WSM (AM)

WSM are the call letters of a 50,000 watt AM radio station located in Nashville, Tennessee. Operating at 650 kHz, its clear channel signal can reach much of North America, especially late at night. The WSM call letters are also assigned to an FM station in Nashville, and were shared by Nashville's television channel 4 until 1982. It has been nicknamed "The Air Castle of the South".

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It first signed on in 1923 and is primarily associated with the popularization of country music through its weekly Saturday night program the Grand Ole Opry, the longest-running radio program in history.

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Its unusual diamond-shaped antenna (called a Blaw-Knox Tower) is visible off Interstate 65 just south of Nashville (in Brentwood) and is one of the area's landmarks. At 808 feet, it is the tallest of eight such towers that remain in use in North America. As a tribute to the station's centrality in country music history, the diamond Blaw-Knox antenna design was incorporated into the new Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum's design in 2001.

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WSM's companion station, WSM-FM, was the first to broadcast on the FM band in the United States.

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Until 1982, the radio stations, an associated television station, and the Grand Ole Opry were owned by the former National Life and Accident Insurance Company and the call letters derived from the company's motto, "We Shield Millions". National Life's entertainment assets, including Opryland Hotel, Opryland USA, The Grand Ole Opry, WSM-FM, and WSM were sold to Gaylord Entertainment Company. Pursuant to FCC ownership rules, the television station had to be sold to a different owner, so WSM-TV Channel 4 was sold to Gillett Broadcasting and became WSMV.

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In recent years, the operations have been reorganized. In 2003, WSM-FM was sold to Cumulus Media. Cumulus attempted to purchase the AM station as well, but Gaylord decided to maintain ownership. Through a joint sales agreement, however, Gaylord is paying Cumulus a fee to operate WSM's sales department and provide news. Gaylord Entertainment continues to fund the station and operates all other departments, including programming, engineering, and promotions.

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WSM currently operates out of the former Roy Acuff and Minnie Pearl museums adjacent to the Grand Ole Opry House. The studio itself is located within the Gaylord Opryland Hotel, and visitors to the hotel may look into the studio 24 hours a day, provided the curtains are open, which they usually are.

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The Opry, WSM, and its hotel division are now the company's core holdings. A rumor circulated in the press in 2001 indicating that WSM might convert to a sports talk format, as has been done at many AM stations across the country. This caused a serious outcry, including protests outside the station's offices. The company eventually reaffirmed its commitment to keeping the station devoted to country music, and it is now earning respectable ratings among the Nashville listening public. The station is now a choice on Sirius Satellite Radio (with an alternate feed during NASCAR races, which are only broadcast locally), and has a large audience listening via the internet.

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AM radio: REDIRECT AM broadcasting...

Nashville, Tennessee: Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County in the central part of the state. Nicknamed "Music City", Nashville is the home of the Grand Ole Opry, the Country Music Hall of Fame, and many major record labels. Since much earlier t...

Clear channel: :This article is about the class of AM radio stations that are called clear channel stations based on their technical parameters, not their owner. For the company named Clear Channel, which owns radio stations most of which are not in this class, please see Clear Channel Communications....