Barrett Media produces over 20 stories per day on the music, news, and sports media industries. Stay updated on the latest happenings by signing up to receive our newsletters straight to your inbox.
iHeartRadio’s Hoss Michaels is a Program Director who multitasks across time zones. Based at Country KAT 103.7, Omaha, Michaels also programs Country stations WLLR in Davenport, Iowa, and Big I 107.9, Albuquerque, plus Classic Country 98.1, The Bull Albuquerque, and 93.3 The Wolf, Omaha.
So, how did this handful of programming duties come about?
“The company had approached me and asked if I could take some of my Country expertise and help out in Davenport, Michaels said. “They had let go of their long-time in-house Program Director due to some cutbacks and needed somebody for WLLR. Of course, it is a massive radio station with lots of revenue and big ratings, and they just needed somebody to help oversee it.”
The continued success of Omaha and Davenport led to the next call; Michaels said, “Looks like things are going well in Davenport. We could use some help in Albuquerque as we don’t have a local Program Director. Tony Manero is the guy for programming in Albuquerque and could use some help with Country. He and his wife have their own morning show on our Hot AC, and he’s got a pretty full life.”
When it comes to the two Classic Country stations, “I tend to think of a Classic Country as more of a 25-54 maybe 35-plus format. But, in the last few months with persons 18-34, we’ve gone 4.7, 7.0, and 5.8. in Omaha.”
A resurgence of popularity for 90s Country has helped Classic Country, “I think there’s some of that’s what they grew up on, and they’re like, man, that Alabama song, that’s an awesome song, and having Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean, have that single out with Shenandoah. I think there is some of that, and so that sound certainly has connected with some, and here in Omaha, for us, on “The Wolf,” we’ve certainly seen some younger demos come through.”
Cross-promotion helps keep both brands at the top of mind. “In Omaha, we cross-promote “The Wolf” onto “Kat,” our cat and dog relationship. We always refer to it as part of the Cat Country family. So, we’re not afraid of it, and it’s a much smaller signal than what KXKT has, and that’s certainly a lot of that.”
KAT 103.7 Morning Show “Steve & Gina” (Steve Lundy and Gina Melton) were recent winners of the CMA Broadcast winners for Medium Market Personalities of The Year. Michaels credits the duo with an ongoing willingness to reinvent the show.
“They have been extremely open and responsive to updates and are continuing to grow and evolve. They’re not your typical, well, that’s how we’ve done it. That’s not them.”
Michaels continued, “We always check to see if this is still working. Do we want to keep doing that bit, or do we want to flip that benchmark around? Do we want to do this one earlier or later in the day? They’re always really good about that. I think the thing that really shows their connection is their community service.
Michaels says community service is important to both Steve and Gina. “It’s just in their DNA. They both love being a part of the Omaha/Council Bluffs community. They love going out to do things in public, whether it’s the book tour or reading every week.
Steve and Gina’s “Book Tour” is in its 20th year. The team travels to schools within 35 minutes of Omaha, reads to a class, and gives each student a new book. (BMM 8/30)
“We still host a radiothon for our local children’s hospital in Omaha. And they take that on, and it’s hands-on. They love interviewing these families and getting to know these families and these kids and what their story is, Michaels said.
So, with Michaels in Omaha, how does he dial into the community needs of Albuquerque and Davenport?
“It’s not easy. That was one of the biggest challenges because my personal philosophy has always been that we are here to serve the community, whatever that radio station.”
“We have conversations at least once a week if not more than that. Danny Lynn is on the morning show and has her own band. And her band gets booked at a lot of these events. She’ll tell me, hey, there’s going to be a charity fundraiser coming up. I think this might be something we want to get involved in as a station. There’s a lot of stuff like that. And the sales team is really good about relaying information about community events, not just things we’re advertising.”
And in Albuquerque, “I really do rely on those local contacts. And the same is true in Albuquerque; it’s between Ryan and Tony Manero down there and Scotty, who does my middays for me. They all keep an eye out and say, hey, does this make sense for our brand? And if so, let’s see if we can figure out how we can wrap our arms around it.”
Michaels calls the current state of Country music “in flux,” saying, “There is a lot of music coming at us, coming at radio. I think radio’s role in music has changed somewhat over the past few years, especially with streaming as strong as it is.”
“The amount of titles we’re getting thrown at us from labels is staggering. I talked with Greg Swedberg (iHeartRadio SVP Programming) in Minneapolis, and he’s like, Hoss, the bottom line is we can’t play everything. We have to find songs that we want to champion. Who’s going to get that slot at KXKT this week? If there is one.”
Country artists are releasing multiple songs at once, and then you factor in crossovers like Post Malone, who Michaels says has “embraced the Country lifestyle and Nashville songwriters.”
“He seems very respectful of it, which I was pleasantly surprised with. I never got the feeling, at least from him and his camp, that I’m going to do this pop thing. I’m going to come over there for a little bit, kind of cherry-pick a few people here and there, and be on my way.”
“He really seems to have embraced it. And at least the interviews and things that I’ve seen of him he seems to have a genuine connection to Country music. It’s interesting to see.”
With the amount on Michaels’ plate these days, is AI helping keep it all organized?
“iHeart has the Music Lab, which has some AI features. It helps programmers sort through the data, especially on the music side of it, and streaming.”
“The Music Lab is a nice mix of trying to help figure out what works in each market, where my data differs from what Greg’s is in Minneapolis. That’s different from what they have in Milwaukee and Cleveland.”
So, my scores are different from theirs, even though they are all kind of in the same world. We always joke about the thousand points of light data that goes into this program. It also takes a look at artists and history, like the Eli Young band for us. One of the guys from the Eli Young band is from Omaha,” Michaels said.
In closing, Michaels said, “I’m blessed and honored to be here. I started with KXKT as an intern when it was a Top 40 station when I was in college. I kept hanging around after the internship ran out and got to, wait for it, can you fill in on the overnights?”
“I still love radio, and I think there’s a lot of competition for the ears and eyes of our listeners. But I think good, entertaining radio, whether it’s Omaha, Davenport, Albuquerque, or any market, can still connect and make a difference for people.
Connect with Hoss here.
Listen links: Kat 103.7– Omaha WLLR-Davenport Big I 107.9 Albuquerque
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.
