There was a time when two formats in particular had, or thought they had, a woman problem. Classic Rock and Country had hard rules about two female songs in a row or a limit on the number of female artists in an hour.
It made a little sense for Classic Rock, where there weren’t many female artists to balance an hour or across several hours. If you got beyond Heart, Pat Benatar, Joan Jett, Debbie Harry, Stevie Nicks and Janis Joplin, your choices were getting scarce.
Country radio has never really had a shortage of female artists. The ‘90s had Shania Twain, Reba, Trisha Yearwood, Faith Hill, Martina McBride, Wynonna and more.
Fast forward to today. Lainey Wilson just won her second Entertainer of the Year Award at the ACMs. There is Carrie Underwood, Ella Langley (also a big ACM winner), Kelsea Ballerini, Carly Pearce and Ashley McBryde.
So, knowing there is no shortage of female artists similar to those in Classic Rock, are the outdated ideas on presenting female artists still relevant?
Kenny Jay, Consulting Partner at Albright & O’Mally & Brenner, said that playing two female artists in a row is no longer a thing.
“We always look for balance in music scheduling, but short answer – no,” said Jay.
Scott Roddy, Regional VP Audacy Country West Coast and 103.7 KSON San Diego Program Director, has long been a promoter of the ladies of Country music.
“When I started in radio, females reigned supreme! Tanya Tucker was back, the Judds, Highway 101, Mary Chapin Carpenter broke through…I’ve ALWAYS been a MASSIVE fan of ladies in country music.” Roddy said.
“Several years ago, I started Leading Ladies…LIVE concerts to showcase the up-and-coming lady-led acts like Dasha, Hailey Whitters, Tigirlily Gold, and Runaway June. That series now has a mini run up the west coast Audacy Country stations in “my region,” starting in San Diego, ending in Portland.”
Roddy specifically has no problem playing back-to-back females.
“I try to keep two uber pop artists from playing back-to-back, same with traditional, Coffee House Country, etc. If two songs back-to-back are compatible, I don’t care. A hit is a hit, regardless of gender.”
Jay said that when scheduling music, it is not the women currently causing issues. “Gravel-voice guys are the hardest to balance right now.”
Jay added that the density of artists and short listening occasions has led to a rethink of the overall setup of MusicMaster and GSelector.
“We do a lot of work on both systems to optimize them for efficiency. It’s no longer a badge of honor to take two hours a day scheduling a music log, even with the amount of Morgan Wallen we should be playing.”
“If set up correctly at the start, it’s easy to adjust not only the type of Country (pop, rock, twang, etc.) but the content flow of your quarter hours. Programmers shouldn’t have to choose between hit songs in a category because they already have that type of sound code there; the software can work around that.”
“Same with secondary artist separation. With top-performing Country station P1 occasions at :11, why wait 42 minutes to bring back Luke, Morgan, or Lainey when they are the 2nd or 3rd artist on a song?
Roddy said there are warnings set in his scheduler, but there is not one for gender.
“I remember when I started, a long time ago, my mentor told me to highlight women. I have warnings set in the scheduler for sound code, artist separation, energy and era. I do not have ANY warnings set for gender.”
“I don’t want SOUNDS to clump…gender doesn’t come into consideration. The way the segue sounds and an equal sample of every quarter hour is the most important thing to me.”
So, to answer the question posed at the beginning. Does Country radio have a woman problem?
Not according to Roddy, “I can’t comment on anyone else, I certainly don’t. I try to play what the audience wants based on demand, ticket sales, EVERY social media channel, streams and LOTS of research. Age, race, gender…doesn’t matter to me. Hits matter to me. What songs can build a stronger coalition and keep them on my brand(s)?”
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.
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.
