quote:

---

The two main "country" radio stations in Houston (92.9 & 100.3) are playing what is the equivalent to pop music now. I can't listen for more than 1 or 2 songs before I'm changing it.

I still don't know why a city as big as Houston can't have a channel like KOKE in Austin or something like 95.9 The Ranch in Ft. Worth.

---

KOKE is a joke. It was good the first year, but now all the people that were fired from KVET are running it. It's the predictable 90's song, Texas Country, "Texas Country" Pop (Eli Young), 90's, somewhat bearable Nasville song, 90's. And on and on. They can never string together a good set of songs. It is basically KVET from 5 years ago. KVET now plays what KASE used to play, plus some 90's, and KASE is Bobby Bones BS pop all day long.

KASE plays the same songs every hour. Austin has ZERO good stations.

KNBT in NB is good for some Americana mixed with Texas country.

I know about 3 years ago BADLANDS FM in CC was good.

There's a station out of Giddings that I can't recall that is really good. EDIT: KNRG 92.3 is actually out of La Grange.

EDIT: Also can't get reliable KOKE reception from Buda south.

Which is why online music services will continue to flourish

Agreed. I only use the tuner to listen to Dudley and Bob on the drive to work. They don't play music.

Other than that I'm either listening to Pandora (mix stations) or Apple Music (specific songs/albums).

Yeah I'd much rather somebody else DJ, but I'm over that now. I tried satellite a few times, but it really wasn't what I liked. Plus I got addicted to the college sports station on there and then they changed it up on me.

I have Rhapsody with tons of playlists, and there are probably better services, but I'm done shopping.

Wonder if this is taught in Mays Business School...

That was really fascinating and informative... thanks for sharing with us

quote:

---

The two main "country" radio stations in Houston (92.9 & 100.3) are playing what is the equivalent to pop music now. I can't listen for more than 1 or 2 songs before I'm changing it.

I still don't know why a city as big as Houston can't have a channel like KOKE in Austin or something like 95.9 The Ranch in Ft. Worth.

---

Try 97.1 in Houston. Country Classics. The only time my radio wasn't on that while I was in CS is when I couldn't pick up the signal.

quote:

---

quote:

---

The two main "country" radio stations in Houston (92.9 & 100.3) are playing what is the equivalent to pop music now. I can't listen for more than 1 or 2 songs before I'm changing it.

I still don't know why a city as big as Houston can't have a channel like KOKE in Austin or something like 95.9 The Ranch in Ft. Worth.

---

Try 97.1 in Houston. Country Classics. The only time my radio wasn't on that while I was in CS is when I couldn't pick up the signal.

---

105.3 from Hempstead is good. You can pick it up in College Station, I don't know how well you can get it in houston though.

quote:

---

KOKE is a joke. It was good the first year, but now all the people that were fired from KVET are running it. It's the predictable 90's song, Texas Country, "Texas Country" Pop (Eli Young), 90's, somewhat bearable Nasville song, 90's. And on and on. They can never string together a good set of songs. It is basically KVET from 5 years ago. KVET now plays what KASE used to play, plus some 90's, and KASE is Bobby Bones BS pop all day long.

---

I listen to KOKE all the time. They play a lot of willie, waylon, merle, jones, strait, texas country, some 90s and a handfull of newer songs that can pass as country (none of the bro stuff. mostly Zac Brown, Chris Young, Josh Turner, etc). They play the hell out of Dale Watson, don't see how you can call that a joke. I've rarely heard an Eli Young song on that station. Maybe you and I are listening at different times of day.

Also, your "first year" comment is way off. The KVET crew was there from day one. KOKE was the outlaw country station way back in the day. When Bob Cole bought it 3-4 years ago, it was a Christian music station. After Clear Channel took over KVET, Bob bought KOKE and brought his crew with him. I'ts been the KVET crew from the get go.

quote:

---

quote:

---

quote:

---

The two main "country" radio stations in Houston (92.9 & 100.3) are playing what is the equivalent to pop music now. I can't listen for more than 1 or 2 songs before I'm changing it.

I still don't know why a city as big as Houston can't have a channel like KOKE in Austin or something like 95.9 The Ranch in Ft. Worth.

---

Try 97.1 in Houston. Country Classics. The only time my radio wasn't on that while I was in CS is when I couldn't pick up the signal.

---

105.3 from Hempstead is good. You can pick it up in College Station, I don't know how well you can get it in houston though.

---

THIS. That station is my absolute favorite, and makes the drive to CS that much sweeter. Unfortunately my old rust bucket only picks it up from Barker-Cypress to the south edge of College Station, about where the new HEB is.

quote:

---

quote:

---

KOKE is a joke. It was good the first year, but now all the people that were fired from KVET are running it. It's the predictable 90's song, Texas Country, "Texas Country" Pop (Eli Young), 90's, somewhat bearable Nasville song, 90's. And on and on. They can never string together a good set of songs. It is basically KVET from 5 years ago. KVET now plays what KASE used to play, plus some 90's, and KASE is Bobby Bones BS pop all day long.

---

I listen to KOKE all the time. They play a lot of willie, waylon, merle, jones, strait, texas country, some 90s and a handfull of newer songs that can pass as country (none of the bro stuff. mostly Zac Brown, Chris Young, Josh Turner, etc). They play the hell out of Dale Watson, don't see how you can call that a joke. I've rarely heard an Eli Young song on that station. Maybe you and I are listening at different times of day.

Also, your "first year" comment is way off. The KVET crew was there from day one. KOKE was the outlaw country station way back in the day. When Bob Cole bought it 3-4 years ago, it was a Christian music station. After Clear Channel took over KVET, Bob bought KOKE and brought his crew with him. I'ts been the KVET crew from the get go.

---

I just know that when I first heard that Bob went over to KOKE I listened all the time, as in all day as I was driving a van all over Austin. It was good. The few times I have tried listening, when I can get reception, it sounded like they changed a lot of what they were doing. I guess my main gripe is that they are all over the place to try and appeal to everyone. Any time I can get the station, I just get the feeling that I am listening to KVET 5 years ago, and I NEVER got that feeling when they first came back as country.

I know the back story on when they switched over, at least with Bob buying it. I wasnt aware that the whole crew was there from day one.

If you're in Houston, the best you can do is 92.9 and 100.3 HD channels. They play a decent mix of texas country

Well put rb. And that's why we've seen country radio replace adult contemporary as the preferred format for advertisers to reach a particular female demographic. The reason there are no new Barry Manilows or Air Supplys is because Tim McGraw IS Barry Manilow; Rascal Flats IS Air Supply.

(I realize those 2 country artists are now dated but you know what I mean)

I don't have an HD radio

Welp- All the bad country on the radio motivates me to write good country songs that actually sound country.

Here are two examples...

She wants me home

Cowboy



hopefully I'm on the right track...

#notmycountry

It's so, so bad.

I think country music has always flowed into and out of mainstream "pop" periods that were generally embraced by the youth market but despised by the purists/olds.

Examples:
Crystal Gayle
Kenny Rogers
Dolly Parton
Shania Twain
LeAnn Rimes
Rascal Flatts
Taylor Swift
Others?

We can argue about the "country-ness" of the above, but it seems to me after each of these periods a more traditional country sound eventually emerged again.

rynning said:

---

I think country music has always flowed into and out of mainstream "pop" periods that were generally embraced by the youth market but despised by the purists/olds.

Examples:
Crystal Gayle
Kenny Rogers
Dolly Parton
Shania Twain
LeAnn Rimes
Rascal Flatts
Taylor Swift
Others?

We can argue about the "country-ness" of the above, but it seems to me after each of these periods a more traditional country sound eventually emerged again.

---

I think it is just as likely that rather than some ebb/flow of pop country into something more traditional and back again every few years both types were there all along.

"Outlaw" country where willie/waylon/etc moved from nashvegas to Texas is the same era of the mandrell sisters variety show and Crystal Gayle, and freakin Debbie Boone, and the urban cowboy phase.
I also think things dont look the same in the moment as they do with a little history behind them. Lots of the 90s country stars were considered classic rock copycat crap put out by Nashville publishing houses during the 90s but now people consider guys like Alan Jackson to be a classic traditional country artist.

Steve Earle summed it up pretty nicely: modern country is "hip hop for people who are afraid of black people".

Man, re-reading this thread made me sad. I, like everyone else here, have given up on the mainstream sh*t coming out of Nashville. I'd rather put Peanut Butter on my ears and have a dog chew them off than listen to the likes of Luke Bryan, etc.

I spent a considerable amount of time in Nashville from 2015-2016 and it's a shame listening to some of those roundtable artist sessions and knowing they have more talent but their music just isn't radio friendly. The talent in that city is out of this world, just sadly oversaturated.

Chris Stapleton is a pillar for the current country scene, and I love his music. I hope he stays to his roots. He had a badass interview with Joe Rogan; he's written like 1500 songs since arriving in Nashville back in the early 2000's. He's just crazy talented.

As I've gotten older I've begun to gravitate towards the Alt-Country/Americana scene, and I think that's the genre most 'traditional country' fans are listening to.

Chris Stapleton
Sturgill Simpson
Paul Cauthen
John Prine
Mandolin Orange (some folk mixed in)
Old Ryan Adams (flame me)
Jason Isbell (one of the best lyricist out there)
Margo Price
John Moreland
Kacey Musgraves (her last album is pop-friendly but still very good as a whole)
Ryan Bingham

expresswrittenconsent said:

---

rynning said:

---

I think country music has always flowed into and out of mainstream "pop" periods that were generally embraced by the youth market but despised by the purists/olds.

Examples:
Crystal Gayle
Kenny Rogers
Dolly Parton
Shania Twain
LeAnn Rimes
Rascal Flatts
Taylor Swift
Others?

We can argue about the "country-ness" of the above, but it seems to me after each of these periods a more traditional country sound eventually emerged again.

---

I think it is just as likely that rather than some ebb/flow of pop country into something more traditional and back again every few years both types were there all along.

"Outlaw" country where willie/waylon/etc moved from nashvegas to Texas is the same era of the mandrell sisters variety show and Crystal Gayle, and freakin Debbie Boone, and the urban cowboy phase.
I also think things dont look the same in the moment as they do with a little history behind them. Lots of the 90s country stars were considered classic rock copycat crap put out by Nashville publishing houses during the 90s but now people consider guys like Alan Jackson to be a classic traditional country artist.

---

Mostly agree with you. But I also think there was a fundamental change in the late 2000s away from any semblance of "traditional" country

Certainly possible. Who the eff listens to the radio anymore in the era of podcasts and streaming music?