Current Country Radio: An Interview with Renee Revett of 99.1 KXKC

Here is another country music-related article I wrote during college. I interviewed a program director/dj friend of mine from a local country radio station, who is no longer with the station, about the current state of country radio (1997). I think it turned out well, and she liked it. I got an “A” on this paper as well.

The current state of country music is vastly different from even a few years ago. The genre has turned itself from being the "music industry’s stepchild" to being one of the hottest and best selling music of the ‘90s. The critics consider the year 1989 as the year the industry began to change and boom with the emergence of future mega stars, such as Garth Brooks and Alan Jackson. Nashville critic and insider Buddy Killen feels country music has been greatly affected by the emergence of so many new artists on the scene. He believes the combination of new artists and the "old guard" has been good for the industry. The introduction of country music to young people, and in turn record sales, have greatly benefited from the rising popularity of CMT and TNN, which both allow the public to visually connect with the new artists and music coming out of Nashville.

Unlike other musical formats, country radio relies heavily on the relationship with the Nashville industry and is more involved with the listeners and fans. Country listeners are some of the most loyal and avid listeners of music. Country radio rewards this loyalty by being accessible to the listeners. Many fans are involved with the genre and attend many concerts. Some die hard fans even attend the annual Fan Fair event, which gives fans the opportunity to meet and mingle with their favorite entertainers, something not seen in any other genre of music.

To find out more about what it takes to be successful in the local country radio market, and what a typical day at the station is like, I spoke with Renee Revett, program director and morning personality with 99.1 KXKC in Lafayette. After getting off the air, she runs the programming department, which includes everything from making sure commercials air on schedule to seeing that on-air personalities attend local events, such as festivals, games and concerts, to show community support and meet the listeners.

One of her most important tasks is being in charge of song rotation, deciding which songs to air and how often to play them. Along with music director Kelly Thompson, Revett listens to the new music out of Nashville and decides which new songs to "add" to the playlist each week. Making this task even more important is the fact that KXKC is a member of the Country Music Association (CMA). The station is also a member of both the Billboard and Radio and Records reporting panels, which means the number of songs played, and how often they are played on the air, has an impact on the national charts. As a result, Nashville is interested in what KXKC plays, and industry executives make sure the station gets the newest music. New artists also stop in to the station on their “radio tours.” The industry also invites KXKC to radio-only listening parties, which help introduce new artists hopeful for airplay.

The station is very successful and popular for its young age of only five years. Revett attributes the station’s success and popularity to several things. She says, "Everyone, from the top management to the on-air personalities, is professional. The owner was a broadcaster first, so the station is operated from the perspective of radio and broadcasting.” Unlike the national trend of stations being bottom-line and profit oriented, Revett says KXKC’s main goal is to be entertaining and informative. The personalities are also very community-minded and make a point of showing their care and concern for the community and listeners. In addition to this local success, Revett was recently honored by Billboard magazine as runner-up for program director of the year. The station also has received several awards recognizing its community and humanitarian efforts, including Humanitarian Station of the Year at Country Radio Seminar.

As for current country music, Revett says there are so many new artists now vying for airplay that it is hard for the average listener to keep up. "KXKC, while taking care to introduce new artists, also makes a point of playing a lot of popular and well-known artists, so as not to alienate the listeners by giving them too many people to have figure out who they are." By doing this, and being involved in the community and lives of the listeners, KXKC has avoided the national trends, which find country music in a decline of popularity.

Revett reveals that while being on the air is more fun, she finds the behind-the-scenes aspect of programming the station and dealing with Nashville more challenging and fulfilling for her.

As far as people wanting to get into radio, she feels now is not the best time for new people to get into the radio industry because of the national consolidation trend with owners having several stations in a single market area. However she does offer the following advice for those who want to pursue a career in radio, "Learn it, know it. Don’t lose your interest now. Go ahead and get your education. Learn as much of it as you can, but diversify yourself. The best, most successful people in radio are those who bring to the table a good background of many different things."