WSM

[TheBigA]

Here's my view as an outsider: Gaylord uses WSM and The Opry as an "attraction" for its hotel. The studio in the lobby was and still is a great idea. The Opry is a great spiff for high paying guests. They will be competing with a larger city-owned downtown convention center in a few years. They need to have something out there in the woods for their guests to do. Otherwise, who would stay there? Opry Mills isn't going to do it. So they use WSM and The Opry as a loss leader for their other more profitable enterprises.

I used to watch The Opry on GAC. I hear that ended because the broadcasts were too expensive and didn't make enough in return. That Saturday night televised hour used to attract the big stars. Not any more. So that's a huge loss for WSM and country fans. I see a new country cable channel was just announced. Maybe they have the deep pockets necessary to revive this great tradition. But at the end of the day, any independent endeavor needs to make money.

If WSM really wanted to make an impact, they'd buy a couple of FM translaters in the area. They've made serious attempts at all kinds of new media, with web casts, satellite radio, and syndication. None of the attempts has made a significant difference. The fact is that AM radio is in trouble, has been for 20 years, and WSM is just another example.

 

[olebud]

Journeyman says:

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

He was much nicer about you...he just used more cuss words. said ya'll worked together in Memphis? And I had to tell how you enlivened the 'Louis Langel' Farm Hour. One of my favorite radio stories. With talent, you can make anything lisenable

 

[deltas69]

With talent, you can make anything lisenable....would that include the Shell Dinner Hour ?? ??? ;D

 

[K4WRF]

I'm betting ole Jim didn't lie, just got a couple folks confused.

 

[loves radio 2]

With talent, you can make anything lisenable....would that include the Shell Dinner Hour ?? ??? ;D

Shell S*** Open
Shell S*** Close
;D

 

[Journeyman]

Journeyman says:

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

He was much nicer about you...he just used more cuss words. said ya'll worked together in Memphis? And I had to tell how you enlivened the 'Louis Langel' Farm Hour. One of my favorite radio stories. With talent, you can make anything lisenable

It was Murfreesboro and to quote Yogi Berra "I never said most of the things I said."

 

[Tibbs4]

Steve Buchanan is the contact at WSM-AM. Good guy. BigA where ya bean? Yep, WSM-AM is
music on AM and it's about a logical to expect a recovery there as in the typewriter making a comeback.
Candle is burning on both ends - demos disappearing - by the second.

Steve has a loyal and passionate sales team, but AM radio is an impossible stand alone sale. Gotta be tough and its certainly not as profitable as hotel rooms.

GOO is a tough sale as well, with less tourism and mystique. I do blame that from the Opryland theme park demise because all of that created a real reason to stay several days. Then again, a lot of the people stayed at the cheaper motels in the area. Still. Doubt anyone would spend that kind of money at Opryland Hotel because WSM-AM's hallway studio is a draw! Funny how 20 years has made that section of town so obsolete.

 

[firepoint525]

If WSM really wanted to make an impact, they'd buy a couple of FM translaters in the area.  They've made serious attempts at all kinds of new media, with web casts, satellite radio, and syndication.  None of the attempts has made a significant difference.  The fact is that AM radio is in trouble, has been for 20 years, and WSM is just another example.

Simulcast WSM-AM over 97.1!  That would kill two birds with one stone.  It would keep WSM viable for a little while longer, and it would (finally!) solve the problem about what to do about 97.1.

Now all we need is WSM-AM and 97.1 under the same ownership, and possibly the rights to use the WSM call letters on that frequency, but since Crumb-u-less already has the WSM-FM call letters and the 97.1 frequency, it should be one-stop shopping!  ;D  That would mean four country FMs, but only for a short while, as at least one of them would soon change to something else.   

 

[TheBigA]

Simulcast WSM-AM over 97.1! That would kill two birds with one stone.

As you point out, Gaylord doesn't own 97.1, and I imagine their deal selling 95 to Cumulus prevents them from competing. Cumulus has no benefit from airing a format with worse demos on a more powerful frequency. Have you seen the age demo for WSM? It's awful, and adding Americana to their music mix hasn't helped, although it seems to have increased their overall audience. So the end result is they have a lot more older men listening. Not exactly exciting news for advertisers.

 

[nuffsaid]

Did not mean to open a can of whoop ass on Gaylord but the boards certainly came through with lots of "what is it gonna take". This heritage radio station seems to have made a number of horrible mistakes and from what I can gather most of them due to the fact they were not broadcasters. WSM AM is looking for a GM but not sure he/she can make a differnece without some major facelifting and lots of promotional dollars and from what has been posted that is not going to happen. There are, in my opinion, lots of very talented air staff people who would jump at a job with the legendary WSM! Never count this station out just becasue they are AM.

 

[TheBigA]

This heritage radio station seems to have made a number of horrible mistakes and from what I can gather most of them due to the fact they were not broadcasters.

Who were not broadcasters? Certainly the people running the station were. If you blame Gaylord, what do you say about National Life? They weren't broadcasters either. They were an insurance company. Ultimatly they put a door to door insurance salesman named Bud Wendell in charge of WSM. It turned out to be a great decision. You don't have to be a broadcaster to run a radio station, and Bud proved it.

Name all the successful music formatted AM stations right now. Go ahead. I can't think of a single one. WSM is outperforming its category. The problem is the category is dead.

 

[Tibbs4]

You don't have to be a broadcaster to run a radio station, and Bud proved it.

>>>>>No doubt Big A ~ With the mindset of today's "broadcasters", it's 100 times smarter to NOT have a "broadcaster"
running any radio station if you want radio to survive. Too many clones and con jobs "with experience" have proven that.

Name all the successful music formatted AM stations right now. Go ahead. I can't think of a single one. WSM is outperforming its category. The problem is the category is dead.
[/quote]

>>>>>>Still gotta give 'em some credit at 650 ~ they can beat a handful of 50-100kw FM's in the right demo in this market and it's an effort to tune into AM. If they had flipped formats ten years ago, people would still bitch and moan, but $$$-wise Sports or Talk would have made much more sense. Gaylord listened. Nobody gave them credit for that. I do wonder how a GM really has a chance to make a REAL difference. Would new tech advertising, etc. get any new listeners?
I guess maintaining is actually growth.

 

[firepoint525]

Simulcast WSM-AM over 97.1! That would kill two birds with one stone.

As you point out, Gaylord doesn't own 97.1, and I imagine their deal selling 95 to Cumulus prevents them from competing. Cumulus has no benefit from airing a format with worse demos on a more powerful frequency. Have you seen the age demo for WSM? It's awful, and adding Americana to their music mix hasn't helped, although it seems to have increased their overall audience. So the end result is they have a lot more older men listening. Not exactly exciting news for advertisers.

Believe me, I wouldn't want either Crumb-u-less OR Gaylord owning 'SM. My point was that the FM dial is already crowded now, and we don't need any "new" stations, especially with the existing ones underperforming!

 

[Bengalsfan]

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.

Butch Smith and Jim Gilmore? That's a pair. Worked with them for a couple of years at TNN.

 

[onetake]

I'll take a Jim Gilmore observation anyday of the week. It's Hugh Hickerson I'd never trust.

 

[onetake]

an insurance salesman named Bud Wendell in charge of WSM. It turned out to be a great decision. You don't have to be a broadcaster to run a radio station, and Bud proved it.




Actually Bud never sold insurance but he was referred to as a "National Life hachet man" that seemed to do a lot of things on behalf of the Belle Meade crowd running the life insurance company. But as time has moved on we might actually say he didn't do that great a job running radio, nor the park (seems like it closed), and the cable network peaked (seems like they sold it when numbers and revenue peaked and there were no more fishing shows to add)...truthfully, he didn't have a lot of answers because for years others did the thinking for him and he just took orders. Hate to sound harsh but within Gaylord today many will wonder, off the record of course, what the Donelson complex would have looked like today if he hadn't retired. Fortunately today from the hotel perspective, much more open, fair, and smarter men are running the place. If they wanted to own radio stations, they'd hire good people and buy more stations. They're not into doing anything for WSM AM. They can't see it because like the Opry itself where lots of acts that peaked are just riding on old success, they call it "heritage" and coast on the work of many good people who built it.