Thank You Dolly

August 27, 2026

Image by Wal Saravia of Pexels. 

Like almost everyone else on planet Earth, I was devastated and saddened when I heard of Dolly Parton’s passing. The world did not just lose a great songwriter and performer, but someone who transcended the barriers that separate us.

Since this is a radio centric publication, Dolly’s music is the message. How did radio respond to this passing of an icon? I don’t know. I leave that to the folks who monitor radio stations for a living.

I did see an article on how radio responded. It was a series of social media posts, many of which featured the obligatory pics of personalities and programmers with Dolly.

Kewl.

What did that do for the listener? I can tell you that on the evening of her death, the news networks were pretty much wall-to-wall with coverage and reactions. They played clips of her songs. They interviewed celebrities and those that just knew her. It was cathartic. SiriusXM’s Outlaw Country channel went live that night with Elizabeth Cook and took listener calls. Very emotional.

I’m asking this open question—what did your station do in the aftermath? For sure, your evening show was likely voice tracked and could not respond. Did you break format and play “9 to 5” the next day? Did you take calls to let listeners talk about how Dolly’s music affected them? Is there an Imagination Library in your town? Sounds like a perfect time for a fundraiser.

Radio gets so locked up in our “formats.” We stick to strict rules and dare not venture outside of our lanes for fear a meter might tune out. Rather than surprise our audience and live in the moment, we often retreat behind our format fortresses.

Pop music has been around for 70 plus years. There are songs and artists from bygone eras that have universal appeal. We have multiple generations of potential listeners that have extremely broad musical tastes. I’m not just talking about “formats.” We see this, for example, with how many Classic Rock/Hits stations perform with the 18-34 crowd.

I have millennial kids who grew up listening to my music. They are fans of the Beatles, Little Feat, the Allman Brothers, etc. They are also fans of the music of their generation. To them it’s all one playlist.

Dolly is on that list. She transcended generations and formats. Did radio seize that moment and assert its relevance? Or did we play it safe? Again.

Sadly, this is not the last icon we will lose. What is YOUR plan to share those moments with your listeners?

I’m curious. What did your station(s) do in the wake of this stunning news?

Let me know, I’d love to share radio’s greatness: sallan@researchdirectorinc.com

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