October 3, 2022, Issue 827
Inside The Grand Ole Opry At 97
As the Grand Ole Opry prepares for a birthday celebration spotlighting 97 years, the care and feeding of the country music industry’s original media platform may be easy to take for granted from the outside. But VP/Exec. Producer Dan Rogers, Opry Entertainment Group Dir./Artist Relations & Programming Strategy Jordan Pettit and Grand Ole Opry Dir./Talent Scheduling & Logistics Gina Keltner lead a team determined to maintain and grow all things Opry – past, present and future. What started as the WSM Barn Dance in the fifth-floor studio of the National Life & Accident Insurance Company building in downtown Dan Rogers Nashville in 1925, the Grand Ole Opry remains the longest-running radio broadcast in U.S. history. Owned and operated by OEG, a division of Ryman Hospitality Properties, the Opry is broadcast live from the Grand Ole Opry House east of downtown Nashville and can still be heard on Ryman Hospitality Classic Country WSM-AM/Nashville as well as via SiriusXM and online at Opry.com. In partnership with Ryman Hospitality’s joint television venture with Jordan Pettit Gray Television, Circle Media, the Opry can also be seen on the Circle Network. Lineup Dancing: Booking Opry performances is about finding balance in a mix of member and guest artists from country, bluegrass, gospel, contemporary Christian and comedy acts. “Years ago, we had a lineup ad that read, ‘If you only have one night to see it all, we’ve got just the place,’” says Rogers. Gina Keltner “And while that was just an ad, it runs true. That’s what we should aspire to be. If you buy a ticket to any show, you’re guaranteed to see the past, present and future of country music unfold before your eyes.” (continued on page 1)
There‘s A New She Riff In Town: Performers and staffers at WUBL/Atlanta‘s Girls With Guitars benefit for Bull Dawgs Battling Breast Cancer. Pictured (l-r) are the station‘s Meg Stevens, Monument‘s Caitlyn Smith, Big Machine‘s Carly Pearce, the station‘s Kimmie Caruba and Kristen Gates, Columbia‘s Elle King, the station‘s Mishelle Rivera (front), MCA’s Kassi Ashton, Big Machine‘s Callista Clark and the station‘s Angie Ward.
One October: Reacting To 11 Minutes The four-part docuseries 11 Minutes, available to stream via Paramount+, debuted Sept. 27 just ahead of the fifth anniversary of the Route 91 Harvest Festival tragedy that was the largest mass shooting in American history. Firsthand accounts and archival footage are utilized, including interviews with Broken Bow’s Jason Aldean and SiriusXM’s Storme Warren; see the trailer here. Country Aircheck asked industry
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