Hot Country is a 24-hour music format produced by

Westwood One Westwood One is an American radio network owned by Cumulus Media. The company syndicates talk, music, and sports programming. The company takes its name from an earlier network also named Westwood One, a company founded in 1978. The compan ...

. Its playlist is composed of

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

released from the late 1990s to the present. Core artists include Luke Bryan,

Lady A Lady A (formerly known as Lady Antebellum) is an American country music group formed in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2006. The group is composed of Hillary Scott (lead and background vocals), Charles Kelley (lead and background vocals, guitar), ...

(formerly known as Lady Antebellum),

Blake Shelton Blake Tollison Shelton (born June 18, 1976) is an American country music singer and television personality. In 2001, he made his debut with the single "Austin". The lead-off single from his self-titled debut album, "Austin" spent five weeks at ...

Zac Brown Band Zac Brown Band is an American country music band based in Atlanta, Georgia. The lineup consists of Zac Brown (lead vocals, guitar), Jimmy De Martini ( fiddle, vocals), John Driskell Hopkins (bass guitar, guitar, baritone guitar, banjo, ukul ...

Keith Urban Keith Lionel Urban (born 26 October 1967) is an Australian-American musician, singer, guitarist and songwriter known for his work in country music. Recognized with four Grammy Awards, Urban also received fifteen Academy of Country Music Award ...

and

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...

among others. Its competitors were "Country Today" by Waitt,

CD Country CD Country was a 24-hour music format produced by Jones Radio Networks. Its playlist is composed of mostly modern country music from artists such as Tim McGraw, Gretchen Wilson, Keith Urban, Brooks & Dunn, and Rascal Flatts. Unlike other country ...

True 24-Hour Country Westwood One is an American radio network owned by Cumulus Media. The company syndicates talk, music, and sports programming. The company takes its name from an earlier network also named Westwood One, a company founded in 1978. The company ...

, and U.S. Country by Jones; however those assets were absorbed by

Triton Media Group Triton Digital, LLC, formerly Triton Media Group, is a digital audio technology and advertising company based in Los Angeles. The group was formally owned by E. W. Scripps Company which sold Triton to IHeartMedia in October 2020. The company work ...

, leaving ABC Radio's

Today's Best Country Best Country Today (formerly known as Country Coast-to-Coast, The Best Country Around and Today's Best Country) was one of the 24-hour live formats produced by Cumulus Media Networks. It is designed to appeal to a wide range of listeners, conce ...

and

Real Country Real Country is a 24-hour radio format produced by Westwood One. Real Country is marketed at the demographic of men aged 35 to 64. Its programming consists of a fairly broad playlist of "Today's Stars and the Legends." Classic country is the ...

the only competitors. CD Country was consolidated into this satellite feed as of early 2009. Country Today is now a locally customized version of sister network Mainstream Country. Westwood One has rebranded this network as Hot Country Today for a short time as part of Dial Global's revamped satellite format line-up, but then reverted to its previous name. Westwood One offers this format only in a Total version, not in a Local version.

References

External links

Hot Country - Info from Westwood One
{{Triton Media American radio networks Country radio stations in the United States