Cumulus is expected to put into play this week a plan to take its NashFM country brand and promote it across TV, print, streaming audio, concerts and even household products, The NY Post has learned.
Included is an announcement that Cumulus is buying a 50% interest in American Media’s (AMI) Country Weekly magazine. From the story: “After experimenting with publishing a test issue of Nash Magazine last fall through their own Modern Luxury Media subsidiary, Cumulus CEO Lew Dickey recently mentioned they would partner with Country Weekly to take the Nash brand to print over the next couple of quarters. The Nashville-based title, with a circulation of 505,000 a week, will be re-branded Nash magazine.”
Dickey tells RBR-TVBR: “It’s on the newsstands today with the NASH insert in there. Over a period of time, it will migrate from being a Country weekly magazine with a NASH insert to a NASH magazine with a Country Weekly insert. We want to slowly do this and accustom Country Weekly readers to the NASH brand.”
The introduction of NASH in the pages of Country Weekly is the first part of this multi-level partnership that will also include integration of Country Weekly into NASH’s regular radio programming. AMI and Cumulus Media will also introduce a website that will provide an in-depth and unique look at both the business and lifestyle aspects of the country music industry. The website will be built in collaboration with the launch of the partnership.
Here’s Dickey’s five-point plan, says The Post:
• Form a dedicated Nash channel on digital radio service Rdio, in which Cumulus recently purchased a major stake;
• Launch a Nash Bash concert series;
• Team with a cable channel to form the Nash Network;
• Establish a home-goods line including furniture, paint and clothing;
• Explore a partnership with Guggenheim Media’s Dick Clark Productions to create a new country awards show for radio.
Dickey is set to begin reaching out to several TV content companies which already have country-branded assets to explore partnership opportunities. Scripps Networks Interactive owns Great American Country, while Viacom owns CMT. Discovery Communications’ two channels, Destination America and American Heroes, are being eyed by Dickey, sources told the paper.
Dickey clarified this with RBR-TVBR: “We’re in discussions with a whole host of different video options here—possible video production and distribution partners—so we haven’t made a final decision yet on a NASH TV option. We are certainly on track for a NASH network television program.”
