Today is day two of a two-week series, “Countdown To CRS.” Between now and the start of CRS, I will highlight Country Radio Program Directors and industry leaders to discuss what the Country Radio Seminar means to them, their best memories, and their takeaways.
I talked to Jim Murphy, Director of Programming for Music Choice and Country Programming, who looks forward to CRS and the reinvigoration it provides him.
“When you’ve been doing this for a while, you forget just what a great business this is. What a great thing that we get to do. And so, when you’re around people, especially people who are relatively new to the format and our business, to see the excitement that they have to be a part of this thing that’s been going on for well over 50 years, that is exciting. It’s reinvigorating, and it’s something that I never take for granted.”
Murphy agrees that the uniqueness of CRS is the easy and effortless mixing of industry veterans with those in the beginning stages of their careers.
“There’s a super equality, you might say, because we’re all doing the same thing. We’re all working every day to try to serve our listeners, try to serve our community, and try to serve Country music. And that is just so rare. There’s no other genre that has anything even close to CRS. It’s just one of those things that makes what we do so very special.”
Murphy acknowledges the hard work of the CRS agenda committee.
“The agenda committee puts so much work into the presentation every year. It really does boggle the mind that there are so many different aspects to what we do. It’s become somewhat more complicated than 20 or 30 years ago.”
“There are more components to what we do. I want to have that opportunity to learn new things and hear how other people are doing what they do in their market. Maybe there’s something that you can take away from that that will make what you do better or just give you a different slant on an idea. The interesting thing, the longer you do this, you see some old ideas that are embraced as brand-new ideas.”
Networking is a huge part of the CRS experience, and this year, Murphy is on a presenting panel discussing that.
“This is kind of a shameless promotion, but we talked at the beginning of the conversation about how CRS is a great networking opportunity. You get to see all of these people. I’m actually doing a networking event for CRS on Wednesday afternoon.”
“I mean, there are a bunch of people on the panel who are way more famous than I am, but the opportunity for programmers of every level to come and say hi and just visit and maybe have a beverage. Again, the kind of thing you don’t get anywhere else but at Country Radio Seminar.”
I asked Murphy to give me a special CRS memory, and as I suspected, narrowing it down was tough.
“When Darius Rucker first came out, he just had his very first song on the radio, ‘Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It,’ and he came to CRS for the first time. Of course, people knew who he was and are always a little suspicious when people cross over from other genres.”
“Certainly, they were much more suspicious in whatever year it was, somewhere around the mid-2000s. But he came to CRS, and I remember I was in the Renaissance Hotel and taking the elevator down. And the elevator door opened, and Darius Rucker walks in.”
“He sticks out his hand and says, ‘Hi, I’m Darius Rucker.’ And in my head, I don’t say this out loud, but in my head, I think, I know who you are. But here’s this guy introducing himself to me. And I thought this guy’s got it right. This guy will go far in Country if this is his attitude. And it’s all worked out pretty well for him. I’ll never forget that moment.”
Another involves Garth Brooks.
“I remember Garth performing ‘Friends in Low Places’ at one of the luncheons back in 1990 and just blowing everyone away. And then, probably about 30 years later, he came back. I don’t know who arranged it, but they rented out Bridgestone Arena, and Garth did a show there for just CRS attendees. Here’s this enormous venue, and you’ve got about 500 people there. Everyone had a front-row seat to Garth.”
Earlier in his career, Murphy was with Jones Radio Networks, and the CRS exhibit hall provided a venue for new and established artists to do live interviews.
“When I was at Jones Radio Networks, we had the largest presence in the exhibit hall and would do live broadcasts. We would bring in the biggest names in Country to do live interviews. That’s just something that’s not done anymore.”
“Shania Twain had her first network interview on Jones Radio Networks back in the 90s. You could see brand new artists, top-level artists, and people just starting to make it.”
These factors make CRS unique for Murphy and stand out from other industry events.
“A lot of them were sponsored by trade publications that tended to be parties. And that’s not to say you don’t have a good time at CRS. I’ve always had a good time at CRS.”
“But these other events were really designed to be good blasts. Where at CRS, there’s such a focus on the educational aspect. And really having things that you can bring home.”
“And this is, I think, something that maybe CRS has struggled with over the years. When you try to get a conference in your radio station’s budget, the general manager’s perception of a conference is those Gavin Conventions from years ago. Let’s be honest: not a lot of education happened.”
“I don’t mean to point fingers. Certainly, there are a lot of other conferences that would fall into that same category. But CRS was always different. In that, you could spend time really learning things, and take things home.”
“Learn new promotions and new ways to interact with your audience. So many things. I was always excited to get home and start trying some of the new stuff I had learned.”
CRS 2025 is February 19-21 at the Omni Nashville Hotel in downtown Nashville. Online registration is closed, but walk-up registration is available at $799 starting on February 19.
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.
