Grand Ole Opry returns to satellite via XM

[livingfruitvirus]

XM Radio channel 11 "Nashville!," programmed by Clear Channel Communications, will feature live Tuesday (8pm ET), Friday (9pm ET), and Saturday night (7:30pm and 10:30pm ET) performances.

Encores will run on "America" channel 10, programmed by XM Radio, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 10am ET, with individual performances running into XM's country rotation. America is also going to run The Eddie Stubbs Show.

http://www.orbitcast.com/archives/xm-picks-up-the-grand-ole-opry.html

 

[junebaby62]

thanks for the 411 living, i will check it out

 

[scottwmro]

XM Radio channel 11 "Nashville!," programmed by Clear Channel Communications, will feature live Tuesday (8pm ET), Friday (9pm ET), and Saturday night (7:30pm and 10:30pm ET) performances.

Encores will run on "America" channel 10, programmed by XM Radio, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 10am ET, with individual performances running into XM's country rotation. America is also going to run The Eddie Stubbs Show.

http://www.orbitcast.com/archives/xm-picks-up-the-grand-ole-opry.html

My gut feeling why this has happened is that the FCC has now allowed AM stations to run IBOC 24/7, which has caused interference to adjacent AM channels. I heard that WFAN on 660 in NYC was running IBOC, and I'm sure the hash is all over 650. It makes in only sense in 2007 to put the Opry on XM than an AM station being covered up by massive interference.

Now, I don't know for a fact that WFAN is running IBOC, but I'm sure they will be if they are not already. If this holds true, then I'm sure Watt Hairston has looked into WSM running IBOC as well. Maybe Watt will jump in here and let us know the future plans of WSM and IBOC. WLAC is running IBOC 24/7 now.

 

[cheffo200]

WFAN is indeed running IBOC.

 

[catfishal]

Its great that the Opry will be on satellite again. However, I wonder what this means for WSM in the long run. I was hoping for an WSM channel on XM like what was on Sirius.

Just from tuning around the AM band at night up here in the St. Louis area I'm not hearing IBOC hash on the skywaves that come here at night including WSM, I would guess that they are only having trouble in and near New York City.

 

[livingfruitvirus]

I'm surprised it took 12 months for the Grand Ole Opry to resurface on satellite. I was also surprised to hear about it when Sirius initially dropped WSM from its lineup. Their country lineup is rather weak, and the Opry was a big boost for them, so it seemed like a dumb decision considering they only have 5 country music channels. Now XM has 9 country channels including the Opry.

 

[romer979fm]

if I heard corectly...Sirius was paying $500k a year to carry WSM.
with all the red ink at Sirius...cutting WSM loose was a no-brainer, and had nothing
to do with programming...strictly $$$

 

[yorkie9]

Just from tuning around the AM band at night up here in the St. Louis area I'm not hearing IBOC hash on the skywaves that come here at night including WSM, I would guess that they are only having trouble in and near New York City.

Maybe I'm going deaf, but I expected a lot of impact on AM by IBOC and I'm just not hearing it when I'm listening late at night. All the "regulars" here in Nashville still come in loud and clear - I'm not noticing hash all over the dial at all.

 

[romer979fm]

agreed: i've scanned AM the past few weekends while driving in around 430am...
and all the usual suspects are still there...not what i expected, either

 

[scottwmro]

Just from tuning around the AM band at night up here in the St. Louis area I'm not hearing IBOC hash on the skywaves that come here at night including WSM, I would guess that they are only having trouble in and near New York City.

Maybe I'm going deaf, but I expected a lot of impact on AM by IBOC and I'm just not hearing it when I'm listening late at night. All the "regulars" here in Nashville still come in loud and clear - I'm not noticing hash all over the dial at all.

There are only two AM stations running IBOC on AM in this market. WLAC and WPLN-AM. WPLN (the AM NPR station) has not set up thier transmitter to keep the on IBOC on 24/7 yet, as they are still turning off the IBOC signal at sunset. The trade mags have made it clear it will be a good while yet before we start to hear massive interference from stations doing IBOC. There are only 1500 stations in the US transmitting in IBOC, this includes AM & FM stations, and that's not many. I would say it will be at least 2 years before IBOC interference really gets going.

 

[K4WRF]

At this time, WSM-AM has no plans or intention to adapt HD transmission. The reason for this is there is no solid base of receivers out there nor is the prospect good for that to happen. There is NO financial justification as there is no sign of any radio station ever making a cent as a result of implementing AM HD, not to mention recovery of any of the equipment cost. The platform is not robust at all and does not tolerate noise or other sources of interference even its own. Many of the HD performance claims are just not true or misleading. The NRSC is an excellent definition and example of a conflict of interest. I could go on an on, but these are enough reasons for me. I have recently spent a significant amount of time and resources measuring, recording and analyzing the before and after nighttime effects of 660kHz in New York operating HD at night on the WSM-AM sky-wave signal, its not pretty in parts of the east and Midwest. We are presently preparing to exhaust all administrative remedies to resolve the interference issue.

XM will carry The GOO shows and the Eddie Stubbs show, which was not a result of HD nighttime approval and has been in the works for some time.

On a positive note, I hear now that Hairl may be getting out of ICU and into a room soon if he has not already. Progress is slow and complicated and Mike Terry covered the rest on another post.

w/

 

[JohnnyElectron]

I had on the G.O.O. last week, and guess what - it was "HISSSSSSS" not buzz, but hisssssss on the smokin' 650 AM signal; I can only assume it was coming from our friends on 660KHz.

I have a cassette from 1998 that I recorded of 650 AM, and it is in stereo, and man did WSM sound great in AM stereo at night from that distance! C-Quam worked pretty nice on the clears at night from the East and Midwest.

Well, I'm glad that GOO will be at least be on XM since the bandwidth on my AM stereo radio will easily pickup the hiss from WSM's neighbor(s) - likewise, I tried WSM on a Directed Electronics HD radio, and Hissss background/foreground noise too on WSM's audio - AND - I had the 'blinking HD light' on 660 (but it would not 'lock').

 

[kyscott]

At this time, WSM-AM has no plans or intention to adapt HD transmission. The reason for this is there is no solid base of receivers out there nor is the prospect good for that to happen. There is NO financial justification as there is no sign of any radio station ever making a cent as a result of implementing AM HD, not to mention recovery of any of the equipment cost.

I personally want to that you and the WSM managment for not buying into the snake oil that Ibiquity is selling. I'm afraid there will soon be lots of Ibiquity equipment sitting on a shelf in the back room next to the CQuam exciters and Kahn powerside equipment.

On a positive note, I hear now that Hairl may be getting out of ICU and into a room soon if he has not already. Progress is slow and complicated and Mike Terry covered the rest on another post.

Good to hear that Hairl is getting better. Met him a couple of times when I worked for TNN. Nice fellow.

 

[w9wi]

...I have recently spent a significant amount of time and resources measuring, recording and analyzing the before and after nighttime effects of 660kHz in New York operating HD at night on the WSM-AM sky-wave signal, its not pretty in parts of the east and Midwest. We are presently preparing to exhaust all administrative remedies to resolve the interference issue.

I wonder to what extent WSCR/670/Chicago is a problem? Being about half as distant as NYC and not having to make it over the Appalachians, I'd think it would be a bigger problem than WFAN?