December 4th, 2008 
joel I’ve got to admit that I’m no big fan of country music. Even with all my years living and traveling to Music City USA, all those brushes with the Clint Black’s, Randy Travis’s, and the Gatlin Brothers of the world, I never really gained a strong attachment to the music.
But I have a strong respect for the values of family and patriotism that makeup most of the country genre. In listening to Big D and Bubba over the last week on Country 98, I sense that the transference of those values onto their show is behind its significant success.
It’s a pretty established fact that syndicated shows on country radio generally don’t fly. Big D and Bubba’s success in now 50 markets bucks that trend.
In the release from Premiere Radio Networks, BD&B’s syndicator announcing their affiliation in Erie, they celebrated hitting the 50 station mark:
Big D and Bubba commented, “We’re excited and humbled at the same time. It’s amazing to think that there are so many great Country stations carrying our show every day. In fact, it doesn’t seem possible. Can we get a recount?”
Jim Riley, WXTA-FM General Manager stated, “We’re excited about bringing The Big D and Bubba Show to Erie’s Country music fans. We’ll continue to play a lot of great music, but Big D and Bubba will add a lot in between the records. Lots of Country stars dropping by to visit and stuff to make you think, make you laugh and make you cry. Erie’s going to love Big D and Bubba.”
Premiere Radio Networks assumed the distribution rights to The Big D and Bubba Show in October of 2005. Based in Nashville, Tenn., the family-oriented show was originally made popular by their homespun local approach and “candid phone calls.” Requests from fans, including comedians, entertainers and Country music artists, poured in for copies of the humorous calls. In addition, fans enjoy interviews and live performances with Country music’s biggest names.
Their bio points out that this one solid matchup, considering that their show is based out of WSIX-FM/Nashville, easily one of America’s top country stations, where the boys work afternoon drive:
In 1996, Big D and Bubba met in Baton Rouge, La., at WXCT-FM where Big D was hosting a morning show and Bubba was hosting afternoons. They immediately hit it off, both on and off the air, and ended up hosting a show together. The radio duo was hired by cross-town rival WYNK-FM in 1999 and they began self-syndicating The Big D and Bubba Show that same year. In 2003, they moved to WSIX-FM in Nashville, Tenn., so they could broadcast from Music Row and get better access to the Country music industry. And in 2005, Big D and Bubba joined Premiere Radio Networks’ lineup of nationally syndicated talent.
This next ratings period should be quite exciting, pitting the funny young syndicated hosts on WXTA against the sassy and bright Aimee “the Outlaw” Clemson on WTWF.
I reckon it just might force me to “go country.”
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“Come over to the dark side, Luke”!
Country music can be schmaltzy, but it grows on you! LOL.
It is good to try new things, eh?!
93.9 The Wolf now proudly promotes on the air: “We’re the home of Erie’s only live and local country morning show.”
In this day and age of the Internet and the advances in radio, I truly believe that it’s just plain wrong to give OUR radio to computers. Computers come from Japan and California, don’t they? What the hell does Bob iPod know about ERIE radio?
My wife just loves what is coming out of Nashville today but the appeal of modern mainstream country is simply not there for me, and I do listen to a lot of genres of music. There is a lot of history behind country music that I feel is often ignored by country stations for the next “flash in the pan artist.” You could possibly say that my tastes come from listening to my grandparents’ country album collection or listening to WHYP radio as a kid and hearing the great Bob Wills for the first time there. Then it definitely helps to have Sirius XM with two great traditional leaning country music channels, “The Roadhouse” and “Willie’s Place”. A couple of songs that speak out about today’s country include “Murder on Music Row” by George Strait and Alan Jackson and “Nashville Rash” by Dale Watson. The first song mentions that if Merle Haggard or George Jones went to Nashville today, they’d be shown the door. The second song says record companies call an artist like Dale Watson “Too Country” for Nashville.
Won’t it be the Spring Market before we can see how a nationally syndicated morning show vs local talent at the Wolf work out in Erie. Change to C 98 is too late to have impact in this ratings period I would think. If they do well, credit goes to their previous local morning co-hosts TruckinTom and Laurie and to JMarxx in the afternoon as well as Cindy Wear in mid-days.