Kenny Jay is a consulting partner at Albright & O’Malley & Brenner. He has programmed Country radio stations for over twenty years, including stops in Minneapolis, Seattle, and Chicago. He has experience with Record Label and Artist Management.
Jay has won numerous state broadcasting awards and was named a top Country PD by Billboard Magazine, CRS/Country Aircheck, and Radio Ink.
He is this week’s featured consultant.
Jeff Lynn: Country radio is in a good place right now. To what do you attribute this upcycle?
Kenny Jay: A party that both the core country audience and their non-country friends can enjoy and be passionate about. The format feels good, and that’s a position I felt like we had previously given to Classic Hits.
JL: Current music, which can be very cyclical, is also in a good place. With that, what makes up the formula for current vs. gold?
KJ: It really does vary by market and competitive situation, but a good starting point is 60% current/recurrent. Let’s not chase a current cycle like the format did in 2013 because, like all good parties, it must end sometime. And when the last music boom ended, the new fans and the core both left us.
JL: Pop artists crossing into the country seems acceptable to the country’s audience. Does the success of Post Malone and others surprise you?
KJ: Post specifically doesn’t surprise me because the core isn’t seeing or hearing it as pop. It’s outstanding music and an event that’s been a gift to the format. Where the format gets in trouble is when we play bad pop or bad country flavored songs.
JL: Is there a growing place for 90s music in the mix?
KJ: For most of our clients, we’ve been in the 90s the past few years. They perceptually test just as well or better than currents and are accepted by 18-year-olds as much as the older audience. Playing the right 90s for your brand and competitive situation is the key.
JL: Do you think all gold Country stations have enough huge hits to sustain a format?
KJ: It varies market to market, but yes. I like taking a classic hits approach to classic country, and so far, it’s yielded great results for clients in numerous locations. These brands make listeners feel good and are hit-driven, hyper-local, and fun.
JL: Is AI impacting the stations you work with or how you do your job?
KJ: Yes – In a good way. From setting up bits on the morning show to saving time writing spec spots, it’s a powerful assistant if utilized properly. Assistant in today’s radio world of running multiple stations, sometimes from remote locations, is a great thing. With any new technology or system, the hardest part is adopting it as a habit.
JL: How important is talent to the mix?
KJ: A critical point of difference in an unlimited world of content choices. While getting the music right is important, “DJs that sound like my friends” is still a top three position your radio station needs to own. (Talent, Music, and ‘Makes me feel good when I listen”)
JL: What is the biggest problem facing not just Country but the radio industry in general right now?
KJ: Resources to compete, and not just station A versus station B in a market. Our brands must be competitive in the larger content space that’s growing and evolving by the second.
JL: How important are the charts in helping your stations curate their playlists?
KJ: This prints more harsh than it’s intended, but very little. With respect to our industry partners, charts are not radio’s report card. With companies having their own initiatives making up a significant percentage of chart, stations have to find out what their local audiences want and give them more if it. Great example: Zach Bryan. ‘I Remember Everything’ was our best testing song the first half of the year and continues to be a secret weapon for our stations. We put the Ella Langley/Riley Green’ You Look Like You Love Me’ on in numerous places before it was a single because the audience was already there. Music’s moving too fast to wait for a chart to be an indicator of a hit song.
Connect by email with Kenny here. On socials @kennyjayradio
Jeff Lynn serves as Editor of Barrett Media’s Music Radio coverage. Prior to joining Barrett Media, Jeff spent time programming in Milwaukee, Omaha, Cleveland, Des Moines, and Madison for multiple radio groups, including iHeartMedia, Townsquare Media, NRG Media, and Entercom (now Audacy). He also worked as a Country Format Editor for All Access until the outlet shut down in August 2023.
To get in touch with Jeff by email, reach him at Jeff@BarrettMedia.com.
