WSM

[nuffsaid]

What will it take to make WSM more of a player in the Nashville market? This heritage station should be doing better but what do I know! I do know they are looking for a new General Manager, anybody know what happened to the old GM?

 

[olebud]

I was told Kris will still be there but just not as manager. No reason given. But hey, that's radio today.
It's hard to believe, but in the 8 years since we parted company...they retired me but I wasn't ready to retire yet...I now only know 2 people there, Bill Cody and Eddie Stubbs.
We had a WSM lunchon today, but none of the folks work there anymore. It used to be a big family...not sure what they call it now.

 

[Don78]

As one who likes to cling to the past, I can not believe I am saying this, but that ship has sailed. WSM's best days are behind them. The same may be true with most radio stations. Corperate radio, voice tracking and cost cutting have killed the medium. I hate it but as they say "Life goes on".

 

[jharmon]

Is generating revenue for an AM the possible cause of the managment shift?

 

[olebud]

Don't know JHarmon...but a couple of weeks ago I was told by a former employee, that they were nearly broke. I don't know that for a fact, and am not in the habit of repeating rumors, but as 78 says...it's best days are not now.
was told Kris asked for the change.

 

[nuffsaid]

I was told that Kris will remain with the station but wanted to spend more time with his family and also has some outside interest. Seems a tad strange but in this business strange is the norm! WSM is and will always be a lengendary broadcast facility but those persons who are on the buying end of the advertising game have no clue of it's true heritage. There is, in my opinion, some confusing in the minds of buyers as to who is who, there is WSM FM and WSM AM! I am still confused by that one.

 

[jetfli]

Is generating revenue for an AM the possible cause of the managment shift?

No the possible cause is spelled G-A-Y-L-O-R-D.

 

[fireworks]

The cause is greed. Someone at the top is making money, or it would have been sold a long time ago. I don't know how much their jocks are making, but I hope enough to survive. I'm sure Keith Bilbry was making too much money when they let him go.

I have no quams with someone who owns a business being wealthy. But when you are making millions of dollars because your slaves work for you at poverty level, that's greed. And you will be accountable when you meet your maker.

 

[olebud]

fireworks said

The cause is greed. Someone at the top is making money, or it would have been sold a long time ago

I'll have to disagree with this. WSM puts so little in the money bucket at Gaylord that's it seems to be more of a pain than an asset. Since the old corp has gone..they don't care about the history of the station. Remember when they were going to change it to sports, that was a done deal until the public revolted. The radio station(s) always were the smaller contributers, even when the company owned 2 networks that were making money hand over fist.
Only my opinion, but I'm sure they'd just like to sell it to someone along with the opry and the Ryman and get back to the business of building and running hotels.

 

[fireworks]

I'll have to disagree with this. WSM puts so little in the money bucket at Gaylord that's it seems to be more of a pain than an asset. Since the old corp has gone..they don't care about the history of the station.

Maybe they aren't making the money they once made, but when you disagree with what I said and then say the don't care about the history of the station... it doesn't make sense why Gaylord would keep it, unless they can't sell it for what they think it's worth. And it's only worth what someone else is willing to pay for it.

 

[olebud]

Maybe they aren't making the money they once made, but when you disagree with what I said and then say the don't care about the history of the station... it doesn't make sense why Gaylord would keep it, unless they can't sell it for what they think it's worth. And it's only worth what someone else is willing to pay for it.

I can onlyl tell you my thoughts after 22 years there and conversations with other staffers. but remember...or if you don't know, Nashville still hasn't gotten over the closing of Opryland and aren't ready to take another hit. But Colon hasn't told me that so take it with a grain of salt. They were good to me but watched major changes in my last year or so...including plans to take WSM to sports talk.

 

[136kgb]

Does anyone know what happened to the Chief Engineer? I knew that Watt had left about a year or two ago, and as a cost cutting measure they hired a part time contract engineer. Now there is a posting for a full time Chief Engineer for WSM radio? And if there is no GM who is hiring the new CE?

 

[Bat Fastard]

fireworks said

The cause is greed. Someone at the top is making money, or it would have been sold a long time ago

I'll have to disagree with this. WSM puts so little in the money bucket at Gaylord that's it seems to be more of a pain than an asset.

O.K., Buddy...you got my interest here. I am stunned by the fact(?) that WSM-AM added so little to the Gaylord corporate coffers. Did they REALLY make that little money? If so, why?

Sure seems to me that a quality sales staff with quality leadership could find a way to sell it. Seemed that way to a friend who worked sales there...someone who knows how to sell but gave it up in the face of all the bovine excrement that surrounded the soon-to-be-former G.M.

You are correct...they aren't radio people, they're hotel people. It explains a lot. True radio people would have figured out a way to keep this from ever happening in the first place.

That's my opinion, and until I can be convinced to the contrary...it should be yours, too.

 

[Tibbs4]

Fireworks ~ see the pattern? WSM-AM is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it? Gaylord, which has single handedly destroyed tourism in Nashville, taken tax incentives and done everything they can to monopolize convention business in this city would rather make virtually nothing for ten years and destroy yet
another facet of Americana WAITING for that one alleged buyer to pay them ten times what the station is worth and if you look at the multiples from their profit and loss statement, it will be 50X or something extreme because it's "Gaylord." They will only sell it if someone can run back to OK and say see I found another sucker in Nashville, bathe me in praise and a $1,000 dinner at Mortons. They refuse to INVEST. This stations
logo should be all over Nashville. But, no one from Nashville knows it even exists anymore. Or cares. If the FCC wasn't involved, they'd probably just turn the damn thing off and throw it's remains in a closet and sell the tower for scrap. Never a win-win.

 

[Whiplash]

Can any of you give me a contact for WSM at Gaylord? Who makes the radio, and opry decisions. That station, and that show was a cash cow and still should be.

 

[firepoint525]

Have they had any serious offers to buy the station? I know it's a "heritage" station and all that, but it is still an AM station. What are those worth these days? :

 

[Journeyman]

Can any of you give me a contact for WSM at Gaylord? Who makes the radio, and opry decisions. That station, and that show was a cash cow and still should be.

Everyone I know there is gone. I understand your frustration. It was mine too. But for the sation to make money, they would have to spend money, and that is Never. Gonna. Happen.

 

[olebud]

Journeyman....your name came up today. Butch Smith, Cathy Martindale, Jim Gilmore, Donna Edmonds and I had lunch by the 'round' and a couple of stories involving you were told. Then when we were leaving...Cathy and I ran into Bill Cody and his daughter Hanna. She was just a little girl last tiime I saw her. Bill says she's going into medicine now and is interning somewhere.

 

[KyDXIn]

FYI
Here are some pics of Cody when he was in Louisville.

http://www.lkyradio.com/WHASphotos2.htm
http://www.lkyradio.com/WHASphotos3.htm

 

[Journeyman]

Journeyman....your name came up today. Butch Smith, Cathy Martindale, Jim Gilmore, Donna Edmonds and I had lunch by the 'round' and a couple of stories involving you were told. Then when we were leaving...Cathy and I ran into Bill Cody and his daughter Hanna. She was just a little girl last tiime I saw her. Bill says she's going into medicine now and is interning somewhere.

Anything Jim Gilmore says is a lie .. unless he has proof and then I'm pretty sure I wan't even there then!