Americana Bluegrass

You probably saw the PR this week:

Clear Channel Radio today announced the launch of the nation’s largest and Clear Channel Radio’s first Americana Bluegrass station nicknaming it ‘New Grass’. WTCR-AM 1420 begins broadcasting the best of Americana Bluegrass from both recognized and relatively obscure artists throughout the land. The station will feature Ricky Skaggs, Slaid Cleaves, Willie Nelson, Nickel Creek, Ray Wiley Hubbard, Founding fathers like Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash and home grown favorites from right here in the tri-state. “It’s the right place and the right time to bring the Tri-State area Americana. We are thrilled to launch this genre of music,” said Vice President/Market Manager, Judy Cornett. “Not only does it fill a long-needed music presence on the radio, it also fulfills our mission of helping to launch and develop a wealth of regional and local talent. Highway 23 has produced so many stars and now the stars of tomorrow have a place to be heard. There is no better example of Americana than WTCR-AM1420’s New Grass!”

But, what you may not have known is that it started out as a labor of love by music fan Bobby Leach, Clear Channel Radio's CCADS/Music Services Director in Cincinnati (513-763-6495) as an HD-2 format. Cornett heard it and set the wheels in motion for the AM change. It's worth auditioning, of course, because it's something new, creative and exciting already spawned by the HD radio initiative but also because of the very creative stationality production built by Leach's talented team who dreamed up "Keeping It Real" as the position statement, for example. You may not want to steal the music mix, which is built for the Tri-State's unique qualitative. You will hear some ideas to borrow between the songs, I'll bet.