There are so many great things about the country lifestyle, but among the greatest is the people.
Last year when I was very much a greenie to the rodeo scene, beyond the sheer sport and the excitement of the events, it was the people that made my experience so rich.
It was no different in this case. WOW104.3/ Peak Communications Program Director Lisa Adams made me feel right at home in the large building in downtown Boise. Before I knew it, I was settled into her office for a chat. She seemed to want to get to know me as much as I was curious about her. This mega-talented woman has pumped up the stations she has a stewardship over; it takes a strong personality to do that. I liked her right away.
Lisa enthusiastically told me about WOW104.3, and her take on the current country music scene:
“ I think you’ll see that what was country, Garth Brooks, that whole evolution, you know the Patsy Kline/ Willy Nelson thing into the Alan Jackson role…it’s a different animal today. There’s such an influx of the new generation of people that have grown up completely digital. All they know are computers. We have this younger audience now that’s more accepting of different musical styles in the country world. It’s why you see a lot of crossover stuff happening. The Taylor Swifts, the Band Perry, and Kenny Chesney with his crossover attempt, which is doing very well in the adult contemporary world.
When they brought me here to the country radio station, they brought me for my overall expertise in programming. I’m from Portland, but was born and raised in Klamath Falls. That was country. You didn’t go anywhere; there wasn’t anything else but country, you know, pickup trucks and cowboy boots and hats back in the day. Now you don’t see that. Nowadays there’s soccer moms listening to country music. You see how these artists are marketing themselves. Look at someone like George Strait; I call him the Madonna of country music because of how he re-invents himself and how well he does with this younger audience with his songwriting and production styles. It’s refreshing to see that the format is trying to branch out and evolve and try some different styles. Jason Aldean of Dirt Road anthem is taking a lot of flack because of the rap in it. When I heard that song, I thought, ‘we’ve gotta be all over that song’. We are that conduit for the younger demographic, the twenty and thirty year olds that love this music, and the older demographic that wants this now, too. They love Garth Brooks, don’t get me wrong, but there’s this overall acceptance of people wanting to hear something else besides the old twang. So now we’ve got some great pop, rhythmic and rock flavors that are coming out and I just love it.
We’ve got a local artist ---Denae, that we play, that has some old twang in it.
The country lifestyle is you, it’s me, it’s kids, it’s the cowboys and the farmers and the ranchers, it’s the BSU students across the street. It’s EVERYBODY. That’s what I love about this format; it encompasses all lifestyles.
I’ve always loved all musical styles. Everything from country to jazz to hip hop to rock. You name it; I love it all. Big band, too. For me, it’s not a stretch. Years ago, one of the things I thought I didn’t like about country was that it was so ‘niched’. It all sounded the same to me. Outside of just a few songs that I loved, I now have many songs that I love. It’s a pallet of listening experience for our listeners everyday that are going on this musical journey with us.
In 2009 when I came here, people were just starting to think of country in a different way. I was going to jump in with both feet, really push the limits of what maybe Boise and the Treasure Valley would be accepting of. Ever since then, our ratings have been going up and I felt that our audience has become more passionate about spending time with our radio station. That’s important. I knew what I was hearing out there and wanted to marry that with this vision. WOW104.3 is the final product of that today.
We are a community-driven station. If there’s anything going on in Canyon and Ada county, you name it, we go to all corners to be with our listeners. From St. Jude to a street festival in Nampa to a parade downtown; we want to be a part of it. We do a lot of things with the military in Mountain Home, too. This station is for the listeners.
Growing up, I appreciated the world that radio created for me in my mind, and I want to give that back to our listeners. I feel like radio’s lost that a little bit along the way. My idea was to re-create that magic for people. We create an experience for people, whether you’re coming to see us at an event, or listening to us on the radio.
Country music has opened my mind to being a better programmer. It’s changed the way that I listen to music. I also have to kind of guess what my audience wants. We get feedback, too, and we try and play to that feedback. Not all listeners are going to pick up the phone and call you, so you have to try to make the right choices for them. This has taught me not to be afraid to make exciting moves in the music world, but it’s also taught me more about community and family, and what that means to people. Sometimes we lose track of that sitting in an office and not out with our listeners everyday. Country kind of gives that to you. It gets you out amongst the people.
The good thing about the Treasure Valley: there really is a sense of community. We have people from everywhere. We have such an influx of people, from New York, Portland, Seattle, California. The quality of life is unique. It is becoming such a melting pot. It really is fun and exciting to watch this part of the country grow. I think there’s nothing but good in the future. I think that’s what country’s done for me; made me feel that sense of family. Even the country artists treat you like family. Every listener and radio station is important to them because we have that sense of community. Country music is a warm and fuzzy that makes you feel good. It’s not artificial. It’s a sense of country, too. Being proud of what we’ve done as a country, the feeling that we need to come together and figure stuff out together. I get that sense as well, too.
Country music somehow is a glue.”
Let’s hear it for Lisa, and lets hear it for the ‘glue’ that holds us together and makes us one nation under God and indivisible.
It’s not that far a jump anymore to go country.
You’re probably already there.
To see a rather blurry photo of my friend Lisa Adams (because the CowDiva really needs to get a better camera!), go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/amy_larson/5940612007/in/photostream
To check out local artist's Denae Gardner's music, see:
http://www.reverbnation.com/denaegardner2
*Four more days till the SNAKE RIVER STAMPEDE.
Are you going?
It’s your rodeo.
http://www.snakeriverstampede.com/
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