to commercial breaks, and that will be cut into a five hour show that happens the next day. There’s no connection listeners feel to the music. Do you think CMT Cody is doing his Clear Channel After MidNite show live? Of course not, it was all pre-recorded earlier in the day. Edison Research is saying that connection listeners have with local DJs is the strategic advantage radio has over streaming services and satellite.
March 3, 2014 @ 3:35 pm
Trigger, as a 45 year vet of this business, a couple of things ring a familiar bell. There is something to be said about local, and especially when it comes to music programming. What works in Atlanta or San Antonio doesn’t always work well in Detroit or Cincinnati. A good music director scrubbing his own playlist can do wonders because they typically know the pulse of the community. And I think there is a business model for “local” artists. While not the typical chart-toppers, there is a draw, especially when tied in with local venues. I, for one, am very nervous with the CC Entertainment model of pushing artists. I think that control is dangerous and can alienate listeners, some of which don’t want to hear the same artists all the time. Hopefully, at some point in the future the F.C.C. will kill the Telecomm Act of 1996, and go back to a model where local control of radio reigns. I look forward to that, as well as the competition of other stations not playing the same thing four other stations are playing.
March 3, 2014 @ 4:21 pm
In the Baltimore/DC region, I can easily get two stations on my radio as I’m driving. Both are owned by Clear Channel, both have the same DJ in the afternoons. If I get tired of a song playing on one station, no sense switching to the other station to see what they’re playing. Even if they’re not playing that same song at the exact same time, within a song or two, I’ll have to change the station again. That’s when I give up on the radio and play a CD. A third station is also owned by Clear Channel but so far they have a more palatable song rotation. Unfortunately, they’re a bit too far away for me to listen to very often. Hopefully they’re not getting more generic as time goes on.
Another reason I don’t listen to the local radio stations anymore is because they don’t play requests if they’re not already on the play list. While I may have in the past requested a song and then listened for quite awhile to hear them play it, now there’s no reason for me to listen knowing I won’t hear the song anyway. (Took me awhile to find that out – the DJ’s basically just say, “We’ll see what we can do,” or some such thing instead of telling you flat out that that song isn’t approved for play.)
While I’m sure that people in this area would like new songs that come out by some of the artists I’m a big fan of, it’s so disheartening when the local station won’t even give the artist a chance to be heard, whether they’ve had hits in the past or not, and then let the listeners be the judge of whether to keep playing the song. I’m thrilled when I take a road trip and manage to find a station that plays songs that are more than a year old, or by more than the same handful of artists, or a new song by an artist that hasn’t been heard from recently, and actually *asks* for people to call in requests!
I can’t say I’ll be upset if Clear Channel keeps bleeding money. Sure would be nice if the stations around here would go back to a totally independent format. I’d go back to listening again if that were the case.
March 3, 2014 @ 8:56 pm
Re – requesting songs that aren’t “approved for play.” That right there is an instant way to begin reversing the pattern of the downfall of country radio. But that would require someone at the station to answer the phone and divert from the assigned playlist. How hard could that be?
March 4, 2014 @ 7:50 pm
I have seen this coming for a long time. I have been singing real country music in my nightclub in Wilder, KY, (Cincinnati Area), for 35 years and for the last several years I have heard the complaints from country music lovers how they have felt betrayed by local country radio. There is nothing country about the music you hear on B-105 or 94.1. They simply stole the name and kicked country music out. When George Jones passed away they hardly talked about it let alone play any of his great music. I tuned in long enough to shake my head in disappointment. His passing developed a new hunger for real country music in general. As far as country music fans go in Cincinnati/Northern KY those stations do not exist anymore. Internet radio is the wave of the future. I am very grateful for all the air play my music receives on internet radio and plans are in the works for streaming a live show from Bobby Mackey’s.
Bobby Mackey
March 5, 2014 @ 6:16 am
Standardized playlists have been around since the 1960’s-1970’s. But, I can see request shows coming back where there’s at least some attempt at actually playing requests. As one who’s done it, though, I can tell you some of the requests you get you have to reject. You just can’t go back to the 50’s anymore…
March 3, 2014 @ 11:48 am
I second the statement that folks are simply flocking to alternative access. I’m in Austin where at least we have KOKE. I rarely listen to KASE and KVET (clear channel stations), mostly listen to Google Music All Access, and listen to both KOKE (Austin) and KJDL (Red Dirt Rebel out of Lubbock) on Internet Radio. Thank God for the alternatives, because I’d be an unhappy camper if I had to listen to clear channel all the time.
March 3, 2014 @ 12:36 pm
I’m in Austin too and I love KOKE. Sounds like I need to check out KJDL though, what frequency is that on?
March 3, 2014 @ 12:42 pm
KJDL is 98.5 in Lubbock. I don’t get it over the air. I use a Tunin app to get it. Great station. Long Live Texas Music
March 3, 2014 @ 3:42 pm
Sorry. Its 105.3 out of lubbock. Couldbe best station in texas and oklahoma.
March 3, 2014 @ 11:56 am
I think also, there’s evidence in the amount of local, live venues who have local artists performing sell-out shows every week. You don’t get to hear them on traditional radio, but thanks to smart phones and internet radio stations, they can be heard and their popularity is spreading, despite being shunned by the big corporate radio lords.
Just wanted to toss in that perspective.
March 3, 2014 @ 1:38 pm
I fully agree most radio stations have become VERY stagnant. You can flip though the stations in your area and how many times do you land on the same songs? I mean how many stations do we need playing Taylor Swift’s song Red at the same time? Or how many times do you need to hear it in an 2 hour period…I think 2 or 3 times in a 2 hour period is just ridiculous considering how many country songs are out there.
And I think its time to put away the tractor rap, bro country, or what ever the hell that crap is. If you wanna hear pop go to the damn pop station. I hope more radio stations see this and adjust their playlist from the same 15-20 songs every hour to more of a wider variety.
March 3, 2014 @ 2:46 pm
One of the things the Edison Research talked about is the “bowtie” stopset model for radio stations. Though I don’t exactly understand it because I’m not a radio guy, apparently it results in most stations on a market playing original radio segments all at the same time, and commercials all at the same time, meaning that radio stations end up walking on each other, and alienating listers by not allowing them to switch stations out of commercials. Add on top of that that you might have competing Clear Channel, Cumulus, CBS, and other big company radio stations playing virtually the exact same playlist in the same market. And now that country plays more pop, you may hear the same songs on half a dozen different stations regardless of genre.
March 3, 2014 @ 9:02 pm
If you watch much TV you will find that TV stations do it to extreme. Count on 22, 42 and 56 after the hour (among other times) and I defy you to find a station not on commercial break. Simply maddening that both radio and TV do it.
March 4, 2014 @ 8:52 pm
I always assumed this was done on purpose so you wouldn’t see any point in changing stations.
Gloomy-Hum-Drum Tiddy Bits | Rawhide And Velvet
March 3, 2014 @ 2:29 pm
[…] I dunno what all this means, I just hope I get to keep talking on the radio.  […]
March 3, 2014 @ 2:32 pm
Besides just playing local bands it’s important to understand that different areas have different tastes in music. A market like Topeka, Kansas may be a good place to play more traditional country and classics because Topeka has had a large country fan base for decades and likely has a number of older listeners tuning in.
A market like Monmouth-Ocean, New Jersey might not have a large audience that prefers traditional country and mostly broadcasts to listeners that got into country within the last 5 years. This market could play a lot more country pop than Topeka.
Also, any kind of local event a station can push would create a relationship with listeners. Local events are much more personal than pushing the iHeartradio Fest every commercial break.
March 3, 2014 @ 4:35 pm
U think we care?
March 3, 2014 @ 6:04 pm
This made my day.
On topic, the city I live in has one Clear Channel country station and one Cumulus country station. Then there’s one independent country station that plays the same shitty pop/rap country songs plus the occasional classic. Barely a step up, and the commercials and ads are hardly any more local. Not too long ago Trampled By Turtles played a show in town. Not one station advertised it or played a single song of theirs. The place was still packed, but it would be nice to have a radio station that cares about independent fans.
March 3, 2014 @ 6:08 pm
Forgot to mention, all three stations promoted the hell out of the Luke Bryan, Lee Brice and Cole Swindell show this weekend. I proudly turned down a free VIP ticket. Saw a low-dollar country cover band at the bar instead.
March 3, 2014 @ 6:12 pm
This is a good point to make. Just because a radio station is local or independent doesn’t necessarily make it good. However, many of the independent radio stations are forced to follow Clear Channel and Cumulus’s lead or be forced out of business. Others have already been forced out of business because of it.
March 3, 2014 @ 11:13 pm
Based on my personal perspective, the problem seems to go deeper than just Clear Channel or Cumulus. In the market here, there is only one country station, and it is local. However, it primarily plays bro-country even though it does not have to compete against the large conglomerates.
March 3, 2014 @ 10:07 pm
I guess I should feel lucky that in the town I live there are no stations owned by the huge corporations, country or otherwise.
We have three country stations and all have local DJs throughout the week. On the weekends there is a bunch of syndicated stuff like Kix Brooks’ countdown.
One station plays nothing but Red Dirt/Texas country. The other two play the current hits along with other stuff. One plays quite a bit of what they call “Texas Tracks” and has “Strait on the Eights”. The other plays a lot more “classic” country.
Living in the sticks definitely has its advantages.
March 4, 2014 @ 12:48 pm
Clear Channel Communications, Hundreds of stations the same thing on every one of them. Their the radio version of a fast food joint.
March 4, 2014 @ 4:01 pm
These public opinion polls re meaningless to me! I shall continue to ignore these trends set forth by a country music listening public that obviously doesn’t know what is good for them. I shall flood the airwaves with my brand of bro-country until they see what they are missing!!!! Because the public only THINKS they know what good country music is!
We shall give them more autotune. More trucks. More lipstick. More ice cold beer. More Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line, Blake Shelton, Chase Rice, and all my brethren!! We shall never let these cretins in the public defeat us! Long live bro-country!!! If one of my singers’ careers is destroyed by these so called “traditionalists,” then two more shall take their place!!!
HAIL HYDRA!!!!!!!
March 4, 2014 @ 4:01 pm
HAIL HYDRA!!!!!
March 4, 2014 @ 8:58 pm
This sadness me radio station not even that long ago had personality. In SF we had KFOG, we still do but it’s not you know, KFOG anymore. It is better than most but only because the audience here got pissed when they tried to mess with the format and when they fired all DJs whom we’d been loving for 20 plus years! These people were like extended family, you’d see them at shows, or station events and chat with them. Being a great DJ was an art and like all other arts it is being lost.
And KFOG was THE SF station. It knew SF and it’s people and it played TONS of local acts all the time. And the DJs were alloed to talk about the acts the liked and favored. Now we get Mumford & Sons, Kings Of Leon, Arcade Fire on repeat but none of local rootsy folk/alt country people we are known for in northern CA.
I would insert a grumpy cat picture here but I can’t.
March 4, 2014 @ 10:42 pm
I think that might be because the Bay Area is far more into rock than into folk or country. It has been that way for half a century.