95.9 The Ranch Releases Statement After Recent Format Tweak
The Texas scene is still buzzing after the recent format tweak to one of the region’s premier radio stations, 95.9 The Ranch out of Ft. Worth. After adding a few more older catalog Nashville country songs, some classic rock and a little Americana, certain fans of the station were up and arms, hoping the station would stick more to its Texas-centric format.
Saving Country Music posted an in-depth analysis of the station’s format after the tweak, and late Tuesday (3-7), the station finally addressed the matter via a formal statement. The Ranch reached out to Saving Country Music and asked if we could also post it. You can find the statement verbatim below.
– – – – – – – – – – –
Since its launch in 2002, Fort Worth radio station “95.9 The Ranch” has charted its own
path and proven that a radio station can be successful without following the traditional rules of
the radio industry. For example, the Ranch has eschewed the conventional, national chart
driven approach of creating its playlist. The conventional approach is to play mainstream
current hits off the national charts, complemented by select previous hit songs that performed
well in national music research/testing. The Ranch has held the belief that this “one size fits all”
approach is too limiting, and does not allow room for the great music produced by independent
artists.
Instead, unlike the vast majority of country radio stations, the Ranch has embraced the
independent artist with its Texas/Red Dirt format and has become known as “The Sound of
Texas.” This bold move has paid off, as Fort Worth and north Texas listeners have shown that
they are hungry for this raw and real style of country music that is so different from the highly
processed type heard on most mainstream stations. And now, thanks to the programming
vision of the Ranch, the phenomenal talent in the Texas/Red Dirt music scene, and the passion
of the fans and listeners who love it, the Ranch has become one of the most successful non
traditional radio stations in the country.
The next natural step for the Ranch is to continue to expand its listener base by playing
the very best music with the gritty, real sound that has resonated so loudly with its listeners. A
little over three years ago, the Ranch team began identifying music outside of the daily playlist
that appealed to core Texas/Red Dirt listeners. The station introduced “Throwback Thursday”,
focusing weekly on old school country songs learning if, and what, other country music listeners
liked. Then “Free for All Fridays”, a weekly wide open playlist to discover if listeners liked music
beyond the confines of country or Texas/Red Dirt. The Ranch team also learned from core
Texas/Red Dirt artists about bands & artists who most influenced their music, and about
contemporary artists who were respected by independent artists. With the two specialty
segments and input from many core Texas/Red Dirt artists, the Ranch programmers began to
see a pattern of songs emerge that complement Texas/Red Dirt music very well. Much of this
music that Ranch listeners love is not technically “Texas Country” or “Red Dirt” (i.e. Chris
Stapleton, Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell, Will Hoge, Miranda Lambert, and Sean McConnell).
The same is true for music from the icons who influenced today’s Texas/Red Dirt artists (i.e.
Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, and Waylon Jennings). Additionally, there are some artists being
played on mainstream country radio who have very select songs that fit the overall sound of the
Ranch (i.e. Eric Church, the Zac Brown Band, and Gary Allan). Beyond country, the taste of a
Ranch listener often includes older rock songs as well (i.e. ZZ Top, Bruce Springsteen, the Eagles
and Lynyrd Skynyrd).
Because the taste of the Ranch listeners is broader than just Texas/Red Dirt, but
generally does not include the highly processed, lyrically simplistic offerings of mainstream
country, the Ranch has begun to use “Alternative Country” as an umbrella term for the diverse
mix of music about which Ranch listeners have become so passionate. The Ranch has not
“changed formats,” but it has simply freshened its imaging to better describe its current
playlist, as well as added a few more titles that it believes will appeal to its growing listener
base.
Justin Frazell is the Program Director and morning show co-host at the Ranch, and every
week he hosts “Texas Red Dirt Roads,” the most successful syndicated Texas Country/Red Dirt
radio show in the country,. Mr. Frazell has built his career around expanding the reach of
Texas/Red Dirt music, and he was recently asked by the head of the Texas Music Office in
Austin to sit on the board of an exploratory panel to help determine new ways to do just that.
With regard to the updated positioning and new song titles now heard on the Ranch,
Mr. Frazell said, “ For 21 years in the D/FW radio market, I have championed independent artist
and music and have no plans to ever change or stop that. I owe my career to Texas and Red
Dirt Music. We believe that these additions not only better describe our current format, they
will ultimately provide a larger platform with greater exposure for our Texas and Red Dirt
artists. We will continue to be the “Sound of Texas” that Ranch fans love, and we are excited to
attract new listeners to the best locally programmed radio station in the country.”
Ryan
March 7, 2017 @ 8:54 pm
So if I read that write, they were successful because they played nothing but Texas&Red Dirt Music leading them to be called the Sound Of Texas. So,naturally the best way to continue to be success is to stop doing that? #facepalm
Ryan
March 7, 2017 @ 8:57 pm
*right, not write.
Chris
March 7, 2017 @ 9:00 pm
What a load.
This is disingenuous.
The last thing Texas and Red Dirt music needs is some crappy synthetic Nashville music.
Cool Lester Smooth
March 7, 2017 @ 9:28 pm
…which is literally exactly what this statement says.
JTE records in Nashville, and The Good Life is more country than any of Randy Rogers’ solo efforts…and I love me some RRB.
Chris
March 8, 2017 @ 12:17 pm
No, what it “literally exactly says” is that they will add artists like Eric Church, Zac Brown, and Gary Allan to their lineup.
It also says they want to expand their listening audience, which from their perspective means adding other types of music to their historical genres.
Cool Lester Smooth
March 8, 2017 @ 2:20 pm
The issue with the collective freakout is that Eric Church, Zac Brown and (especially) Gary Allan have plenty of songs that hew a hell of a lot closer to traditional country than “Every Girl” (which is one of my favorite songs of all time), “Small Town Kid” or “Next Big Thing.”
They’re just adding guitar-driven, rock-influenced country from places other than Oklahoma and TX.
Former Ranch Fan
March 9, 2017 @ 12:28 pm
Even if I accept your premise, what’s that got to do with anything? If I want to hear Tom Petty, there’s already a station or eight thousand that plays Tom Petty. If I want to hear William Clark Green….hmm I don’t get much choice there…. I don’t want to hear Tom Petty generally, if I did, it would be like one song every couple years, and it would be because I wanted to and looked it up on YouTube. I sure as hell don’t need to hear Petty on The Ranch.
Cool Lester Smooth
March 9, 2017 @ 12:30 pm
But there are exactly zero stations that play an occasional Tom Petty song and William Clark Gren.
Ron
March 9, 2017 @ 8:57 am
I discovered the Ranch two years ago and stream it almost daily. In all fairness they’ve been playing select Eric Church and ZBB songs since I’ve been listening. Not a heavy play count, but it’s been there for at least 2 years already.
Former Ranch Fan
March 9, 2017 @ 12:30 pm
Must’ve been when I wasn’t listening then. And I’ve spent a lot of hours listening. Well, not since last Thursday…
Ryan
March 9, 2017 @ 5:32 pm
No they haven’t.
Former Ranch Fan
March 9, 2017 @ 12:23 pm
What are you even talking about?
Storiesofyou
March 7, 2017 @ 9:01 pm
God, I wish we had a station like that in Halifax (Nova Scotia, Canada). We have 2 “country” stations now. one (101.9) that I grew up on, which is now a road apple, and a new (“Hot Country” 103.5) which smells pretty much the same. There used to be a couple decent A.M. stations, but they don’t exist anymore. 100% offline Spotify in the car now. Sigh.
Scott S.
March 7, 2017 @ 9:09 pm
It’s been CDs and now mp3s from my phone for a long time for me in my car. Radio is more commercial than music anymore anyway. Rather be my own DJ.
Storiesofyou
March 7, 2017 @ 9:24 pm
Amen. I remember the first time I started to notice the decline. I think I was a bit of a late bloomer as I’ve always been an optimist. 2007 Brad Paisley concert (he was good then). There were probably 10,000 teenagers with straw Toby Keith style cowboy hats on, jumping around. I’d been going to country concerts since I was like 8, and had never seen that before. At the time, I thought it was a good sign that younger people were getting into country. Should have realized that these would be the people who dictated what the radio would be playing in the very near future.
The Senator
March 8, 2017 @ 7:52 am
That’s been my course of action for the last decade or so, too. And that’s one of the reasons I’m appreciative when Trigger tunes me into quality stuff that would otherwise fly under the radar.
No radio station’s going to play the variety or quality I want to listen to, and arrogant that it may be, I know I can outdo them as a DJ any day of the week. Shame to have your hands tied by corporate and government restrictions.
albert
March 8, 2017 @ 1:30 am
We have ONE shit country station in Vancouver ……and I mean SHIT !
I miss Stevie Gaines
March 8, 2017 @ 10:06 am
Say howdy to the trailer park guys for me!
Storiesofyou
March 8, 2017 @ 10:31 am
The dope shed’s no place for kitties.
Chris
March 8, 2017 @ 12:12 pm
Excellent point.
I have been my own DJ for decades now.
I never listen to the radio.
I get better music and no commercials.
Chris
March 8, 2017 @ 3:02 pm
The top-rated “country” station in Detroit thinks Taylor Swift’s “Wildest Dreams” is country. Our “Nash” station is actually slightly better musically but still sucks.
If Fort Worth doesn’t want The Ranch anymore, I’ll gladly take it.
Storiesofyou
March 8, 2017 @ 3:21 pm
Agreed. I don’t mind being my own DJ, but i’m lazy with playlists and I end up on shuffle, skipping 10 songs and stopping on one…and repeat. I used to enjoy the mystery and surprise of a good country station, and hearing that new great song for the first time. I know we have some good outlets for the last part (SCM), but I still miss it.
My girlfriend and I were listening to a multi-genre station and an 80’s pop song was on, and she said “why are we listening to this?” I said “It’s better than this.” and switched to the “country” station….not sure who it was, but it was EDM thumps and yeahyeahyeahs. She said “Fair enough”.
Jtrpdx
March 7, 2017 @ 9:15 pm
I followed what they were saying in the press release, right up to the point of saying they thought it was a natural progression to throw in stuff like Eric Church and The Eagles (never met an Eagles fan I could fully trust! : ). I love ZZ Top and respect Skinnard, but the point is, if you want to hear that stuff, you can tune in to any classic rock station in the country. I don’t think they are going to gain any listeners by adding that kind of stuff to the mix, and they sure as hell had to know that it was going to piss people off. They might as well start playing Journey and other such things, and just go all out.
Cool Lester Smooth
March 7, 2017 @ 9:31 pm
…is the idea here that “Take it Easy” and “Over When It’s Over” are somehow less country than “Sympathy” or “Every Girl”?
Jtrpdx
March 7, 2017 @ 9:57 pm
Nothing to do with not being country enough per se, as I listen to a wide variety of music. Although, one of the annoying things about them was the fact that they were Californiana hippies trying to pass themselves off as being somewhat country. The Eagles were also notorious assholes / divas, and I find their music mediocre and boring. That, of course, is all one person’s opinion. Oh, and Joe Walsh is pretty cool.
Cool Lester Smooth
March 8, 2017 @ 2:21 pm
I’m just saying that those artists are absolutely a natural progression, if you want to add people with a similar sound, who aren’t from TX or OK.
Jtrpdx
March 8, 2017 @ 7:15 pm
Somewhat agree, but my point was that if you want to hear those artists, you can tune into any number of other radio stations, so not sure why they are trying to be so broad here. And, not sure doIng so is going to gain them listeners. I don’t think anyone ever listened to the station and thought, “damn, where is the Hotel California or the Free Bird. This sucks!”
Cool Lester Smooth
March 8, 2017 @ 7:38 pm
I think the question really is whether “Eagles and Skynyrd” means Free Bird and Hotel California, or if it means Take it Easy and Sweet Home Alabama.
Personally, I like having “Dead Flowers,” “Hungover and Hard Up” (and even some Tom Waits) mixed in with my Isbell and Turnpike Troubadours.
I’d already listen to 95.9 without them, but this is a nice little value add for me…unless it turns out that they’re gonna be playing Hotel California five times a day.
gbkeith
March 8, 2017 @ 9:24 pm
You really come across as a shill with your repetitive harping on Turnpike.
Cool Lester Smooth
March 8, 2017 @ 9:52 pm
Did you miss the part where I said Every Girl is one of my favorite songs of all time, haha?
Or did you miss that I mentioned William Clark Green (whom I just saw in concert) exactly as many times I did TT?
I fucking love Turnpike. I’m also under no illusions that they’re any closer to “Traditional Country” than Gary Allan or (non-Outsiders) Eric Church.
If you’re gonna try to score “Internet points,” it’s best to read carefully. Otherwise you look like a fucking moron desperate for validation from people he will never meet.
Kenneth R. McCown
March 7, 2017 @ 9:46 pm
Boycott their advertisers and make it known.
Keith
March 8, 2017 @ 12:56 am
When I tune into the Ranch I expect to hear Texas music. If I have to put up with the other crap I’ll shut you off.
albert
March 8, 2017 @ 1:37 am
The whole statement sounds like a bad defense . ” Expanding ‘ a listener base is radio business-speak for trying to make more advertiser dollars by pandering , watering down and trying to be all things to all people …
…..the .beginnng of the end
Sam Cody
March 8, 2017 @ 2:41 am
That is the most boring, mind-numbing excuse for a statement I’ve ever read. Maybe they were having a contest to see which listener could say the least, using the most words?
…and now for another exciting Two For Tuesday…
Kyle N
March 8, 2017 @ 6:27 am
Better than what we got in central NY, all they give is a “classic daily double” segment, the rest of the time it’s shit with the occasional good song.
scott
March 8, 2017 @ 6:33 am
Too bad. When I was in D/FW last year, the radio in the rental car was tuned to the Ranch, I never hit search. Only wished there was a station like that here in central Illinois.
Dr. Venkman
March 8, 2017 @ 7:58 am
I’m with you. The closest thing we had to a good station was the 98.3 WHIP, depending on where in central IL you are.
scott
March 8, 2017 @ 8:55 am
Pekin, right outside Peoria. Both Peoria country stations are Luke/Jason pukefests. Totally unlistenable.
Dogit
March 8, 2017 @ 8:05 am
I wish we had a station like that in AL. I do not see the need for classic rock additions. Where is the value? Give an independent artist another rotation. I like classic rock. You can find it on the classic rock station.
shastacatfish
March 8, 2017 @ 9:02 am
This is rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Radio will eventually go the way of the dodo, largely because it is not customizable. I think just about the only argument that can be made for radio is that, in theory, it does the work of finding listeners new music they are not familiar with. Beyond that, it really does not accomplish much (if it even does that) any more. I basically replicate a good radio station with my phone these days. I have over 1,000 hand-picked country songs on my phone (that is not even the total library, just the “best” country songs) and I put that on shuffle any time I hope in my truck. That’s 60+ hours worth of music with no repeats, no rock or anything else. It is better than radio and pure country. I don’t care if it is Texas, Nashville or independent. If it is good, it’s good. I play Hellbound Glory alongside Merle, alongside Clint Black alongside Easton Corbin. I do the same thing with rock too, and it’s got great deep cuts and lesser known stuff like Tommy Bolin on there. Radio can’t compete with that.
Will
March 8, 2017 @ 9:04 am
The commercial pressures of having to throw in stuff like Church, the Eagles, Skynyrd, Paisley, etc is why 99.9% of my radio listening is via TuneIn or the station’s apps to the Americana community-based stations like WDVX in Knoxville, WMOT in Nashville, or KNBT in New Braunfels. Don’t mind stuff like the additions to the Ranch playlist, but not when I’m listening to a Red Dirt/Americana/etc station.
Patrick
March 8, 2017 @ 9:30 am
This “format change” isn’t about expanding an audience, introducing “alternative” music, or anything else other than money.
Research the industry and you’ll understand how this station like all other stations, pays for the music they “spin”.
Then listen to the music that the Ranch is now playing in their rotation. It’s not them introducing their current listeners to something new. It’s not about attracting new listeners to their market space. It’s about filling time in their rotation, with music that costs them less to play. Reduce costs = increase profits.
The problem here is their dishonest, miss-leading method to do this. Attempting to mask it as anything other than what it is, is deceptive. The calculated risk in the deception offset the number of lost listeners with savings from this change. Justin, Shayne and all others associated with the Ranch and involved in this decision know the facts of why the change was made, but they opted to go with what they thought would be the least impact, rather than just stating the truth. Again, calculated risk. If they increase the bottom line, they win. If the bottom line takes a hit, technically they lose, although to truly lose they’d need to be unemployed as a result and that’s an unlikely outcome.
I consider it irresponsible of savingcountrymusic.com to overlook this, and attempt to support the change by appearing neutral. This sites comments do just that, if anyone cares to read them for what they are. Middle of the road, don’t take a side, fill space text.
For anyone that disagrees with the format change, your input is a simple dial turn away. Change the channel. Find an alternative to the Ranch. Listen to your stored music. Stream from an app. Numerous options, but continuing to do nothing other than complain, won’t get you anywhere.
If you want to be heard beyond just changing the channel, voice it when the Ranch personalities take the stage to intro a band. Attend the events where the Ranch is a sponsor or participant, and display your dis-satisfaction with a shirt, banner or flag. You don’t need to incite a riot, but there’s nothing wrong with letting your voice be heard, especially when it’s a voice shared by others. Just as a crowd can cheer together, they can boo together.
Of course as with everyone else on the planet, these are all just my opinions. Everyone has free will and is entitled to their opinion, so all may agree, disagree, or have no consideration whatsoever for my thoughts.
Former Ranch Fan
March 9, 2017 @ 12:10 pm
I don’t know if your analysis is correct, but I agree 100% on the explanation being complete bullshit. And I’m tired of bullshit. I wonder how many others are no longer listening. I am still sad about the demise of my favorite radio station, I miss it.
Farmer Brian
March 8, 2017 @ 10:19 am
I commented on the last article that I wish there was something like this in my part of Ohio, and I still stick to that statement. I’ve been streaming The Ranch the last few night while I’m out wrenching in the shop. Not everything they were playing was to my liking, but I never got to see what it was like before the big change up. All I can say is this, most of what they play, the red dirt, alt country, classic rock, and what not was pretty much right up my alley. That first night I heard them play Hank3, Waylon, and Jason Boland and it was awesome to hear that. Last night they played some Merle, Aaron Lewis, and a few guys I hadn’t heard of yet. And I personally like ZZ Top and Skynyrd so that just seemed like a bonus to me. And there was some commercial about catfish dinners that kept making me hungry. I can’t get anything like this locally, so it’s almost like the greatest thing since sliced bread.
I guess you can’t please everyone and someone will always be pissed off. Trying to please everyone makes the whole thing suck for everyone usually, but it’s waaaaay better than what I can dial in at home. So I guessed it’s better to be pissed off than pissed on, to me. I think I’m going to keep steaming The Ranch for a while.
Megan
March 8, 2017 @ 10:49 am
It amazes me how people can complain about this when literally the rest of the nation would kill for a station even remotely like this. The only way to like every song on every playlist is to make your own. Boycotting a station like this only hurts artists you like, so as long as they’re not playing Luke Bryan, FGL, etc, grow up. It’s radio, it’s meant to expose people to new music, and it’s actually exposing them to good music for a change, and music many haven’t heard of. Start listening, and you might find something you like. How did you find these lesser-known artists in the first place? You gave something new a chance. Respect The Ranch for what it is trying to do, and come back when they start playing actual shit music. People turning off this station for playing things like “Whiskey Lullaby” give traditional country fans a bad name. Don’t be the people Blake Shelton was referring to. Also, it’s true you can get classic rock on a classic rock station, but radio used to be less divided in terms of genre, it wasn’t always this way. And again, you might hear something you like.
Patrick
March 8, 2017 @ 11:13 am
People keep talking about “wish I had this station where I live”. In today’s world, where you live has nothing to do with how you listen to music. Most anyone anywhere, can stream music from anywhere else. Geographic location is not relevant to the discussion.
The fans of the Ranch are irritated because for years the Ranch preached that they’d not play the type of music, that they’re now playing. IT’s now the Ranch garnered support of their fan base. Now those employees that led that charge (Justin, Shayne) are the biggest proponents of the change. And the bottom line still is, the change was made to reduce the stations cost per spin on these “new” musical formats. That directly reduces the number of spins for the artists that the fans support, and for the opportunity to hear any new “non-nashville” artists.
Most of the fans that disagree with the Ranch format change have sourced alternate means of listening to the music they want to hear, by streaming the music from another source. They still get to hear the artists they love, and the new music that fits the format of the station presenting it. The Ranch didn’t change to introduce new music. Pa attention and you’ll soon realize the “new” music they’re playing isn’t new at all. Most of it has been out for 10+ years. They chose it because it costs them less to play it, not because they’re trying to expand anyone’s musical tastes, or help new artists.
Farmer Brian
March 8, 2017 @ 5:41 pm
“People keep talking about “wish I had this station where I live”. In today’s world, where you live has nothing to do with how you listen to music. Most anyone anywhere, can stream music from anywhere else. Geographic location is not relevant to the discussion.”
I agree with that statement to an extent. But, at least I’m my area, there are still things on the radio that whatever streaming source you choose doesn’t give you. Maybe this doesn’t matter to most people, but take for instance the local farm report, what the current cash prices for crops and livestock. You won’t find that on whatever steaming service you use. Sure I could look it up on my phone one the go, but sometimes that’s not practical when I’m running equipment. Same could be said for local weather. Sometimes you just don’t have the hands to pull up the radar when your playing beat the clock in the field. Not to mention advertising for local businesses and events. When people say they would kill for a station like this, I think they want that connection to the local area that gets lost with IHeartRadio stations.
Don’t get me wrong, I stream plenty of Pandora and such, some of that is because the radio is the shop is spotty, some of it is the crappy stations.
Just my 2 cents, I think radio still has its place if they could just get a decent country station on the dial.
Megan
March 8, 2017 @ 9:36 pm
You make some good points here, but where you live absolutely has to do with how you listen to music. Case in point, I know Red Dirt music because my Oklahoma City station that I grew up with played it before they went iHeart. Nowadays, the casual listeners who turn on their car radios, the young people that radio caters to, won’t hear that music on our stations and may not seek it out. How can you seek out something you don’t know exists? Another case in point, I barely knew of The Ranch before this, and that barely is because I have driven through Texas and played it. Your average listener, aka the people radio cater to, isn’t going to seek out something like The Ranch, and if there were more stations like this across the nation, these casual listeners might find more on the radio than mainstream corporate country, and they might find more to like.
Former Ranch Fan
March 9, 2017 @ 12:20 pm
You don’t think an adult country music fan who was scrolling through the stations would take pause when they heard something like The [old] Ranch? The vast majority of people aren’t even aware of the Texas music scene. Someone who was 30 years old in 1992 and a fan Clint Black, etc. would feel a lot more at home listening to this kind of thing versus mainstream country.
I also saw somewhere a Ranch apologist talking about how this is going to make the genre more popular, (yes, playing less of the genre is going to increase demand), and instead of just 10% of the artists in the scene getting mainstream play it could be 50%! I don’t have a clue who these 10% are, Jack Ingram, Pat Green, and Eli Young Band I guess. That’s about the extent of national mainstream exposure that there is. Again, that explanation is complete BS.
Former Ranch Fan
March 9, 2017 @ 12:40 pm
“Don’t be the people Blake Shelton referred to.” What’s that got to do with not wanting to hear Steve Miller Band, CCR, Bruce Springsteen, etc., PARTICULARLY on The Ranch, which you listen to BECAUSE they play the music you want to hear, and not that other crap?
Megan
March 9, 2017 @ 1:15 pm
That part of my comment had nothing to do with the classic rock bit. None of it had anything to do with the classic rock until I mentioned classic rock.
Disappointed in Houston
March 8, 2017 @ 7:32 pm
What happens when Pat changes his sound to Nashville to try to sell more records? We called him a sellout and stopped buying his music. What happens when Aaron Watson releases a song mocking Nashville producers rejecting his music? We smiled and sang along.
So when The Ranch management goes Nashville and try’s to spin the reasoning, the once loyal fan base smells the sellout. We’ve seen it all before.
Former Ranch Fan
March 9, 2017 @ 1:00 pm
I haven’t been listening, because I have been watching the wall on their website and I believe something profound just happened.
Taff Martin
March 9, 2017 @ 1:21 pm
I run a Community (not for profit) radio station in England, and I do a two hour show just called The Country Show.
I have never been asked to play the likes of Aldean, Bryan and co nor Skynyrd. Luckily I pick and choose every single song as we have no pressure from record companies etc, as they don’t pay our bills.
You have such wonderful music available to you at all times, even without Saving Country’s Spotify added in, so if you don’t like something turn it off, they will soon get the idea, if they don’t, look elsewhere.
Personally I have yet to hear any radio station, or show where I like every thing they play.
Ryan
March 9, 2017 @ 5:45 pm
Last nights Houston Rodeo show with Cody Johnson got me thinking. This music is constantly growing. The Ranch trying to tell everyone this has to happen in order to grow the listener base and get more people tuned in to the Texas/Red Dirt Music is crap. Cody Johnson just played in front of 60,000 people last night. That is amazing! Aaron Watson had a number 1 record as an independent artist, something no one has been able to do before. These artists like TT, Randy Rogers, Jason Boland, WCG, etc. are now able to take their music outside of Texas, outside of Oklahoma and even outside of the country to play to fans. Sam Smith is playing in freaking Malaysia. This scene is growing! You don’t need to mix in mainstream artists in order to grow this scene. The artists providing good music and entertaining shows is what will grow this scene. Yes it’s hard work and not for the faint of heart, but those guys I just mentioned continue to pave the way. It started with Waylon, then REK, Pat and now Turnpike, Jason Boland, and so many more. The Ranch is moving backwards. Playing less of the music we love is not the way to move forward.
Vinnie
March 10, 2017 @ 7:07 am
It seems to me that they’re trying to mimic Sirius Xm’s Outlaw country station’s format. I won’t be surprised if they start playing some CCR and I don’t mean Cody Canada’s old band either.
I was listening to the Ranch yesterday and I couldn’t get past the Eagles so I changed to KNBT.
Banjobison
March 13, 2017 @ 6:45 pm
Lol all these stupid hipsters complaining about a still really great station all because they added a few mainstream artists (and it’s still not all the bro country/pop country crap) , man I really wish there was more country stations like this (I’d be listening to it nonstop!), we should all be glad that this kind of station is on the airwaves today with most of the radio being owned by the same few companies and playing the same crap. Get a life you hipster snobs