Programmer's Corner

I have said it before and I will say it again…I LOVE MY JOB! 

After being a successful Program Director in commercial radio, I became frustrated with the lack of control I had to play the music I knew was good.  When you try to play something that isn’t “approved” you were criticized and voted off the island.

One of the greatest things about The Country Network is the fact that WE PLAY VIDEOS while other outlets are playing reruns of sitcoms.  Since we play so many videos it opens up the opportunity to discover new music from not only the independent talent but Artist’s that radio doesn’t give a fair chance anymore.

New Artist to TCN:

Lisa Matassa – Me Time

Who says New Yorkers don’t know country?  Lisa is all NY and her music is a country with a rock infusion.  She’s a true delight in person and very energized by her music and sharing it.

Kelly Lang – I’m Done

Kelly is a great person with a smile that will melt you to the core.  The music is straight ahead country with style and grace.  Kelly is married to country superstar TG Sheppard and he is just as excited with this video, maybe even a little more.

Maggie Sajak – First Kiss

I know what your thinking, it’s Pat Sajak’s daughter, of course people will play her song…I will not deny it will open several doors for her but once those doors are open she needs to stand on her own two feet.  Maggie does that very well.

Jesse James – When You Say My Name

OK!  I will just say this up front…this video is not hard to watch!  Jesse approaches country from the pop side and it is very infectious.

Jana Kramer – Why Ya Wanna

OK!  Another video that is not hard to watch and after you do watch it you will find yourself humming and singing it the rest of the day.

Neal McCoy - A-Ok

You gotta love Neal, I've known Neal since 1990 and never seen him without a smile.  This new video is infectious and fun, he has his son and daughter in the video with him and it was shot in his home town of Longview Texas.

The one thing I hear most from our viewers is how much they appreciate all the videos we play.  I must confess, I really enjoy getting all the emails and messages from viewers all over the country when the discover The Country Network and get to see videos they have not seen in a long time.  If you have recently discovered The Country Network make sure you tell 10 friends we are here.

I would like to welcome all of our new viewers in Phoenix, Jacksonville Sacramento, Topeka and Charlotte, we continue to add new markets and grow through digital platforms like ROKU and online streaming.  Soon we will have exciting new features that will benefit you as a viewer and fan of country music.

Thanks for watching TCN

I have a bunch of new videos coming so keep watching the new additions tab above…

First out is the new Lauren Alaina single “Georgia Peaches”, I gotta tell you, I really like this girl.  I think she is a true talent and I hope she can break through.

Craig Campbell’s “When I Get It” is a great song that is very fitting for the current economic climate.  There is not a nicer guy out there and this is a song he wrote with a fun take on being broke.

Coming soon:

Craig Morgan’s new video for “This Ol Boy” stars Angie Harmon…yep!  That Angie Harmon, after watching the video I must agree with Craig...he is one lucky guy...sure it was only a kiss on the forehead but it was a kiss on the forehead from ANGIE HARMON!!

Just sayin....

 I hope you had a great Christmas, filled with family, food, fun and a ton of TCN!  It was a lot of fun watching all those video non-stop, I had calls and emails from Utah, Kansas, Virginia and other places saying how much they were enjoying the non-stop videos.  One lady had just discovered The Country Network the week before and decided to put it on while the family was unwrapping gifts, they wound up leaving it on all day…that is the recommended use by the way!

Some things to look forward to in 2012…

Rumor on music row is a bunch of new videos are coming in first quarter, some names I am hearing are, Craig Morgan, Josh Turner, and Lauren Alaina.

Growth…

The Country Network will be growing in 2012 with new markets and expanded online options so keep checking the website for more news and spread the news.

Thanks for a great 2011, all of your feedback, requests and comments are what help shape TCN because after all…The Country Network is YOUR Country!

Have a great day and thanks for watching The Country Network

 I hope all of your shopping is done…not me!  I have a couple more gifts to buy and then I am calling it good. 

If your house is like mine, the kids have counted the packages under the tree a couple hundred times, sent several messages to Santa via the Elf on the Shelf and they have downloaded NORAD’s Santa Tracking App to every smart phone and table in the house. 

Our gift to you, the TCN family begins tonight at midnight, we will be playing your favorite country videos non-stop until midnight on the 25^th.  So, turn on The Country Network and let it play all day.

From the entire TCN family to yours…we wish you the merriest of Christmases and if you are traveling this holiday please be safe.

I’ve added 2.5 new Christmas videos to the network this week, you might be wondering how I can add half of a video…The team of Toby Keith Incorporated decided to expand on the unbelievable success of “Red Solo Cup” and sent me a “Christmas” themed version of the video, same song just added a lot of Santa to the video.

Newcomer Andy Gibson sent over “The Christmas Song”, he does a really good job with this classic Christmas song.

Craig Campbell released his version of “I’ll Be Home Christmas”, he does a really good job with the song and the video features our Troops returning home and Craig’s wife and 2 daughters.

You can see them all in the “New Additions” channel above or on The Country Network.

Thanks for watching TCN

The Holidays are so much fun, just the energy and joy that emotes from the children is electric.  For me its always fun to see which artist will have new Christmas music and what they choose to do.

These next 3 videos are all included in the New Additions tab above so check them out...

Remember Sherrie Austin?  She had a few hits on Country Radio in the late 90’s and early 2000.  She is probably best known as the cute little Australian girl who played Pippa McKenna on The Facts of Life in the late 1980s.  She has been in Nashville concentrating on her song writing and just made this video for Naughty or Nice.

The YouTube, Facebook and Twitter sensation Payton Rae didn’t disappoint with her Christmas video “Christmas Time with You”.  It doesn’t matter what she sings, you can always see and feel her love for her craft.

Joey + Rory never disappoint with the fun factor in their music, their new Christmas video “Let It Snow (Somewhere Else)” is a whole lot of fun. 

Check them all out above,

Thanks for watching The Country Network

We're getting this week started right up in here!  The beautiful and talented Shawna Russell is hosting the next 2 weeks of Breaking Out and does a great job.

Shawna first sang in public at age 7. At 13, she and her dad, Keith, formed a country band that played for clubs and Elks Lodges on weekends. At 17, she joined her Uncle Tim’s band, which was already a successful regional band on the “A” club circuit across the Southwest. She honed her remarkable vocal chops and added acoustic rhythm, electric slide, and lead guitar to her arsenal while touring across much of the U.S., performing 2-6 nights a week at many of America’s top live music clubs, including The Grizzly Rose; Billy Bob’s; and the Wildhorse Saloon. She spent three years fronting and playing guitar in fellow Oklahoman, Ty England’s band, which included a USO Tour of Korea in 2005.

Live from the Ledge at The Hard Rock Cafe, Nashville...

Last month TCN's Live From The Ledge guest artist was the amazingly talented Restless Heart.  They did all their hits acoustic and it was awesome!!!

If you are anywhere near Nashville on December 15th you need to get over to the HRC...This month Phil Vassar will be in th house playing his hits and stuff from his new Christmas CD "Noel".  It is sure to be a fun night, $5 dollars gets you in the door. 

Here's a video of Phil taliking about the "Noel" project.

Next week Shawna Russell is our host for Breaking Out, she will host the show for the next 2 weeks. 

Shawna started singing in public at age 7 and by the age of 13, she and her dad, Keith, formed a country band that played for clubs and Elks Lodges on weekends. Shawna plays  acoustic rhythm, electric slide, and lead guitar and all over the country, performing 2-6 nights a week at many of America’s top live music clubs, including The Grizzly Rose; Billy Bob’s; and the Wildhorse Saloon. She spent three years fronting and playing guitar in fellow Oklahoman, Ty England’s band, which included a USO Tour of Korea in 2005.

Watch her Monday night on The Country Network when she host’s Breaking Out.

I hope you and your family had a fun and blessed Thanksgiving and I know you had TCN playing in the background...right?

I added some new videos to the network and you can see them under the New Additions tab above.  One video from our Breaking Out host LiveWire called "Miracle of the Human Spirit".  The members of LiveWire are from Joplin and many of their friends and family were affected by the horrible tornado last May.  All of the proceeds from "Miracle of the Human Spirit" goes back to help the community of Joplin rebuild and heal.  Watch the video and if you would like to help they have contact information of different organizations where you can donate.

Lee Brice has a new video called “Woman Like You”, it is a really cool lyric and Lee is sporting a new look in the video.  I really like the song and the twist of the lyric.

It’s getting to be the time to start plying Christmas videos and I have a fun new video from Sherrie Austin that we are going to start playing in the next couple weeks.

Thanks for watching The Country Network…

This time of year is always so exciting, the anticipation of getting together with friends and family and sharing in the stories and food…at The Country Network we hope that all of your travels this holiday are safe and your time with family and friends is truly blessed.   We thank you for allowing TCN to become a part of your daily routine and look forward to great things to come.

Awards shows outside of the CMA’s or ACM’s are always interesting to me, I like all types of music…lately I have had Adele on repeat in iTunes but at the end of the day country is my choice.  Not because it is the industry I choose to work in but because I love the music with all the stories and honesty of life.

Last night AMA”s were a good snapshot of what is going on outside my safe little country bubble and I thought it was a good show over all, but what I was really proud of was country music taking the spotlight.  Say what you want about Taylor Swift but she has done more to bring international attention to our preferred genre of music than anyone since Garth Brooks.  Am I comparing Taylor to Garth?  No, 2 different artist’s, 2 different era’s but as Garth helped a younger generation discover country music in the early 90’s so has Taylor.  For Her to win “Artist of the Year” is a major statement that will help all artist’s in country music and besides, dare I say she is a far better role model than Kayne West or LMAFO!

Everyone keeps asking if we take unsolicited videos for air on The Country Network. Well, the answer is a resounding "Yes!" We love seeing new and undiscovered talent!

Now, that doesn't mean that you can just grab a guitar, mic, and iPhone camera and make it big. But these days, it's a lot easier to do just that if you've got the talent and drive to work hard at making a really good product.

So, we open up The Country Network to all! In fact, we're revving up to launch an hourlong show spotlighting nothing but indie labels, and of course, there's always the big spotlight on undiscovered artists, Breaking Out. You don't have to be on a big label, a small label, or any label at all to get on TCN; all you have to do is have a great song and a great video.

How do you go about this, you may ask? Well, it's simple: drop us a quick email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with a link to where we can review your video (YouTube, Vimeo, a etc. are fine). We'll take a look at it, and if it's approved, we'll put it on TV (and not just the overnight hours ;) )! Who knows, you may even get a shot at hosting a future episode of Breaking Out!

After you get a lovingly hand-crafted approval email back from me, you'll need to provide us with a broadcast-quality copy of your video. We'll send you the details, you send us the video. It's that simple.

We can't wait to see what y'all have for us to see. So get to sendin'!

Good morning, country fans!

Friday, The Country Network received two new videos. The first was the chart-busting "Tattoos On This Town" by Jason Aldean and the second was "Bare Feet On The Blacktop" by Shane Yellowbird.

"Tattoos On This Town" is climbing up the Billboard charts and is currently sitting high at number 7.  The video is beautiful, one of his best, and feels authentic and real.  What really made the video for me is the underlying story of country life and patriotism.  I’m willing to bet that we see this become Jason's third number 1 single. 

"Bare Feet On The Blacktop" was released in 2009 by this Canadian born singer but the video just hit our desk Friday.  This video features Shane performing and interacting with his fans at various live performances.  The video is fun and really showcases his stage presence and comes complete with great footage of his fans.  Shane's been making some noise in Canada the last few years, and it's time to bring him to America!

As always, let me know what you think about these vids. I want to hear your thoughts!

It seems like the entire Country music universe has descended on Nashville this week…there are Artists, Managers, Radio people, Record people and fans everywhere…it is actually really cool.

Check out the “New Additions” channel here on the page to see some of the new videos added to TCN.  I added an new video from a group of guys called Mockingbird Sun and a group from Australia named Jetty Road..

Martina McBride’s new video “I’m Gonna Love You Through It” has really taken off and what a great message.  The Ella Mae Bowen remake of “Holding Out For a Hero” on  the new Footloose soundtrack is a complete departure from the original version Bonnie Tyler’s had a hit with and it is really cool.

Tom and Rachel from Gloriana stopped by to host Nashville Nights this week, check them out on Wednesday night at 7pm or

WOW!  November is here!  Where did 2011 go?  Is it just me or has this year flown by! 

The good news: Payton Rae is back up tonight on Breaking Out and Kip Moore will host a CMA edition of  Nashville Nights on Wednesday. 

The not so good news this week is this:  Youg Broadcasting has elected to not renew their affiliate agreements.  If you watch TCN on WATE in Knoxville, WRIC in Richmond, WLNS in Lasing or KRON in the San Francisco, we are no longer on the air in your market.  We regret the loss of these stations and are working hard to find new affiliates for our fans in these markets.  If you want to contact Young Broadcasting reach out via email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  Be nice and let them know how much you miss TCN.

In the meantime you can still stream us on your computer, Roku or your smart devices.

Thanks for watching The Country Network

We had a great time today, we were at Stage Post studios taping new Breaking Out with Payton Rae and DJ Miller.  I have enjoyed their videos but I was even more impressed with them in person, it was a lot of fun taping and I can't wait for you to see the shows.  Next week we are taping Nashville Nights with Gloriana, Katie Arminger and Kip Moore, more on that later.  If you like Toby Keith, TCN is debuting Red Solo Cup on Saturday.

Just put some new music into the system...check out the New Additions channel above.

Just added

Take A Back Road/Rodney Atkins - The new video for Rodney's #1 hit.

Where Country Grows/Ashton Shepard - A new song and video from Ashton that they shot on there home ranch. 

Run Away/Sarah Jarosz - This new song from a new artist to The Country Network is a light and breezy song that stuck to the roof of my brain. 

Daybreak/Sierra Hull - Love this new song from Sierra.

At The Country Network we are always thinking outside the box, that is why you see our efforts like the Roku stream, TCN Community, Facebook and twitter.  When it comes to the digital side of what we do, what is crazy and outside the lines today may very well be the standard tomorrow or 5 years down the road.. Right now, our Roku stream is in the beta phase but the options for the future are really exciting...like multiple streams...artist channels...and more, if you have Roku check us out and let me know what you think.  If you don't have Roku, research it the box is about $60 at Best Buy or any other electronics retailer, it hooks into your TV and links to your Internet so you can stream The Country Network, Netflix and other programming on your TV.