Since the beginning of the year, Cumulus’ WKDF (103.3 Country) Nashville has had a series of strong Nielsen PPM showings—going 6.3-7.5-6.1-6.9 between the holiday ratings and April. That makes WKDF third in the market, while iHeart Country flagship WSIX (The Big 98) is at fifth this month, rebounding 4.7-5.4-5.7-4.8-5.7.
WKDF’s strong 2024 has been a going away present for retiring PD and Cumulus Country format captain Charlie Cook. (Travis Daily was named PD in April before assuming the group duties earlier this month.) The “New Country” battle is heating up at a time when the entry of Midwest’s Classic Country WNFN has fragmented Cumulus’ gold-based WSM-FM (Nash Icon 95.5). It prompted me to take a Fresh Listen to WKDF.
Because there’s a gold-based Country station next door, one of the things that’s most noticeable about WKDF is its current lean—two currents in a row used to be remarkable at the format. It’s possible to hear 3-4 in a row sometimes on WKDF. There’s also a more consistent emphasis on streaming-era Country artists. The majority of the music on WKDF (and the entire hour monitored here) was 2020 forward.
It’s also worth noting that I heard middayer Amy Paige eight times during the hour I monitored. Paige promoted a national Cumulus flyaway to see Carrie Underwood in Las Vegas. She talked about Post Malone on the ACM Awards—saying she refused to let the show be just a one-morning topic and promoted that evening’s finale of The Voice. She teased the new Twisters as a way of setting up the new Luke Combs song from that soundtrack.
One of the things you would want from Nashville’s Country radio is “sense of place.” Both Paige and WSIX’s Brooke Taylor were talking about this week’s expected opening of Morgan Wallen’s This Bar. Both stations also do a lot of local geography. On WKDF, it’s built into some of the artist sweepers, so you can hear Dierks Bentley shout out Murfreesboro followed by Jelly Roll saluting Smyrna and Gallatin.
In 2021, WKDF became the flagship for the syndicated Big D & Bubba morning show. He was scheduled to appear on the show the following morning. On the morning I monitored, there were bits involving listener tweets, a woman who trolled older men on a dating app and posted their creepy voicemails—followed by the team’s sharing oddball voice-messages from women, and a phone call from a graduating high-school senior who was headed to study landscape management. WKDF had 10 songs that hour vs. seven on WSIX’s Bobby Bones Show.
Here’s WKDF at 11 a.m., May 22:
- Cole Swindell, “Single Saturday Night”
- Morgan Wallen f/Ernest, “Cowgirls”
- Cody Johnson, “Til You Can’t”
- Ashley Cooke, “Your Place”
- Dierks Bentley, “Gold”
- Jelly Roll w/Lainey Wilson, “Save Me”
- Chris Stapleton, “White Horse”
- Thomas Rhett, “Beautiful as You”
- Post Malone f/Morgan Wallen, “I Had Some Help”
- Bailey Zimmerman, “Where It Ends”
- Tyler Hubbard, “Back Then Right Now”
- Luke Combs, “Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma”
- Chayce Beckham, “23”
Here’s WSIX in the same hour with Brooke Taylor:
- Sam Hunt, “Outskirts”
- Reba McEntire, “Fancy”—with a throwback stager
- Chase Matthew, “Love You Again”
- Luke Combs, “Fast Car”
- Bailey Zimmerman, “Where It Ends”
- Justin Moore, “Small Town USA”
- Post Malone f/Morgan Wallen, “I Had Some Help”
- Hardy, “Truck Bed”
- Chris Young, “Young Love & Saturday Nights:
- Cole Swindell, “She Had Me at Heads Carolina”
- Lainey Wilson, “Hang Tight Honey”
- Kane Brown, “Heaven”
- Tyler Hubbard, “Back Then Right Now”
- Luke Combs, “The Kind of Love We Make”
