Country Radio Broadcasters seminar focuses on recession strategies

 About 1,800 participants in the annual Country Radio Seminar are headed to Downtown Nashville this week at a time when the radio industry continues to search for a way out of the recession, and for new strategies to compete with online offerings.

 
Hosted by Nashville-based Country Radio Broadcasters Inc., the private event is the industry's largest annual gathering, which connects country radio with the country music industry.

Compared with recent years, 2010's seminar is even more reflective of the recession, with a discounted unemployment rate for the jobless, and financial guru Dave Ramsey booked as the keynote speaker.

"We feel like the economy probably is the hottest theme on everyone's template this year," said Bill Mayne, president of Mayne Street Consulting and a Country Radio Broadcasters board member. Mayne said he believes the attendees "can benefit from getting (Ramsey's) perspective."

Radio across all genres saw an 18 percent revenue decline in 2009 compared with a year earlier, according to Radio Advertising Bureau. But CRB officials said country radio has not seen as much of an impact because country fans are loyal to the music and their radio stations compared with fans of other musical genres.

In addition to Ramsey's speech, this year's seminar will offer a host of panels dealing with issues including reaching consumers across new technology such as smart phones, new demographic data on country music fans, and transitions in the workplace, as people are asked to do more work with fewer resources.

David Haley, president of Edgehill Music & Media in Nashville, said he looks forward to attending. A panel that addresses transition is "certainly needed" this year, Haley said.

"You have to be really flexible to survive in today's climate," Haley said. "Any stories and tips that people can share are certainly very useful."

Meanwhile, downtown businesses like Trail West said seminar attendees are spending hundreds of dollars on items like ostrich skin boots and pairs that resemble boots once worn by country star Johnny Cash. The annual event is "always good for business," said Michael Schoff, a manager with Trail West.
 
By Wendy Lee, The Tennessean