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For years, radio station 95.nine The Ranch based in Ft. Worth, TX has been a bastion for fans of true country music, Texas country, Ruby-red Dirt, Americana, and country classics that are so often missing or never even given a hazard on corporate country radio stations. Owned and operated by LKCM Radio Group, with its studios located in Ft. Worth's Sundance Square, The Ranch is 1 of those rare gems that actually plays what they desire to play. Garnering a devout following in Ft. Worth and across via their web stream, The Ranch is considered an institution of the independent country world for the scores of devoted listeners who melody in every 24-hour interval, and the artists who enjoy airtime that virtually other country radio stations would never consider giving to such artists.

That is why information technology came every bit such a shock when late concluding week the radio station decided to slightly tweak their format, and began to file in songs from a few select mainstream acts—artists like Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley, and Miranda Lambert. For independent and Texas land fans who often share a radio with co-workers and are used to hearing these names in the rotation forth with Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line, and Sam Chase, they're probably wondering what all the hubbub is most. They feel lucky to hear a Chris Stapleton vocal every once in a while, and can't imagine a station that regularly plays Sturgill Simpson and the Turnpike Troubadours.

Only this is the reason country music these days marks a dividing line of the civilisation war. True country fans, especially ones that have been listening to The Ranch for years equally a rubber harbor from popular land, are and so diametrically opposed to mainstream music, they would rather hear rock or pop invade their radio station than even the best of what country radio's mainstream stations play.

Fans are so furious over the motility, they accept hammered The Ranch's social media accounts with complaints, filled the station'southward bulletin board with missives of discontent, someone has ready up a Facebook page boycotting the station, and programme managing director/DJ Shayne Hollinger has fifty-fifty received threats of violence from angry listeners. This is partly considering for years The Ranch has been such a pristine gem, staunchly ignoring current trends and Tiptop twoscore hits, and so even including one Dierks Bentley vocal every other hour is an barb to the unabridged institution to these listeners.

Saving Land Music studied a multi-60 minutes bloc of The Ranch'south playlist equally information technology streamed Saturday (iii-4) evening to meet just how significant the format change is (encounter below). Most independent and Texas country listeners would probably salivate to accept a station like this within antenna range, and volition wonder why they didn't tune in online sooner, while the corporeality of mainstream songs and artists added in the rotation—despite the characterization by some listeners that The Ranch has completely flipped to a pop country model—is marginal at the worst.

The question is non what The Ranch is playing at present, only where the station could be headed in the future, and if it may entice other Texas land stations to consider like moves, specially if The Ranch format tweak is successful luring in new ears. Listeners of The Ranch accept a legitimate business concern that it might only be 1 or 2 songs an hour right now added from mainstream playlists, but it could go to one quarter, and so a third, then half, and completely flip some mean solar day if the incremental moves are effective—sort of mission creep if yous volition, simply on your radio dial.

It's also a off-white statement to say that by giving precious spins to major mainstream country stars and taking them away from Texas country and Americana acts, your robbing these artists, however incrementally, of i of the few radio outlets they accept for their music.

On the other hand, if adding just a few songs from the mainstream entices more mainstream-oriented fans to the radio station, and the station sticks to their guns and only keeps those mainstream spins to a minimum, it could potentially result in a sum positive for all the independent and Texas artists featured regularly on The Ranch by exposing them to an entirely new demographic.

It also must be emphasized here that The Ranch has conspicuously selected artists from the mainstream that don't represent the worst, simply the best of what the mainstream has to offer. I understand, to many Texas country and Americana fans, Brad Paisley all the same represents putting ketchup on a $48.00 steak. Merely there is something to be said for pragmatism in trying to build a wider fan base behind independent artists. If using Kacey Musgraves and Dierks Bentley as gateway drugs is what it takes, so this may not exist a bad compromise.

But let's exist honest here about the motivations behind this format change by 95.9 The Ranch: Money. They demand more listeners. Radio is a dying concern model in America, and in the very near future may but be more every bit a novelty, and for ultra niche audiences like The Ranch appeals to correct now. Information technology's a shame that radio stations similar The Ranch aren't duplicated all across the country, and with the increased popularity of independent state, perhaps that will happen someday. A lot of the creative person on The Ranch'south playlist are selling out large venues and have huge followings. Only at that place is still piece of work to do to become those artists to the adjacent level, and a massive gulf between the popularity of mainstream and independent artist.

Does it suck that The Ranch has acquiesced and started putting some mainstream country stuff in their rotation? Of form information technology does. And though it's painful to say information technology, all the annoyed past hardcore listeners nonetheless may not outweigh the gains the radio station could receive by the slight change in the format. In fact, all the commotion is likely to depict a bigger oversupply of folks tuning in to see what all the complaining is about. That is why radio stations "stunt" when they alter their formats in the beginning identify. As an case, often when mainstream stars put out terrible singles, much of their fan base complains. We saw this with Carrie Underwood's "Somethin' Bad" and Jason Aldean's "Burnin' It Down." Yet the songs still get to #i because a silent bulk will listen to whatever the radio serves them, no matter what.

The big test for The Ranch may not exist correct now, but in a few weeks when they detect out if the format tweak is constructive. If information technology is, then maybe they pat themselves on the dorsum and go about their business organization. Or, perhaps they inquire what more mainstream state songs could practise. The worry is where it may pb The Ranch and stations like it in the future.

Saving Country Music reached out to The Ranch programme director Shayne Hollinger for comment on this story, simply emails were not immediately responded to.

95.9 The Ranch Playlist Analysis

To attempt to analyze merely how dramatic or marginal the format change of 95.9 The Ranch has been, Saving Country Music logged a roughly two 1/ii to three-hour segment of The Ranch'due south playlist on Sat evening that included 54 total songs. Here are some observations:

• Out of 54 songs, only Ii could be considered current mainstream country music singles. That's less than iv% of the playlist. And those two songs, highlighted in red below, which are "My Church" past Maren Morris, and "Vice" by Miranda Lambert, are both critically acclaimed singles from women, both of which were nominated for Best Country Vocal at the 2017 Grammy Awards, both artists are from Texas, and both arguably represent some of the best music in the mainstream.

• Out of the 54 songs, 10 could be considered either current mainstream country hits, OR back catalog mainstream hits. That's 18.5% of the playlist (highlighted in blackness below). And fifty-fifty in there, you have a 28-year-former song from Garth Brooks, a 17-year-old and 10-year-old song from Gary Allan that may have been in the rotation before the change, a xiv-year-sometime Dierks Bentley song, a thirteen-year-old Brad Paisley vocal written by Bill Anderson, a unmarried from Kacey Musgraves that bombed on country radio a few years ago, and a song from "King" George Strait. There'due south no Bro-Country, no Florida Georgia Line, no indecent land singles that are an embarrassment to the format, fifty-fifty though none of them may be the favorites of Texas state and contained fans.

• 81.v% OR More of the playlist is likely the same equally before the format change. Since nosotros don't have a baseline, it's hard to say if whatsoever of the x mainstream songs would have been included before the modify, but some of them probably were. So it could be as high as 90%. And then were probable talking 1 in 10 songs is new to the playlist. Meanwhile for Americana/independent fans you have Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell, Jon Moreland, and Hank Williams III. For Texas country fans you take the Turnpike Troubadours, Cody Jinks, Jack Ingram, Stoney LaRue, William Clark Greenish, and the Randy Rogers Band. Traditional land fans have Dwight Yoakam, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and Jerry Jeff Walker.

***UPDATE: According to some listeners, The Ranch has also added much more classic rock than what was played on the previous format. Depending on the corporeality of archetype rock compared to previously, the percentage of change could be greater than 81.five% , but this would NOT be because of pop or mainstream country.

CONCLUSION: The current 95.9 The Ranch playlist—afterward the change—is not only extremely various and filled with a vast majority of Texas country, contained, Americana, and traditional country music, with a little classic stone filled in, it may institute the ideal American country music playlist, and not in spite of, merely considering it also includes the topmost standout singles from the mainstream.

Look, Saving State Music loves to observe instances where companies and radio stations spiral upwardly and undervalue the independent/traditional state fan. And yes, information technology is alarming to see this marginal, but clear alter of format from 95.ix The Ranch. Merely The Ranch nonetheless comprises one of the best playlists in the entire country, and if people want to run across it remain filled with the all-time of Texas country and Americana, and inspire other radio stations to adopt similar formats, they should back up information technology instead of slogging it just because they want smart mainstream listeners to also feel accepted into the listenership.

The playlist sample songs:

• "Fire On The Mountain" – The Marshall Tucker Band
• "In Flower" – Sturgill Simpson
• "My Church" – Maren Morris
• "Carnival Lights" – The Dingy River Boys
• "Streets of Bakersfield" – Dwight Yoakam
• "Every Daughter" – Turnpike Troubadours
• "Much Likewise Young (To Experience This Old)" – Garth Brooks
• "Jackpot"  – Nikki Lane
• "I See Ruby-red" – Brandon Jenkins
• "Easy"  – The Departed
• "Whiskey Lullaby" – Brad Paisley
• "24 Frames" – Jason Isbell
• "We're All In This Together" – Jack Ingram
• "Lay Down Sally" – Eric Clapton
• "Mendocino Canton Line" – Lee Ann Womack
• "I'm The Just Hell My Mama E'er Raised" – Johnny Paycheck
• "Wanna Wanna Bar" – Roger Creager
• "Feels Like It Should" – Pat Light-green
• "Wish You Were Here" – Cody Jinks
• "Run With The Devil" – Bart Crow Ring
• "The Wall" – Willie Nelson (Damn practiced song, btw)
• "All Over The Road" – Easton Corbin
• "No Depression" – Uncle Tupelo
• "Expect At Me Fly" – Stoney LaRue
• "Night Moves" – Bob Seger
• "Fire Down The Trailer Park" – Paul Thorn
• "What Was I Thinking" – Dierks Bentley
• "Ain't Nobody Got a Concord On Me" – Rob Baird
• "Chocolate-brown Eyed Handsome Homo" – Waylon Jennings
• "The Weary Kind" – Ryan Bingham
• "How 'Tour Them Cowgirls" – George Strait
• "Rock" – Whiskey Myers
• "Adjacent Big Thing" – William Clark Greenish
• "Back Roads" – Brandon Rhyder
• "Highway 40 Blues" – Ricky Skaggs
• "Blowin' Smoke" – Kacey Musgraves
• "Watching Airplanes" – Gary Allan
• "Hang Me in the Tulsa Canton Stars" – John Moreland
• "Besides Late For Bye" – Randy Rogers Band
• "I'm a Mess" – Rodney Crowell
• "Telephone call Me The Breeze" – Lynyrd Skynyrd
• "Wait At Miss Ohio" – Gillian Welch
• "Smoke Rings in the Dark" – Gary Allan
• "Flood Gate" – Erick Willis
• "Think I'll Stay Here And Potable" – Merle Haggard
• "Bad Live And A Cleaved Eye" – Hayes Carll
• "Vice" – Miranda Lambert
• "13 Years" – Sundance Head
• "Middle of America" – Will Hoge
• "Sangria Wine" – Jerry Jeff Walker
• "High Cost of Living" – Jamey Johnson
• "My Drinking Problem" – Hank Williams Iii
• "Small-scale Town Child" – Eli Immature Band
• "Dead Flowers" – The Rolling Stones

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Source: https://www.savingcountrymusic.com/ft-worths-95-9-the-ranch-comes-under-fire-after-format-change-playlist-analysis/

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