In the past 24 hours the story of Texarkana Radio Center Classic Hits “Hits 105” 105.1 KTTY New Boston TX and simulcasters 940 KCMC/105.5 K288FY Texarkana dropping Madonna from their playlist has been picked up by nearly every major publication.
Let’s call a spade a spade. This isn’t a protest like Madonna expressing herself at the Women’s March in Washington was. This is a publicity stunt.
A well designed publicity stunt that gave international exposure to a nondescript radio station in market 253 and made it known worldwide if even for just one day. KTTY/KCMC is one of two Classic Hits stations in the Texarkana market. It registered a 2.3 share in the Fall 2016 Nielsen Audio ratings making it a low factor even in its hometown on the borderline of Arkansas and Texas. Now every media property across the globe is discussing “Hits 105“. If that turns into more sampling of the station in Texarkana then KTTY/KCMC has struck gold.
General Manager Terry Thomas was absolutely correct in part of her statement that “Banning all Madonna songs at HITS 105 is not a matter of politics” If it was a protest or political than any artist or celebrity that participated in the March or have come out against President Trump would have been banned not only from KTTY/KCMC but all of the company’s stations in the market including Urban AC 104.7 KTOY and its 14.3 share and CHR “107.1 The Fox” KTFS-FM.
In a deeply conservative part of the country, KTTY/KCMC struck a nerve that they knew would connect. And connect it did. But to say you did it merely as protest or patriotism is a lie. You did it for political reasons. The politics of gaining listeners and improving ratings. And that is nothing to be ashamed of.
Take a bow, “Hits 105“. You found your lucky star and followed it to the type of publicity that made you touched across the globe for the very first time. A level that most stations will never reach and live to tell.
charles35080 
Charles Everett
Very reminiscent of a stunt pulled in Birmingham in the 1960’s, when WAQY’s morning team of Tommy Charles and Doug Layton had a Beatles record burning in protest of John Lennon’s comment that the Beatles were bigger than Jesus. Never mind the fact that the comment was taken out of context, and never mind the fact the WAQY, a 1kw daytime only AM station near the top of the dial was a mere afterthought in the Birmingham Top 40 wars of the ’60’s, badly trailing both WSGN and WVOK.
This was no stunt. Hits 105 publicly called on radio stations to ban Madonna for denouncing President Trump. That’s blacklisting.
As for the Beatles, the “more popular than Jesus” remark happened in 1966 and got their music banned from a number of stations, most notably WABC in New York.