Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, September 25, 1993 TAG: 9309280328
SECTION: SPECTATOR PAGE: S-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By MICHAEL E. HILL
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Five hours of country-music programming will air on CBS, possibly an unprecedented dose of prime-time network country.
Such a rush of country on a broadcast network is a sign that the country has gone country more than country has gone mainstream. And there are reasons to believe that television helped make it so.
Wednesday night (at 8 on WDBJ-Channel 7), for three hours, Clint Black and Vince Gill host ``The 27th Annual CMA Awards,'' the Country Music Association's answer to the Grammys. Friday night (at 9) some 40 stars will be featured in the two-hour ``A Day in the Life of Country Music.''
The ``CMA Awards'' will dole out only 12 awards, with the three hours heavily loaded with performances. ``Day in the Life'' follows performers in 81 locations, all in the same 24-hour period.
``I remember back in the late '70s, early '80s, if any country artist was going to be on a TV show, everybody would get together and watch, because it was going to be such an unusual occurrence,'' said Ed Benson, executive director of the CMA, country's Nashville-based trade group. ``Now you can hardly turn on any music show without country being there.''
Yes, Johnny Cash had a couple of variety shows and ``Hee-Haw'' ran forever in syndication. But there's a revived, more durable TV presence now. And it's not just the specials, Benson said. Country music has made other inroads.
```Northern Exposure' is an example of a show that uses country music in its background music, as well as other types,'' said Benson. And there are regular appearances by country artists on talk shows. Disney and Tribune Entertainment have country shows about to debut or in the works. And can the next Garth Brooks show be more than a few weeks away?
What has made country music so mainstream as to become a fairly regular feature of prime time? Or, as Ken Kragen, executive producer of ``Day in the Life,'' would put it, what has prompted mainstream America to gravitate to country music?
To start with, there's the youth factor. ``The last half-dozen years, there's been a shift in new artists, younger than the previous generation of superstars,'' Benson said. ``They relate to scores of young people all over America in a direct fashion. That's important. Growth is coming in all directions, but certainly younger fans are a big part of it. It's reflected in music sales, because they are active buyers, and active concert attenders.
``In addition, these young, attractive artists have not alienated any of the core audience ... You go to concerts and see three generations at the shows.''
Country radio remains a central vehicle to the popularity of country music, with 2,500 stations making country the largest radio format in the country, Benson said. ``Country stations are Number One in 57 of the top 100 markets in the country,'' he said. ``It's a powerful format delivering lots of listeners.''
Kragen gives a nod to country radio in ``Day in the Life,'' letting several country deejays carry the show's narrative.
The emergence of the music video has helped give television a role of its own in the country explosion.
``The impact of TV, especially music videos, has been an important part of the rapidity with which artists can establish themselves,'' Benson said. ``That's been a big part of the last five years - how quickly a big, new talent can break through.''
Time was, a country artist might spend a long time on the road before gaining a large audience. Now there's instant exposure on The Nashville Network.
Country Music Television, a cable channel specializing in country-music videos, is in 20 million homes, Benson said. He said research indicates viewers spend more time watching CMT than MTV and VH-1 in cable households that get all three music channels.
Exhibit A in the case for country-video impact is ``Achy-Breaky Heart.'' ``That's the single best example of a video creating a tune and an identity for an artist, Billy Ray Cyrus,'' Benson said. ``His record hit the top in two weeks on the album chart. It broke Beatles and Paul McCartney debut records.''
The past two years, Benson noted, the CMA award show has eclipsed the Grammys in the TV ratings, and an appearance on the show is considered a major launching pad for a new artist or song. The show is performance-driven, with 22 full performances scheduled while 12 trophies are given out in three hours.
Friday's ``Day in the Life'' sent crews to 25 cities on the same day for glimpses of 40 artists. Travis Tritt visits a Veterans Administration hospital; Emmylou Harris checks out a guitar factory; Lyle Lovett gets a haircut.
Kenny Rogers, whose hobby is photographing presidents of the United States, visits the White House. (Kragen said the visit took place before the ``day in the life'' day, and that Rogers was in the dark room on ``the day.'')
s\ 11 f\ REGTravis Tritt, shown here at a Veterans Administration hospital in Dallas, is among the dozens of country music superstars featured in "A Day in The Life of Country Music" at 9 p.m. Friday on WDBJ-Channel 7.|
by CNB