On Vacation: Have a great holiday and New Year. Please check back in in 2007.

Radio Legend Passes: Cleveland radio legend Joe Finan passed away. I worked with Joe for two years as his program director from 1981 to 1983 at the leading Country station in Cleveland, WHK. He was a consummate pro. A very talented, creative and versatile guy. As a young program director, I learned a great deal from him, especially about true personality radio. He knew then that great content between songs was going to get you further than playing jukebox radio. WHK in the early 80's was one of the last successful AM music stations because we had great personalities like Joe Finan. To read more about this radio legend click:

Joe Finan, DJ, talk show host left imprint on Cleveland radio

How Hot Is Country?: While music sales overall are down 5%...Country as a genre is UP 5%. Much of that increase is fueled by the crossover success of Rascal Flatts who have one of the top selling CD of all genres for 2006 in Me and My Gang, selling over 3 million copies. To read more, check out this article:

http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/index.cfm?section_id=10&screen=news&news_id=53714

What Time’s Person of the Year Means to Radio: “You” are the Person of the Year. That’s because, as Time notes, “You control the information age”. And that includes media choices. More than ever for radio to remain relevant and rise above the plethora of media choices, we will have to connect to our audiences in more meaningful ways. Over the next few months I’ll be talking with my radio station partners about the “how” of creating and sustaining communities of listeners through more relevant programming. The challenges are enormous, but make no mistake, radio has the edge if we don't squander it. Some would say it’s our game to lose. I say it’s ours to win. 2007 will be pivotal year. Let’s make it the best!

Here’s a link to the Time cover story. It’s a must read: www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1569514,00.html

From Today's NAB "Smart Brief"... What Happened In Nashville Yesterday: FCC hearing tunes into country radio. Some of country music's brightest lights, including Naomi Judd and George Jones, spoke against relaxing restrictions on media ownership, at an FCC public forum held on the campus of Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn. The musicians argued that radio consolidation hinders the chances of new artists getting airplay. However, Vanderbilt University law school professor Christopher Yoo countered, saying, "The established players and producers of content have a great deal invested in maintaining the status quo." The Tennessean (Nashville) (12/12), The Hollywood Reporter (free content)

Monday 12/11/06- What's On My Mind

I can't wait to see what George Jones, Porter Wagoner and others in the music industry have to say about radio consolidation Monday (12/11) at the FCC hearings in Nashville. Somehow the idea of Clear Channel asking to own even more stations in a market than they currently have will not go over well in the Music City. Wish I could be there!

I've always thought that Country stations often incorrectly play LESS Christmas music than our audience wants to hear. It still amazes me the resistance that many program directors have to sharing more of this great, emotional music with our audiences. Fortunately, in our format, there's a wealth of great music by many of our stars including Kenny Chesney, Martina McBride and Brad Paisley, to name a few. Can a Country station go all Christmas? Yes it can in certain situations.

Welcome to my new blog. I'll be posting comments and ideas on issues relating to the radio and country music industries. I invite your comments, too. Your time is at premium, and I vow to never waste it. Thanks for checking in.