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Lorianhc Crook and Charlie Chase interview singer
songwriter Chuck Wicks for a segment of their
| weekly musical variety series on RFD-TV.
studio is a large board filled with personal notes
from some of country music’s biggest stars. Huge
poster-sized photos of all-star performers line the
halls on both sides, reminding visiting singers that
they are in a supportive environment. Though it is a
bustling studio producing shows that air round the
clock, RFD-TV’s headquarters feels as down-home as
its programs.
That welcoming atmosphere is no doubt what
helped lure New York radio personality Don Imus
and talk-show hosts Lorianne Crook and Charlie
Chase to the network. Imus returned to television
on RFD-TV in December, while Crook and Chase,
who enjoyed a 16-year run on TNN, began taping
their new weekly show in January at the Nashville
studios formerly used for several TNN shows and
the long-defunct Hee Haw. Among the guests for
their inaugural show w>ere Garth Brooks, George
Jones and the Oak Ridge Boys. The taping felt like
a family reunion, with lots of hugs, kisses and pats
on the back.
“I watch the network quite a bit,” Jones says. “I watch
the horse shows ’cause I love horses and cattle. It’s fan
tastic. You’ve got a lot of farmers and cattle people who
would watch those shows, and then you’ve got a variety
of other things, like the Wilburn Brothers. It s great to
be able to see the older artists on TV again. It brings
back a lot of memories to a lot of people.”
After 25 years in the business of entertaining country
music fens, Lorianne Crook and Charlie Chase both
believe RFD-TV is serving an audience that was for
gotten for a time but remains vital and valid.
Viewers eager for wholesomeness
“Patrick Gottsch’s mission is to give a voice to
middle-American country’ fans for entertainment
and all kinds of programming,” says Crook, 51.
"We get letters all the time saying network TV in
general has gone so much toward sex and violence
and blood and guts, that they are hungry for this
type of show and others similar to ours. And that’s
what Patrick wants to do. So I’m just thrilled to
death that country fans and middle Americans feel
like they are being paid attention to!”
Ever expanding, RFD-TV now provides a com
panion channel with high-definition content, and
Gottsch hopes to move into satellite radio. He has
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Radio host Don Imus (in hat) is on the air with a three
hour live telecast each weekday morning.
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Former personality
Ralph Emery hosts Ralph
Emery Live, a weekly
hour-long interview show.
even bigger plans for the network, which include
reaching into urban and overseas markets, where
viewers may not “be country,” but would appreci
ate the network’s content nonetheless.
“While everybody else is focused on 18- to
34-year-olds and reality shows, I think there’s still
room for a channel like ours,” Gottsch says. “We
promote ourselves as television the way it used to
be, and still is on RFD-TV." ★
Story by Lorie Hollabangh of Nashville. Tenn.
Visit AmericanProfile.com and click on this
story for more information.
Page 8
w’ww’.americanprofiie.com J
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