WSM (AM)
From Free net encyclopedia
Template:Infobox Radio Station WSM is the callsign of a 50,000 watt AM radio station located in Nashville, Tennessee. Operating at 650 kHz, its clear channel signal can reach much of North America, especially late at night. The WSM call letters are also assigned to an FM station in Nashville, and were shared by Nashville's then co-owned television Channel 4 until 1981. WSM has been nicknamed "The Air Castle of the South".
Image:Wsm tower.jpgIt first signed on in 1923 and is primarily associated with the popularization of country music through its weekly Saturday night program the Grand Ole Opry, the longest-running radio program in history.
The station traditionally played country music in the nighttime hours, when listeners from around the United States would tune in. Before the advent of television, the station played long-form radio programs in addition to music. After television became popular (thus eliminating the audience for the old full-length radio programs of the past), WSM adopted an "MOR" (Middle of the Road) music format during the daytime hours, and continued to play country music at night. It was not until about 1979 that WSM adopted a 24-hour country music format, which it continues to program to this day.
Its unusual diamond-shaped antenna (called a Blaw-Knox Tower) is visible off Interstate 65 just south of Nashville (in Brentwood) and is one of the area's landmarks. At 808 feet, it is the tallest of eight such towers that remain in use in North America. As a tribute to the station's centrality in country music history, the diamond Blaw-Knox antenna design was incorporated into the new Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum's design in 2001.
WSM's companion station, WSM-FM, was the first to broadcast on the FM band in the United States.
Until 1981, the radio stations, an associated television station, and the Grand Ole Opry were owned by the former National Life and Accident Insurance Company and the call letters derived from the company's motto, "We Shield Millions". National Life's entertainment assets, including Opryland Hotel, Opryland USA, The Grand Ole Opry, WSM-FM, and WSM were sold to Gaylord Entertainment Company. Pursuant to FCC ownership rules at that time, the television station had to be sold to a different owner, so WSM-TV Channel 4 was sold to Gillett Broadcasting and became WSMV.
Image:WSMstudio.jpg In recent years, the operations have been reorganized. In 2003, WSM-FM and WWTN, sister stations to 650 WSM, were sold to Cumulus Media. Cumulus intended to purchase 650 WSM as well, but Gaylord decided to maintain ownership at the eleventh hour. Through a joint sales agreement, however, Gaylord is paying Cumulus a fee to operate WSM's sales department and provide news updates for the station. Gaylord Entertainment continues to fund WSM and operates all other departments, including programming, engineering, and promotions.
The Opry, WSM, and its hotel division are now Gaylord Entertainment's core holdings. A rumor circulated in the press in 2001 indicating that WSM might convert to a sports talk format, as has been done at many AM stations across the country. This caused a serious outcry, including protests outside the station's offices. The company eventually reaffirmed its commitment to keeping the station devoted to country music, and it is now earning respectable ratings among the Nashville listening public.
Since October 2002, the station had been a choice on Sirius Satellite Radio, which carried a full-time simulcast of WSM's AM 650 signal, except during NASCAR races. In 2006, the Sirius channel programmed by WSM ceased carrying the AM simulcast. WSM still programs the channel known as WSM Entertainment (Channel 111) as a separate satellite radio feed, and it carries the same classic country music format as the AM signal. WSM personalities voice announcements on WSM Entertainment. Some programs on AM 650 are still carried on WSM Entertainment, such as the evening request program and the Grand Ole Opry.
WSM continues to reach a worldwide audience via their Internet simulcast.
WSM currently operates out of the former Roy Acuff and Minnie Pearl museums adjacent to the Grand Ole Opry House. The studio itself is located within the Gaylord Opryland Hotel, and visitors to the hotel may look into the studio 24 hours a day, provided the curtains are open, which they usually are.
Famous station alumni
- Ralph Emery served as the overnight host of WSM from the late 1950s until the early 1970s. Because of his time slot, listeners all over the United States' eastern seaboard could hear Emery spin country music records. This and the Grand Ole Opry solidified WSM's central role in the history of country music. In the 1980s, Emery gained further national fame as the host of Nashville Now! on The Nashville Network.
- Pat Sajak (host of TV's Wheel of Fortune) served as the afternoon air personality on WSM during the mid-1970s. He was also employed by WSM as the announcing voice and weekend weathercaster on WSM-TV during this period.