The advertisers on the Opry are buying a package, similar in concept to the sports packages that include stadium, broadcast and merchandising. Those advertisers are not buying WSM. They are buying the multimedia offering of the Opry.
-
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'll second TheBigA and say I really doubt the "large numbers". The Opry couldn't keep Circle going, and it's not like any Diginet has room to brag about large audiences. The Opry's YouTube viewers would fit in an NHL arena most weeks, and the Facebook viewers would fit in the Opry House... probably even the Ryman.
Gaylord and the demise of Opryland theme park killed a ton of local/real Nashville business by their arrogant attitudes decades ago. Gaylord also kept downtown Nashville down for a long time. Finally politics changed and now you have everything at "Opryland" as a stagnant old relic of Nashville.
The Ryman is the hip venue still, along with all the bars and venues in downtown that draw huge crowds. Very few tourists under 45-50 care to go see anything at "Opryland" including even the hotel. Sadly the city used to love the hotel restaurants and it was quite an attraction to go see the Conservatory. It actually is still quite beautiful. It's honestly just not flashy enough for today's younger Nashville tourists. Same with the GOO.
So, basically, yes the GOO/WSM-AM audience is "well past it's prime and not spending a dime online." I have to admit, I have been to the GOO less times than I have fingers and that was for non-county shows.
I would believe that even historic downtown Franklin gets ten times the tourist traffic of anything related to GOO and even visitors that are NOT staying at the hotel. You can barely see WSM-AM now. I always loved the fact that it was IN the Gaylord Hotel. That has always been a nice place to visit. They just make it difficult with expensive parking and stress to get in that should not exist. Maybe the multi-million dollar hotel facelift will bring them back to some importance.
The Ryman is the hip venue still, along with all the bars and venues in downtown that draw huge crowds. Very few tourists under 45-50 care to go see anything at "Opryland" including even the hotel. Sadly the city used to love the hotel restaurants and it was quite an attraction to go see the Conservatory. It actually is still quite beautiful. It's honestly just not flashy enough for today's younger Nashville tourists. Same with the GOO.
So, basically, yes the GOO/WSM-AM audience is "well past it's prime and not spending a dime online." I have to admit, I have been to the GOO less times than I have fingers and that was for non-county shows.
I would believe that even historic downtown Franklin gets ten times the tourist traffic of anything related to GOO and even visitors that are NOT staying at the hotel. You can barely see WSM-AM now. I always loved the fact that it was IN the Gaylord Hotel. That has always been a nice place to visit. They just make it difficult with expensive parking and stress to get in that should not exist. Maybe the multi-million dollar hotel facelift will bring them back to some importance.
It's fun to occasionally listen to the Opry/WSM on line when a live broadcast is on the air. What I find interesting is that the MC/Host/Announcer at the Opry actually reads commercials/spots. It's like a throw-back to 1940's era live radio where the studio audience listens to the commercials just like the folks listening at home on the radio.
The people sitting in the theater hear those commercials too. Imagine paying to attend a concert, and every ten minutes they stop for a commercial. But yes that's what they used to do in the 40s, and they still do it now. If you ever heard Prairie Home Companion, it was based on the Grand Ole Opry.
They were still doing that in the '70s when I was there with my parents. Still remember the "Mrs. Grissom's" jingle. We heard it from within the Opry House while it aired on the radio.
WSM still has the old Facebook audience on tilt with their Grand Ole Opry programming. Trust me if they took the signal off that group who listens from out of state, no matter how small it is on skywave AM radio would protest like crazy. They probably have more skywave AM listeners than local in the Nashville market.
and those skywave listeners dont meat one iota of importance to the station
I'm one such skywave listener. I listen regularly up here in PA to them at night. They're one of the only AM stations that still has good programming at night.
I used to listen when Eddie Stubbs was on. He was an incredible talent. Wayback Wednesday was good. I think what makes them unique is probably their "Tennessee/West Virginia" style of Country music that wouldn't be heard anywhere else. That I know of. KKYX 680 is western style country, which I like the most if listening to country. WSM is more "Walking the floor over you" Ernest Tubb classic old country. And Bluegrass Country.
What about KYNO?
Sounds like a great station but it's class B directional with no significant signal east of the Rockies.. The fact that it plays music and doesn't cover a dozen or more states at night does make it a gem.
I am planning a trip to LA to do the tourist things next year, health permitting. Now there is a reason to add a trip to Fresno.
Fresno is the Gary, Indiana of the west.
thats cold
I've been thru Gary several times. Never stopped there once
I thought you and Mike H viewed Barstow as the Gary, IN of the west.
I always thought it was Bakersfield.
Close second.
No, Barstow is too small. It is a minor league player.
Gary is a good place to be from.