Rascal Flatts ‘joins’ Air Force for Christmas radio special

  • Published
  • By Dale Eckroth, Air Force Recruiting Service
JBSA-RANDOLPH,Texas --  

With the release of their first ever Christmas album, Rascal Flatts joins Tech. Sgt. Michael Cowley for this year’s “Red, White and Air Force Blue Christmas.” The one-hour radio show features all 10 tracks from the “The Greatest Gift of All” along with an insight into the making of the album and the band’s holiday traditions and memories.

 

“I think it’s something new, something a lot of Rascal Flatts fans haven’t heard before,” said Cowley, the show’s host and broadcaster at Air Force Recruiting Service. “These guys are always put in front of a camera or microphone and expected to sing or read a script. We just hung out and had some serious moments but were able to relax and joke around a bit too. It’s just a fun show with good music.”

 

The show was recorded at Spotland Productions in Nashville and is produced by AFRS. It’s Cowley’s first time hosting the holiday special and he admitted he felt a little intimidated at first. However, the band put his mind at ease.

 

“As soon as they came into the studio, I could tell they were really laid back and personable. These guys could have done the show by themselves,” he said. “They could host a weekly radio show and it would be a hit. They were hilarious. They all just fed off of each other and cracked jokes non-stop. We captured quite a bit of that in the show.”  

 

Now in its 15th year, a “Red, White and Air Force Blue Christmas” is part of the Air Force’s public service announcement program that helps generate public awareness and create a positive image of the Air Force, according to Jim Askins, AFRS national advertising branch chief.

 

“Our national advertising agency GSD&M works with Connect 360 Multimedia, which specializes in strategic marketing of our PSAs. They’ll distribute the show digitally to hundreds of radio stations throughout the U.S. as well as the American Forces Network,” he said. “Because of the appeal that Rascal Flatts has across multiple musical genres, we’re hoping to get this year’s show featured on stations that don’t traditionally cater to a country music audience.”

 

The band also recorded four 30-second PSAs that stations can air anytime throughout the year. The PSAs are packaged with the Christmas show and focus on achieving your dreams, helping those feeling the effects of stress, giving back to our nation’s heroes and making time for friends and family.

 

Askins urges recruiters to visit their local radio stations and encourage them to play the Christmas show as well as the PSAs. “It doesn’t matter if they’re large metropolitan stations or small rural stations, they can be a tremendous help in getting the Air Force message out to the public,” he said.

 

“The stations can also sell advertising with the show if they wish. It’s free to them and provides some great holiday programming. Stations are influencers and recruiters should take advantage of that.”

 

In a shout out to U.S. service members, Rascal Flatts expressed their gratitude saying, “Thank you to our men and women all over the world who are standing in harm’s way. Thank you for allowing us to enjoy the freedoms we have each and every day. May God be with you and may you come home safe and soon. You and your families are in our prayers and we just wanted to wish you a very, very Merry Christmas.”