Study the statistics. Consider that country music sales are down by half from 2007 to 2011. Understand that fewer country albums are getting made and labels are spending much less on promotional budgets. Realize that radio airplay remains the primary method of delivering new music to the masses.
Experiment live on the air with test-driving new songs. Create a daily segment where the disc jockey spins a couple of new tracks and takes votes on them. For an interesting twist, don't reveal the artist's name until after the votes are tallied.
Add new artists to the rotation. Count the number of unique artists in your station's MusicMaster or Selector music archive. Program your station outside the box instead of playing the same artists repeatedly.
Incorporate listener feedback and requests. Pay close attention to which artists and songs are being requested. Have the DJs keep a log in the control room of all requests that come in during their shifts. These logs should be reviewed regularly by the music director and considered in programming decisions.
Attend radio industry conventions and read the trade magazines to stay on top of the latest trends in country radio. Network with other radio professionals in the country radio format. Cultivate relationships with record labels and artists through on-air promotions, interviews, concert ticket giveaways and in-studio performances.