It's funny that you mention this. I had an old friend who knew absolutely nothing about physics or apparently anything else involving science. He knew at that time I was involved in television, and asked me the same thing: "Could I be getting a weak signal on your station because there so many other nearby antennas that are simply sucking the signal right out of the air?"
-
Get involved.
We want your input!
Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.
After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.
After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/
Thanks in advance and have fun!
RadioDiscussions Administrators
650 WSM's long term future
- Thread starter Murfradiojim
- Start date
I once heard a ham radio operator, noting that he and the station he was talking to had very strong signals, tell the other ham that they were "really frying the electrons today" and that they probably should end their contact before they "burned out the frequency" so badly that it couldn't be used again!
He was joking of course, but I can see how someone who thinks receivers somehow deplete the supply of usable signals thinking that the phenomenon of frequency burnout was real.
He was joking of course, but I can see how someone who thinks receivers somehow deplete the supply of usable signals thinking that the phenomenon of frequency burnout was real.
I was doing a search for WSM stories, and this video popped up:
Looks like it's former FM sister isn't the only one going through changes (budget cuts)..Beloved night host Jeff Hoag is out at WSM-AM. Automation coming? Wonder if Jeff and the former Nash Icon DJ's can resurface at Y'all 106.7?
savingcountrymusic.com
Beloved Country DJ Jeff Hoag Is Officially Out at WSM - Saving...
Beloved and long-time DJ Jeff Hoag is out at radio station WSM in Nashville. As the weeknight host of "WSM At Night" as well as the Opry warm up show, Jeff Hoag became a familiar and beloved voice to many fans.
savingcountrymusic.com
Last edited:
That's what I'd expect. The Opry's pockets aren't bottomless, and keeping the nighttime shift live was just another expense. The station will probably lose listeners, but as it's basically a 24/7 advertisement for Opry-related businesses and country music in general, it's not going to lose advertisers over this.Looks like it's former FM sister isn't the only one going through changes (budget cuts)..Beloved night host Jeff Hoag is out at WSM-AM. Automation coming?
Beloved Country DJ Jeff Hoag Is Officially Out at WSM - Saving...
Beloved and long-time DJ Jeff Hoag is out at radio station WSM in Nashville. As the weeknight host of "WSM At Night" as well as the Opry warm up show, Jeff Hoag became a familiar and beloved voice to many fans.
I'm really sorry to hear that. I never thought that would happen. Those dj's were what made them great. Jeff took over after Eddie Stubbs retired. Automation sucks!Looks like it's former FM sister isn't the only one going through changes (budget cuts)..Beloved night host Jeff Hoag is out at WSM-AM. Automation coming?
Beloved Country DJ Jeff Hoag Is Officially Out at WSM - Saving...
Beloved and long-time DJ Jeff Hoag is out at radio station WSM in Nashville. As the weeknight host of "WSM At Night" as well as the Opry warm up show, Jeff Hoag became a familiar and beloved voice to many fans.
won't be surprised if Bill Cody will eventually be the only live shift, and everything else automated and/or moving away from AM 650 (aka sale/LMA). My first thought is maybe they can do something with WSM-FM (Cumulus had a LSA for WSM-AM awhile ago), but it looks like Big D and Bubba is moving there, so that's not happening. Doubt Midwest will move away from its jockless model for its Hank/Y'all stations so that's out of the question. Maybe SiriusXM can find a home for the ex Nash Icon staff/Jeff? They would be perfect for Prime Country and Willie's Roadhouse.
It certainly wouldn't be surprising if Mr. Cody were to retire in the next year or two. He's been with WSM for 31 years and I think this is his 50th year working full-time in radio.
That has been a LONG time ago. Gaylord sold WSM-FM 22 years ago. I think the joint sales agreement was for 3 years after the sale closed.
Mike Terry, who holds down 10-3 at WSM, ALREADY works two shifts a day for SXM, one for each of those, I believe, definitely Prime Country, where he does the morning shift.
Yikes! WSM-AM has hit a ratings rock bottom. A measly 0.1 in the May 2025 release. I would think the 100 year celebration should be attracting a larger audience. Any guesses as to what is causing listeners to tune out?
Only the tourists -- maybe -- are interested in the celebration, and they're not listening to AM radio anymore. There's far too much to do and hear in Nashville for them to be fiddling with an AM receiver trying to catch low-fidelity music.
The problem isn't "tune out." It's that they don't tune in. The 100 year thing is about the Grand Ole Opry, not really WSM. The push is to get people to attend the live Opry shows. Bad ratings for WSM isn't a recent thing. They stopped subscribing to Nielsen many years ago. The only reason we know how bad they are is they recently started subscribing again.
WSM is a programming mess. A 100th anniversary can't save you from bad programming for long. Just to verify, I tuned into the stream now and heard three straight non-hits.
As a different kind of example, I had some childhood nostalgia for a restaurant chain known as Big Boy. I visited one of the few remaining while on a work trip to Dayton, OH. Everything about it was bad. Bad food, bad service, bad prices.
I use that anecdote to illustrate how a "100 year celebration" might get someone to tune in... once.
The programming reflects the Opry. Yes, the Opry has a lot of big name members. But they also feature a lot of no-names. At one time, WSM was a traditional classic country station that played country hits from the 60s and 70s. Then it evolved into a classic Americana station with a variety of "American" music. So it's not really a radio format, but a music format. It's what radio would sound like if it was run by musicians rather than radio people. Which is in a word, a mess.
Here's who is on the Opry Saturday night: T. Graham Brown, Gary Mule Deer, Tom Douglas, Riders In The Sky, Matt Schuster, Brittney Spencer, Rhonda Vincent, and Dee White. You're likely to hear their music on WSM. There probably is an audience for that. People pay to see them at the Opry. But it's not a large audience, and the station has a better chance of reaching them online.
I have to wonder.... if they were available on FM, how much larger of an audience would they have. The AM dial in Nashville is truly DEAD. The only AM station that shows up in the ratings other than WSM, is WLAC with a 3.0 share. Everyone in Nashville is listening to FM.
This has been discussed earlier in this thread. The company sold WSM-FM about 15 years ago, along with their other radio stations. They're not in the radio business. They're in the Opry business. WSM promotes the Opry. They see the future in streaming audio & video. The morning show is streamed live on the Opry digital TV channel.
Coffee, Country & Cody
Nothing gets a morning started better than Coffee, Country & Cody. Bill, Charlie, and Kelly start every weekday off with great music, in-studio guests, and more.
wsmradio.com
Also remember the Opry advertises literally everywhere and isn't dependent on WSM.
Correct. In fact, they advertise in the Opry House. If you go to a show, you see and hear advertising from its sponsors. Just like they did in the golden age. They break every few songs for live reads by the Opry host. Every hour of the Opry is sponsored, plus there's an overall presenting sponsor. They get mentioned on the radio, in the venue, and at every opportunity they get. The Opry is a very successful business. Radio is just one small part. It's actually a great business model that other radio stations should consider.
That looks more like a Tuesday or Friday night lineup. Doesn't the Opry usually have bigger name, more contemporary talent on its Saturday night show?