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Keith Bilbrey

B

briancraig

I just heard that Keith was let go after 30+ years with WSM. Midday show is now going to be voice tracked.

I met Keith at the Opry about 2 years ago and he was as nice and friendly in person as he has always sounded on the radio.

At this point, I'd almost just as soon see WSM go away then just be a poor imitation of a once great radio station.
 
I was listening at work today like I usually do and I could have swore that I heard Dave Huitt say "Dave Huitt for Keith Bilbrey". Keith usually seems to have a few days off each month. If he was infact let go that is a real shame. WSM seems to have been geting much better later with the addition of the Americana and New Traditional artists added to the playlist and the upgraded streaming player...no more creaky 20kps stream. On the other hand, they have been filling up Saturday mornings with paid programming and the Back to The Barn show was put on hiatus due to the shareholder dispute. If Keith was let go, it was probally a decision made by Gaylord corporate, who are probally under pressure to cut costs by the minority shareholders who were trying to take over the company. I would still hate to see WSM be sold to someone who would probally turn the frequency to brokered programming or something else. WSM and the Opry may be better off in the long run being run by a not for profit as it has been talked about here and elsewhere.
 
catfishal said:
WSM and the Opry may be better off in the long run being run by a not for profit as it has been talked about here and elsewhere.
Click to expand...
Not for profit is IRS term for passthroughs like a 501C tax exemption, not excuse to loose money by a going concern. Not for profits often go broke too. WSM is broke as well as broken. A fish out of water, hold over from another time. Its too bad but that is the way it is, sad to see carnage of its slow death. WSM needs to get on with its life like WLW, WSB, WWL and many others like it that made the change long time ago. As I have said before, WSM was protected by TV then FM and TNN and could hide loss inside other profit centers. Protection not there anymore.

I hate to see anyone loose their job, but the writing is on the wall and has been for some time now. He sounds like good fellow and I am sure he will get through he has many connections in the industry.
 
radionekkid said:
WSM needs to get on with its life like WLW, WSB, WWL and many others like it that made the change long time ago.
Click to expand...

If this were 1990, I would have reluctantly agreed with you. I can't see Gaylord running WSM as a News/Talk station considering they are otherwise out of the broadcasting business. Plus it's 2009 and AM N/T stations are all declining with aging audiences and declining revenues and thus are all moving over to FM. If Gaylord were to sell WSM, it would probably be sold with the Opry to a 501-3c who would come up with a plan to not loose money off the operation, or be sold alone to the likes of Bott or Salem. I can't see any of the mainstream radio groups buying an AM anymore, not even a 50 kw AM.
 
Keith was 'retired early' much like I was since he had been there 34 years. I had lunch last week and we talked about what a shame it was with what they were doing to the station. Gaylord doesn't care about the station, it's not a money maker.
There was a local group offering to buy the AM station, the Opry and the Ryman back when the AM nearly went all sports. But they were told to wait until the FCC approved the sale of WSM FM and WSM FM. But the leadere of this group, who loved the opry and thought they could run it and keep it like it it.
Last year, Colin Reed was going to be on the Steve Gill show and told me the GM hadn't told him how popular the station was and what a back lash it would be to try and change it.
Then in April of 2002, a number of us were cut, followed by Kyle and several others later in the year.
Now Keith. I imagine heh is really having a tough time. His dream as a youngster east of here was to be on WSM and the Grand Ole Opry. He got to live the dream for many years, but it ended much too abruptly. They told him since he's not on WSM he can no longer be an Opry announcer.
He's a good guy and could use your prayers now.


An ironic sideline, the only On-Air person at WSM now who was there when I went there in 1980.....is
Richard Thomas.
 
I was really saddened to hear this.

However, News/talk is not the answer for every AM that is struggling to survive. As a broadcaster
who has had to bring near-silent stations back from the brink, I do understand the business side of things.
Putting a station on a satellite bird is not necessarily the best way to go. N/T is also expensive if you
plan to be live and local.

Letting broadcasters back into the broadcasting business wouldn't be a bad idea. I'd imagine if these former
WSM folks were allowed to, they could find a way to keep it going. I KNOW I could.
 
briancraig said:
I just heard that Keith was let go after 30+ years with WSM. Midday show is now going to be voice tracked.

I met Keith at the Opry about 2 years ago and he was as nice and friendly in person as he has always sounded on the radio.

At this point, I'd almost just as soon see WSM go away then just be a poor imitation of a once great radio station.
Click to expand...
If Gaylord doesn't give a damn about WSM, I hope like hell they sell it to a broadcaster who's willing to keep some quality programming going! It'd be a shame to see this once great facility bite the dust!
 
I wonder what they will do with the Pre-Opry show. I can remember Keith from the former Nashville Network and have always thought he was a class act. Being an Opry Announcer was always considered the pinnacle of country broadcasting. I am old enough to recall T. Tommy and Grant Turner, later Hairl Hensley and they all got to go out with their boots on. This is a travesty and I am shocked, angy and frustrated. I wish the best for Keith and hope he gets back on the air very soon. :mad: :(
 
I listened today, and WSM PD Joe Limardi covered Keith's shift live including the all request Classic Cafe. Just after 10 am he addressed the issue of Keith being let go and read a poem from a listener on air for Keith. He implyed that it was a cost cutting move and that WSM, the format and the Opry will continue on. I do wonder if they will at least have someone cover the midday shift live. If so that wouldn't replace Keith but it would be sure better then voicetracking.

If your reading this Keith, my thoughts and prayers are with you.
 
The management at WSM should be ashamed of themselves. Yes, I know the economy sucks, but If they can't sell this station maybe they should step aside and fire themselves. I can't believe they have done everything possible to promote and sell this 50 KW blowtorch that can be heard in much of the U.S. at night.


The Nashville Tennessean Newspaper has lots more info and comments on this at:

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20090312/TUNEIN/903120359


In the comments area of the above article you will find petitions that can be signed and email addresses for WSM and Grand Old Opry Management. When I signed the petition, there were already over 250 signatures.

Voice tracking sucks, and I sent emails to the management telling them such. They have been VTing overnights for years now, and I won't listen to it!

I wish Keith the best in the future.
 
catfishal said:
It looks like that Keith has in fact left WSM. No reason is known at this point.

http://www.wsmv.com/entertainment/18910016/detail.html
Click to expand...
I find it hard to believe that, even after all these years, there are apparently still people out there who still evidently believe that WSM and WSMV (channel 4) are jointly owned! ::) :eek: This hasn't been the case for at least 25-30 years now! What rock are these people living under? (Referring to Martha English's comment found at the link above.)
 
really sad when truly talented people are shown the door for what ever reason undeserved. the day when the opry and wsm are just a memory, i fear, is just around the corner. either that or somewhere there will be a room with a dozen people vt'ing every station in the U.S..while bean counters and suits slap each other on how much money they've saved...
 
I guess it's just a sign of the next new times, but three points here:

1.) Gaylord should be run out of Nashville for single handedly ruining Opryland, this tourism industry and now
the last bit of lengendary broadcasting left in this city (after Buddy retired, of course.) Thanks for another
scam and screw to save a wink of money this company mints.

2.) It's sad that we all now wish Crumulus would take back over the LMA of WSM-AM. Should have known
Gaylord would be predictable corporate slayers of goodwill for the eternal numerical savings (that will cost
them hundreds of thousands.)

3.) VT-ing sux and the people have spoken. It'll just ruin the ratings even more, driving more revenue to
the competitors. More proof of the bad decisions of alleged media experts that have become drunken on
the wrong concoction of how to run radio circa 2k+. Did BigA approve this VTing? I think even he would
say not wise.

Moral of the story --- Take WSM-FM to Classic Country and hire Keith live and local. KEITH ROCKS and
this is NOT RIGHT. Radio managements bad business decisions just getting bolder and bolder . Shame!
 
I've lived on the West Coast for years, but went back a few years ago to visit friends and relatives in Ohio and Tennessee. On the drive south to see cousins near Crossville, on a sultry May afternoon, I dialed in WSM to see what they were up to, as I headed off the interstate onto the two-lane in southern Kentucky. A little light crackle of an impending thunderstorm, some old country tunes I never get to hear anymore, and then an announcement that the afternoon announcer had just got word that June Carter Cash passed away a few moments ago in the hospital. The DJ followed that announcement with her singing "Far Side of the Jordan" with the Carter Family. Couldn't have been a more perfect moment to listen to WSM and share in the experience.

Having a known radio station like WSM where June and Johnny's family would call as part of being connected to the community, and being the kind of station where the air talent can respond to the news by paying tribute right then and there, and following that up with listeners sharing their thoughts and well wishes to the familiy -- now that's priceless. Radio at its best as radio, not just real estate.

It's hard to believe that the corporate "big daddies" running stations like WSM can lose money on a 50kw AM clear channel. How many of us on this list would be glad to take a station like WSM off of Gaylord's hands? I suggest they donate the license to a non-profit, take the tax credit for making a charitable donation, and let the Save the Opry group or WPLN run it. I don't think there are many other commercial corporations who would care to preserve the best of WSM and help the station grow into the future.

And where is the FCC in this in protecting the public interest in situations like this? They've given commercial corporations everything thing they whined about for years in de-regulating the industry further and further into oblivion, and look at what passes for commercial radio now! If the big guys can't handle it, instead of letting them keep the licenses, let someone else have a go at it. In other words, if it's inevitable that Gaylord or others can't make the money they need off of a major heritage signal like WSM, then they don't deserve it, and ought to just be relieved of the burden and take their losses. Sure, each station doesn't have to stay the same forever, but there does need to be accountability to the local community to provide a service, and to try to reflect at least some of the character of the territory their signal covers. WSM AM650 is a valued service to a huge area of the country, and an important part of our national heritage. More power to the people of Nashville who are trying to be pro-active in continuing WSM's legacy, and making it a better station in the years to come.
 
Tibbs2 said:
1.) Gaylord should be run out of Nashville for single handedly ruining Opryland, this tourism industry and now
the last bit of lengendary broadcasting left in this city
Click to expand...

And that's just getting the list started!

Tibbs2 said:
2.) It's sad that we all now wish Crumulus would take back over the LMA of WSM-AM.
Click to expand...

Now let's don't lose our heads here. We definitely don't all wish that!
 
I agree with Jetfli, let's don't lose our heads. Gaylord is a hotel company that happens to own the Grand Old Opry and WSM-AM. They have a reputation for making stupid moves with the radio side of their business.

Cumulus is a radio company that is just plain mean and does not care about any person on their payroll. They also have a reputation for making stupid moves.

Here's hoping that both get what they deserve.
 
Ya know, with all of the attention Keith's departure is getting, this would be a good time for another local station to pick him up. Even if it's just for a couple of years on a contract. Because the kind of publicity this is getting has rarely been afforded to radio as of late. And with the national attention this has been getting through the country music press and fandom, he might be an even better fit for one of the country networks, especially one of the classic country nets.
 
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