It's a terrible, morbid thought...but what if it had been Garth Brooks that died? (Or Reba, or pick a relevant "country" artist) Country radio was given a pass in the latest "How did radio respond in the wake of Michael Jackson's death" post-mortem. Obviously, outside of passing on the shocking news, it wasn't like country programmed stations were going to jump and do musical tributes or keep the mourning period alive very long. Some aired calls from listeners, others simply acknowledged Jacko's contribution to pop culture--but for the most part, Michael Jackson, his music, his legacy are outside of the box for the typical country station. It was a virtual non-event. A news story...maybe. Event, not really.
It will be interesting to see the PPM "real time" reality check listening analysis for the CHR, Urban, A/C stations that were plugged into the post Jackson mourning window. Was it smart programming? An even better question; was it smart PPM ratings programming? We'll see...
BUT...what if it had been Garth Brooks? Garth is arguably one of the most influential, popular, successful artists the country format has ever witnessed. If news came down today that Garth suddenly died, would your station be prepared to get the word out or even respond in a reasonable time frame?
How bad would it be if your loyal listeners heard about "Garth's" death from television, Facebook, Twitter, friends, another radio outlet, etc; BEFORE their favorite country station KNEW about it? Do you have systems in place to overcome the voice-tracking/syndication black hole? How would you handle it on the air? What's the plan?
Radio's information credibility seems to slip a little more each day it remains out-of-touch in the listener's world. Most country stations still try to provide some news in the morning show...and maybe some "entertainment" news as part of the generic content during other parts of the day-but whether we're talking about the "Garth" example or a local emergency in your town, you have to ask yourself: Are we prepared? What will we do? Does it make a difference if it happened on a weekday or a weekend? Is it the same plan--or a "Plan B"?
Country radio got a "free pass" on the Michael Jackson drama. I'm not convinced that your listeners would overlook your absence if it was a format-specific equal.
