seeking an unbiased opinion about country music radio

[Donna Halper]

I am cross-posting this to several lists, to get a number of opinions. 
As many of you know, a country radio station just reached #1 in the 
Boston ratings.  Historically, the country format did absolutely nothing 
here, and many stations that tried the format died. I consulted the 
first successful country station, circa 1993-1994 (WCLB-- today WKLB) 
but it too struggled to gain anything more than a niche audience.  So, 
what has changed in the past decade or so-- is it how country is rated 
by PPM, have audiences for country expanded, or something else? What is 
going on that would take country to #1 in Boston?  (Note:  I am in no 
way questioning the power of country music. It's not my music of choice, 
but as a consultant, I grew to appreciate some of the artists and I 
really was impressed by the loyalty of the fans.)