Latest news with #Guyton
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
10 years ago, a country radio pro dismissed female singers — and 'Tomatogate' was born. Are they getting more respect now?
In 2015, women singers in country music were told they were just the "tomatoes" in a salad of male stars — a juicy soundbite that became known as Tomatogate. One decade later, frustration is still real as country radio stations seem confused about the ingredients that make a perfect salad. Controversy ensued 10 years ago when a radio consultant suggested female country music artists are not the lettuce in the salad, but rather tomatoes who should be "sprinkled" on a playlist and not in back-to-back rotations. "If you want to make ratings in country radio, take females out," Keith Hill told the trade publication Country Radio Aircheck in its May 26, 2015, issue. "Trust me," Hill, whom the publication called "the world's leading authority on music scheduling," continued. "I play great female records, and we've got some right now; they're just not the lettuce in our salad. The lettuce is Luke Bryan and Blake Shelton, Keith Urban and artists like that. The tomatoes of our salad are the females." "The story made national headlines and riled up both men and women in the music industry. Female artists united. Martina McBride sold "Tomato Lover" T-shirts for her charity, which supports equal rights for women in the music industry. There were think pieces and interviews calling out "Bro Country" and research studies done about gender representation on country radio. Has anything really changed in the last decade, aside from online outrage? While covering the Academy of Country Music Awards (ACMs) earlier this month, I talked to some of the biggest female artists in country music to get a state of the union, of sorts. I also spoke with professors doing research on gender representation in country radio. Here's where we stand. Singer-songwriter Mickey Guyton had an emphatic "Oh yeah" when I asked her if she remembered Tomatogate 10 years ago. "Not much has changed. It hasn't," Guyton, who was honored at Variety's Power of Women: Nashville earlier this month, told Yahoo Entertainment. She believes there needs to be more female artists played on the radio right now. "But at a certain point, there's a lot of people that can fight for the system that oppresses us. Until they stop doing that, there's nothing much that we can do to press forward. Like, when do we all decide to say stop accepting the crumbs? Billie Jean King said that," Guyton said, referencing the American tennis great. "We have to stop accepting the crumbs. When's enough enough? I don't know." Singer Kassi Ashton, who was nominated for New Female Artist of the Year at the ACMs, agreed, saying, "We still have a ways to go" in terms of female representation on the radio. "Last year, there was only one female number one the entire year." Ella Langley was the only female artist to top the Billboard Country Airplay chart in 2024. There are plenty of charts one can look at, but Billboard's is considered crucial, as it tracks the week's most popular songs ranked by country radio airplay audience impressions. Langley scored her first No. 1 with her hit song "You Look Like You Love Me," which also features male singer Riley Green. In 2018, Miranda Lambert scored her first No. 1 in four years for her and Jason Aldean's summer hit "Drowns the Whiskey." She infamously called out radio chart disparity and how she "had to sing with someone with a penis to get a number one." "I do like this person, Jason Aldean, a lot … so it was a great song with an old friend,' she told the Washington Post, adding how "it is interesting that I haven't had even a Top 20 in a long, long time. And then it goes No. 1 because it's a dude." Kate Duncan, director of the School of Music and Theatre Professions at Loyola University New Orleans, sees that trend reflected in the charts. "An artist like Miranda Lambert saying she had to have a male feature in order to get recognition is not far off the mark because the bar seems to be so much higher for female accomplishment across the industry," she explained to Yahoo. "We're just seeing that the bar is almost unattainable right now." Sara Evans, known for hits like "Suds in the Bucket" and "A Little Bit Stronger," told me on the 2025 ACMs red carpet that this is still an issue. "Radio hasn't played any new music of mine in years — six years probably," she said. Evans won Top Female Vocalist at the awards show in 2006. She was nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year in 2011 and has churned out plenty of music, her latest album getting released in June 2024. "It's crazy. I don't understand it. What would we do without Kacey Musgraves and Dolly Parton if they had never played them?" It's a point Carrie Underwood, who's one of the biggest faces of country music, made in 2018. "Even when I was growing up, I wished there was more women on the radio, and I had a lot more than there are today," she said in a podcast interview. "You think about all of the little girls that are sitting at home saying, 'I want to be a country music singer.' What do you tell them? ... How do you look at them and say, 'Well just work hard sweetie and you can do it' when that's not the case right now." Prior to Langley topping the Billboard Country Airplay chart in December, it had been nearly one year since a woman was featured in the top spot. Lainey Wilson, who was featured on Jelly Roll's "Save Me," hit No. 1 for two weeks in December 2023. Langley ended the second-longest break — 51 weeks — between women topping the chart since a record 61-week shutout in 2003 and 2004, according to Billboard. It's a troubling trend, despite singers like Wilson and newcomer Langley being two of the biggest names in country music right now. Tomatogate caught the attention of University of Ottawa professor Jada Watson a decade ago, who was awarded two research grants to study different facets of these representational issues. She explained to me how she started out by analyzing representation on Billboard's long-running Hot Country Songs. "I started to realize that when you have such a deficit of songs by women who are being programmed at radio, they're not getting into the charts," she told Yahoo. "The chart is a formulaic representation of what's going on, because Billboard has a formula for how they calculate it. But it doesn't necessarily tell you what's happening on the day-to-day — radio airplay gives you a better sense." Watson analyzed radio airplay data, and that's when she said she saw "the source of these issues within radio programming." "It's been really disheartening. To a certain extent, it almost feels like the more we've spoken about it, the more we've analyzed it, the more we've written about it, the more we've advocated for change, the more radio has clamped down on these practices of not playing songs by women back-to-back of using a quota to relegate a smaller percentage of airplay," Watson said. Five years after Tomatogate, there was a promising trend — albeit a small one. According to Watson's data analysis of Billboard's gender representation on its Country Airplay chart, from 2018 to 2020, songs by women increased from 13.3% to 18.4%. But in 2021, it dropped, and the trend has been troubling since. "Songs by women in 2024 received 8.39 percent of the airplay," Watson said. "And 8.23 percent of that was for songs by white women, 0.09 percent was for songs by Black women. What's important to highlight there is that this is the year that Beyoncé releases the Grammy-winning Album of the Year [Cowboy Carter]." Yes, Beyoncé essentially made up most of that .09%. "As her song was being released, and as radio was playing it, there was also this backlash about radio not playing it," Watson continued. "It's interesting because they clearly were. And at that time, we were all like, 'Yes! you should be playing it. You can't miss an opportunity to platform Beyoncé with this really fresh, great country song.' But you should also be playing Black women who are in Nashville building their careers right now." Watson confirmed the trend Lambert pointed out, which is that over the last 10 years, "there is a decline in songs by solo female or all-female groups charting within the top 10. It seems, at times, like the only way a song with a woman can get to [the] top is when it's alongside a man." While Watson pointed out Wilson and Langley "deserve all of the wins that are coming their way," people shouldn't use that "as a measure of change within the industry." "We're ignoring the underlying issues. This is not to take away from their talent and their drive and their success because they deserve to win awards — but they get tokenized then. Everyone will say it's getting better for women because this one year, two women really dominated the awards... that's after years of women really not winning awards or even being nominated for awards," Watson continued. "We have to be able to have the conversation that both celebrates their accomplishments, but acknowledge that nothing is changing, that somehow they're winning in spite of what's going on in the industry." Despite acknowledging that country music still has a gender representation issue in terms of radio play, the stars I talked to wanted to make it clear how supported they feel by other female artists. "I do agree that it's better than it's ever been — and is growing," Reba McEntire told me at the ACMs. "It's a lift up, not a competition anymore." "Female country music is back, baby. Not that it was ever really gone, but there's so many of us — Ella, Megan [Moroney]— we're all making music that sounds completely different," Ashton said. Guyton added, "It can't be a competition. It's too hard out there for women for there to be a competition. If anything, we need to lean into each other and really do what we can together to stop accepting the crumbs and getting out there and building a bigger table for us." Singer Avery Anna told me she feels "blessed to be a woman in country music." "Sometimes I think it's harder for us girls out here, but now more than ever the women before me have paved the way for artists like me who are up and coming to say what we want to say, be how we want to be and be ourselves — Shania Twain, Taylor Swift, Kacey [Musgraves]," she said. "I just feel blessed they did what they did so I can be more authentic and not be so boxed in." Gabby Barrett, who came in third on American Idol in 2018, has had a positive experience with radio play. "I can only speak for myself on that front and I know they've been really kind to me in the past on the radio," she said. "All the radio [representatives] I have met have been very nice and I was just a girl getting into it at the time. I was just a girl coming off a television show, hadn't done the whole 10 years in Nashville kind of story yet and they were still kind enough to play my music. With [Ella Langley] leading in recognition at the ACMs, I definitely think we are in a much better place." Duncan said that, in terms of the music industry, "the needle has not moved" when it comes to radio play or women "on the production or business side of things." "The more recent figures on that look like a 3 percent occupation of the music industry is female-led, which is really staggering," she explained. However, Duncan is hopeful. "What has changed is we're saying that out loud now in ways that had been a bit more hush-hush or a bit more easily brushed off 10 years ago," Duncan continued. "I think there are some really good — we'll say crowbars — cracking some light into the the [underrepresented] industry spaces, but we are we're in the red so significantly with representation that we just need an influx of help to make it more equitable and to make it a safe space for underrepresented people of all those categories."
Miami Herald
13-05-2025
- Automotive
- Miami Herald
U.S. Tariffs Create a Dramatic Shift in Mazda's Strategy
According to Automotive News, Mazda CEO Masahiro Moro stated during a May 12 presentation on the fiscal year ending March 31 that the automaker requires more time to assess how tariffs might affect its operations. "We will work toward maintaining global sales volume at levels close to the previous year to the greatest extent possible," Moro said. "Regarding the outlook for the current fiscal year, considering the uncertain business environment, including U.S. tariff policies, we are not yet in a position to provide a forecast." Sales in North America, Mazda's biggest market, jumped by a substantial 24 percent to a record 617,000 vehicles during the fiscal year that ended on March 31, driven by all-time-high deliveries in both Mexico and the U.S. In 2024, Mazda's U.S. sales grew by 17% to a record 424,382 vehicles, the best sales year for the brand since 1986. As recently as February, Mazda executives predicted that it would have another year of record U.S. sales, leaning on the success of a redesigned CX-5 to help it move 450,000 vehicles in 2025. However, Mazda CFO Jeffrey Guyton now predicts that U.S. demand will fall due to tariff-induced price increases. Mazda's CEO claimed that tariffs cost the company ¥9 billion to ¥10 billion (~$60.1 million to $66.8 million) in April alone, however, the company intends to combat by pushing Mazdas in other key regions like its native Japan, Southeast Asia, and China, as well as aggressive cost-cutting. "We can imagine there will be some risk to our U.S. sales in the coming year," Guyton said. "And our intention is to find sales opportunities among all the other countries." One caveat behind the numbers is that Mazda heavily relies on vehicle imports on a larger scale than contemporaries like Toyota, Honda, and even Nissan. In 2024, Mazda imported 235,738 vehicles from Japan to the U.S., including models like the CX-5 crossover and the CX-70 and CX-90 SUVs, which make up roughly 55% of its U.S. sales. In addition, Mazda also imports the compact Mazda3 and the CX-30 crossover from its plant in Mexico, which are compliant with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Mazda Toyota Manufacturing, U.S.A., the automaker's only stateside factory, is a jointly operated site in Alabama where Mazda makes the CX-50 and Toyota makes the Corolla Cross on different assembly lines. Although the CX-50 is made there, Guyton says it will have to pay tariffs on imported parts used in its assembly, which will range from $2,000 to $4,000 per vehicle. Mazda CFO Guyton noted that the automaker will try to push more vehicles that move quicker from dealership lots instead of costlier vehicles that have higher margins. "In service of keeping production maximized, we need to make sure that we're focused on fast-turn product," Guyton said. "That doesn't mean purely entry grade. But higher value and more core models are what we're looking at." In addition, Mazda will try to curb its incentive spending as car prices increase. Over its past fiscal year, Mazda says that incentives took away over 124.9 billion yen (about $833.9 million) from its operating profits. According to data from Motor Intelligence, Mazda's incentives averaged $3,224 per vehicle from January-March 2025, a 36% year-over-year increase. Overall, Mazda saw a 26% dip in operating profit and a decline in its operating margin from 5.2% the year before to 3.7%. Mazda CEO Moro said that the company expects to give an earnings outlook when it announces its fiscal first-quarter results, which typically happen in August. However, as political leaders from Tokyo and Washington, D.C. negotiate some amendments to the tariffs, Moro maintains that clear guidance won't come unless something gets ironed out between the respective trade representatives. "At the moment, the Japanese government is still negotiating with the U.S. government. So, I don't think we should provide guidance based on an uncertain outlook or an uncertain premise," Moro said. "As the situation is highly volatile, we cannot come up with an estimate at this moment in a rational manner, and so our guidance is undecided." Mazda's withdrawal of its outlook guidance is the latest in a line that includes big names like its former Dearborn parent, Ford, and German luxury automaker Mercedes-Benz. Though Moro stated that it's unable to get clear guidance until the U.S. and Japan work out a trade deal, such a deal is unlikely to come very quickly. According to a May 11 Bloomberg report, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba will not accept any trade deal that excludes an accord on auto imports. Japanese media outlet NHK also reported that the Japanese government proposed expanding auto-related investment in the US as part of its concessions. However, they predict that any agreement will likely be reached in early July, around the time Japan announces a national election. Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
NEW RELEASE: Rivals250 for 2027 class updated
The 2027 Rivals250 hasn't been updated since February and the national analyst team has gathered a mountain of new information since then. Check out the biggest debates that sprung up during the rankings meetings. NEW 2027 RIVALS250: Ranking | Position-by-position CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State CLASS OF 2027 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State TRANSFER PORTAL: Full coverage | Player ranking | Team ranking | Transfer search | Transfer Tracker IS LADAMION GUYTON THE CLEAR NO. 1? Advertisement LaDamion Guyton has been the top-ranked prospect in the 2027 Rivals250 since the very first rankings release in September and has maintained his grip on the No. 1 spot since. The Georgia native had a strong sophomore campaign but has had a relatively quiet offseason. Guyton has continued to hone his skill set but has not tested himself against top flight competition in the months since the end of the season. There are still a few events left this summer that Guyton could decide to participate in but, with his junior season on the horizon, he has not yet added to his body of work. Even though he didn't necessarily put up incredible statistics, Guyton was dominant on film. He shows quick twitch ability you wouldn't expect from a 6-foot-3, 230-pound defender. Guyton routinely impacts the play and consistently gets into the backfield, beating the man in front of him with a variety of speed and power techniques. The way he almost always seems to have an answer for whatever the offense is trying to do has him a cut above the rest of the players in this class at this point in time. IS ELIJAH HAVEN A CUT ABOVE THE REST? As always, quarterbacks are under the microscope and Elijah Haven remains the top-ranked player at the position. At No. 2 overall in the Rivals250, the gap between the Louisiana native and the rest of the quarterback class seems to be growing. In February there were three quarterbacks in the top six of the Rivals250 now only three quarterbacks are in the top 20. To be fair, very few quarterbacks saw their rating go down and there were a number of players at other positions that saw big jumps in the rankings and ended up getting slotted ahead of some of the signal callers. Advertisement Haven remained No. 1 in the quarterback rankings while the gap between him and number two widened with Brady Edmunds and Trae Taylor coming off the board next. Colton Nussmeier, brother of LSU starting quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, ranked No. 4 at the position and has a chance to continue rising up the ranks. Georgia native Jayce Johnson is a name to remember, as he was the biggest riser of any quarterback in this rankings update and now sits inside the top 30 nationally. Peyton Houston, also from Louisiana like Haven, remains in the top 50 and is still one of the most heavily recruited quarterbacks of the cycle thus far. ELITE CLASS OF CORNERBACKS EMERGING The 2027 class of defensive backs is shaping up to be a special group and now there are four cornerbacks in the top 10 of the Rivals250. Five-star Duvay Williams remains at the top of the cornerback rankings and sits at No. 3 in the Rivals250 but John Meredith III and Joshua Dobson are two of the three highest ranked four stars in the class. Meredith possesses elite athletic traits for a 6-foot-2 defensive back and he is only getting better from a technical perspective. Advertisement Dobson has a similar profile with verified sub-10.8 speed in the 100m and a strong track record for productive play during the season and in the offseason camp and 7-on-7 setting. Also in the top 10 of the Rivals250 is cornerback Kenton Dobson III from Miami. Standing at 6-feet tall, Dobson was one of the most formidable defensive players in all of Florida last season, pulling down three interceptions and knocking down 16 passes that were thrown in his direction. Cornerbacks Aaryn Washington, Ace Alston and Dolph McDonald join them inside the top 50 of the Rivals250. It wouldn't be surprising to see at least two more five-star cornerbacks when the 2027 rankings are updated next. WHERE ARE THE ELITE RECEIVERS? There have been at least three five-star receivers every year since the 2021 class. Right now Jamier Brown is the only one to carry that elite design designation but there are plenty of other candidates who drew consideration. Dakota Guerrant and Easton Royal are the only other receivers in the top 15 of the Rivals250 and both have strong characteristics that make them potential five-star prospects. Advertisement Guerrant measures in at 6-foot-1 but he can play with a big-body style, is a fluid runner and has the strong hands to make him a favorite target for quarterbacks. His productivity makes him undeniably one of the best receiving prospects in the class. Royal has a skill set that would allow him to play on the outside or from the slot, but whatever position he lines up at, his elite speed should give him the edge over any defender that lines up across from him. Clocking a 10.38-second 100m last month, Royal has seen his recruitment explode as more and more scouts learn about his skill set. Six other receivers sit inside the top 50 of the Rivals 250 at this point with players like Julian Caldwell, Kesean Bowman and Quentin Burrell among the biggest risers. Slot receivers Julius Jones, Trenton Yancey and Myles McAfee are deserving of recognition in this discussion as well. WHICH PASS RUSHER SHOULD BE THE NEXT FIVE-STAR? Five pass rushers were selected in the first round of the NFL Draft last month so, with Guyton as the only five-star at the position right now, the question is how many more will there be? Advertisement Joining Guyton inside the top 10 of the Rivals250 is Zyron Forstall out of Louisiana and KJ Green from Georgia. Forstall was one of the biggest risers in this rankings update and deservingly so. The nearly 6-foot-4 edge defender shows explosiveness, strength, patience, speed and an impressive motor on film. The way Forstall is able to do all of this while playing under control makes him a clear favorite to be a five-star down the road. Green was one of the highest ranked players in the previous Rivals250 in February and he's shown nothing to change that opinion. The 6-foot-5, 215 pound edge defender had a strong sophomore campaign, posting 63 tackles, 19 tackles for a loss, nine sacks and three forced fumbles. Also from Georgia, defensive end David Jacobs is one of the elite defenders in this class. At 6-foot-4, 230-pounds, Jacobs shows a skill set that makes him difficult for the offense to handle in the running game and keep out of the backfield when the quarterback drops back to pass. This past season he accounted for more than 100 tackles, 12 sacks and made more than 30 tackles for a loss. Jacobs is also a standout on the basketball court, showing off the athletic traits that make him one of the top defensive prospects in this cycle.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cowboys Need 2 More Pieces In 'Great Wall of Tyler'
The Dallas Cowboys selected offensive guard Tyler Booker with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. ... and threw themselves a plug-and-play party. Booker is a tough and high-character individual - our Mike Fisher has nicknamed him "The Classy Bully'' - and the plan is that he will immediately step into being the starting right guard for Dallas. Advertisement Will Booker continue the dominance Cowboys fans are accustomed to seeing from the right guard position? And if he does, what else must Dallas do to make this line click? Future Hall of Fame guard Zack Martin, who just retired, left massive shoes to fill. But if Booker comes in with a mentality to get better every day - and that does seem to be the way he's build - the offensive line will be one of the team's strengths. Drafting Booker proves the Cowboys are committed to dominating the line of scrimmage and will look to impose its will against opposing defenses. 'I just love the aggressiveness and the tenacity of the game of football—It's legal assault out there,' Booker said. 'I love football. The brand of football I play, I make guys not love football anymore.' Advertisement What are the experts saying about Booker? The Athletic's Dane Brugler also believes Booker projects as a day one starter in the league. 'Overall, Booker is built like a bull, with the play strength and finishing mentality to match. His average foot quickness, however, might not be ideal for every scheme. He projects as an immediate starting guard with the tools and competitive character that are easy to bet on,' Brugler wrote. Some wags are calling this "The Great Wall of Tyler,'' a "Great Wall'' reference to the O-line of the Team of the '90's around here, but also a nod to the fact that the line figures to feature three guys who share that first name, with Guyton at left tackle and Smith at left guard being joined by Booker. Advertisement There is little argument here: Booker has a chance to be the next great offensive lineman drafted in the first round for Dallas. Additionally, the Cowboys have a recent strong track record of finding high level offensive line talent in the first round—the list includes Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick, Zack Martin, and Tyler Smith. We believe Booker will keep the momentum rolling and potentially have a perennial Pro Bowl career in Dallas. But the bottom line on this line is that the tackles, Guyton and right tackle Terence Steele, have to up their game. Steele has done it before. Guyton, coming off a wobbly rookie season, has not. Advertisement "The Great Wall of Tyler'' is a fun nickname. It's 2 pieces away from being worthy of attention. Related: Cowboys Draft 'Safe' Over 'Substantive' With Tyler Booker Related: Cowboys George Pickens Trade Rumor On Fire On Social Media
USA Today
03-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Cowboys giving 1st-round pick every chance to succeed after disappointing start
Cowboys giving 1st-round pick every chance to succeed after disappointing start Guyton has been given the gift of a clean slate and giftwrapped opportunity to seize the starting left tackle spot on the Dallas Cowboys in 2025. Second chances aren't guaranteed in life; not even for former first-round picks. When Tyler Guyton rolled snake eyes his rookie season, the Dallas Cowboys were under no obligation to wipe the slate clean and just hand him the job back. As their top pick in the 2024 NFL draft, Guyton wasn't going to get cut from the roster or anything, but the Cowboys could have added competition to the mix and made things awfully uncomfortable for the second-year left tackle. Instead, they cleared the path for the young man to succeed. Not only did Dallas add offensive line guru Klayton Adams to lead the offense in 2025, but they allowed Guyton's top competition from last season, Chuma Edoga, to leave in free agency. Edoga replaced and rotated with Guyton at LT in 2024 after the rookie's maturity, focus and effort were called into question. Edoga himself wasn't seen as much more than replacement level, but even still, his exodus over the offseason shows a certain degree of faith and commitment Dallas has in the former Sooner. The second test of faith and commitment was demonstrated in the draft. The Cowboys chose an offensive lineman with their first pick but instead of selecting a tackle, they chose a player for their offensive interior. Tyler Booker, selected No. 12 overall, is slated to play right guard and has no discernable offensive tackle ability to threaten Guyton. Unless the Cowboys decide to move Tyler Smith from left guard to left tackle, the pathway is clear for Guyton to claim the LT1 role without looking over his shoulder. It's a dangerous gamble by the Cowboys to put all their eggs in his basket but likely relieving for a talented kid like Guyton wanting a redo. Comparing the offensive line situation in 2024 to the situation in 2025, things actually look better for Guyton today. Not many players can struggle as much as Guyton did last year and be given a better situation to work with the following year. Guyton has been given a gift by the Cowboys and for the sake of the entire 2025, Guyton better take advantage of the generosity or things could go downhill, fast. A focus on the running game should help since most young offensive linemen prefer to run block downhill rather than backstep in pass protection. As long as the running game is effective and Dak Prescott isn't placed in too many obvious passing situations, things should be manageable for Guyton. But at an athletic 6-foot-7, 322-pounds, Guyton's troubles aren't that he's being put in too many challenging situations. It's the maturity, discipline and effort that pushed him to the bench last year. If Guyton is focused and plays with heart, the sky is the limit. That's what the Cowboys invested in this offseason and that's what they hope Guyton will reward them with in 2025. Follow Cowboys Wire on Facebook to join in on the conversation with fellow fans!
