Mark Razz is the Program Director for Beasley’s Country 92.5 XTU (WXTU), Philadelphia. He joined the station in March 2006 and served as PM Drive/APD until he was promoted to Program Director in January 2019. Prior stops include WMMR, Philadelphia, SiriusXM, WXRK, and WAXQ, New York, and WAAF, Boston.
92.5 XTU is Philadelphia’s heritage Country station, and according to Razz, it’s about giving listeners what they want.
“We’ve been in the market for 40 years, and our job is to play the hits, right? So we are, and every year, we play what is the most popular or the best tunes of that year in Country music. That’s our job. We’re essentially a Top 40 Country music station, and we do very well in the ratings. We’re very research-based, and we’re here to play the hits.”
The Andie Summers Show anchors the station in the mornings.
“Andie has been in the market for 25 years. People trust her. She says that it was the listeners who raised her as a broadcaster, and she takes it very seriously, and she loves the listeners. They love her back.”
Razz is happy with the current state of Country music.
“I think Country music is as popular as it’s ever been. I think what they’re doing in Nashville is just really tremendous. They’re finding new talent all the time that just keep raising the bar for other artists to live up to, and I’m so happy and so glad to be a part of that.”
Are crossover artists like Post Malone and Beyonce potentially changing the dynamic and sonically changing Country music?
“I’m not worried about crossovers. Listen, the more people that come to the Country party, the better. If you think about it, we’re all Americans, and Country is a glimpse of what American music is all about. I just think it’s fantastic. Every time I listen to a batch of new music coming out in Nashville, I get excited about what the kids are seeing and, what they’re playing, and what they’re doing, and they’re pushing boundaries.”
“And that’s what rock and roll music has been all about pushing those boundaries. It’s always been that way. Ever since Elvis came on the scene, boundaries have been pushed for almost 75 years. It’s what they do. It’s what we do.”
With the amount of new music coming from Nashville, is there a danger of Country radio going from being traditionally artist-driven to song-driven?
“I think you’re always going to be okay as a radio station if you play the best music available and you research your music to your audience because your audience is going to tell you what they want your radio station to play. Your audience is going to tell you what they expect from your radio station. And I think you should listen to them.”
“I love that there are artists-driven relationships, and that’s great. I love that. But really, at the end of the day, you’re responsible to your audience to play the best possible music that’s out there.”
Does being research-driven mean not stepping out and taking chances on new music or artists?
“I do take chances, but it’s got to be that special moment. It’s got to make sense to step out.”
And what is an example of a recent “special moment?”
“I think Shaboozey really shocked everybody. When I first heard that song, I was on a boat in Key West. I heard that and Post Malone at the same time. I could just tell the reaction of the people that were listening to it. I’m going, whoa, these two songs will fight for Song of the Summer, and that’s exactly what happened.”
You heard those songs during a carefree, fun time in Key West. How did you know that they would translate to Philly?
“It’s just one of those things you step out on. I’m watching just so many people react to it. And sometimes, it just catches fire. I would have known pretty quickly if the song wasn’t going to work because my audience is that vocal.”
Does 90s Country play a part in the music mix?
“I mix it in. There’s definitely a place for it. I certainly have enough 90s Country to satisfy the audience. I researched that a lot in our comprehensive music tests.”
Charity is an important part of XTU, and the station is coming off two successful events.
“The Toy Truck Parade, we’ve been doing that for 25 years. One of the poorest communities in New Jersey is Camden. We partner with the Boys and Girls Clubs, and they’re able to collect hundreds and hundreds of toys for kids who really need them.”
“Our listeners, whenever we ask them to do something, they respond. That was piggybacked onto our St. Jude radiothon, which we raised over $300,000 for the second year in a row. We’re probably raised $1.5 million in the last five years. Our listeners are very generous.”
And in a previous professional life…..
In 1993, 31 years ago today, WAXQ, Q104.3 signed on in New York City. Razz joined the team shortly thereafter.
“The station signed on in December. I was on the radio by March. I was excited to be able to say my name there on 6th Avenue and have it heard all over New York.”
“The station had vision. There was a hole for that kind of music, just a little bit harder than your general rock radio stations at the time. It was considered active rock. And we made noise. We made noise for about two or three years. And we were not afraid to take on the established radio stations in the city.”
“We made Metallica mainstream. We were playing Danzig. We broke a lot of music.”
And a lot of rules?
“Well, there were rules, but we were there to shake shit up. And we did. We took care of a lot of the New York bands.”
Watch this space for more from Razz and others involved in Q104.3.
Connect with Razz by email here.
Listen to 92.5 XTU here.
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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.
