Vol 21/Issue 5
greater owensboro chamber of commerce
MAY
CHAMBER MATTERS 2023
Rooster Booster to feature Kyle Cantrell,Voice of Bluegrass Music and Grand Ole Opry The Chamber will host its Rooster Booster breakfast this Thursday, May 4 at 7:30 a.m. at the Owensboro Convention Center (501 West Second Street). The program is sponsored by Visit Owensboro. Featured speaker will be Kyle Cantrell the voice of Bluegrass Music and the Grand Ole Opry. Kyle Cantrell has been in the radio broadcasting business since 1980 and has been an impactful influence in the development of country music radio. Reserve your spot now at www.chamber.owensboro.com or by calling the Chamber office at (270) 926-1860 by noon on Wednesday, May 3. COST IN ADVANCE: $15 for Chamber Members and $25 for nonmembers. COST AT THE DOOR: $20 for Chamber Members and $25 for nonmembers.
TOURISM COUNTS IN OWENSBORO DAVIESS COUNTY
When you’re taking your next family vacation or attending a convention for work, think about the money you spend on that trip. Like most, you’ve rented a hotel room for a single or multiple nights, you’ve likely eaten several meals in their restaurants, celebrated at their local watering hole, bought souvenirs or gifts for others, and you likely visited one of their local attractions. No matter the occasion, your wallet or purse is lighter when you get home! The money you spend fuels the tourism economy in that destination. It pays for the housekeepers at the hotels and the servers at the restaurants. Even further, it pays for the server’s kids youth soccer league fees and for the housekeepers’ tank of gas to get to work. You’ve also helped the business owner to sponsor a local sports league or donate to their favorite non-profit. Now think about the people you know who work in tourism. Everyone reading this article knows at least one person who depends on tourism dollars to make a living. Dollars that are invested directly back into our community that help pay for public safety, amazing parks, and unique entertainment activities. Tourism counts in Owensboro Daviess County. We’ve seen record amounts of revenue flow into our community in the last two years thanks to people visiting Owensboro. This doesn’t happen by chance. We don’t have an ocean, mountains or sit along a major interstate just waiting for the traveler to discover us. Our team is intentional. We work hard with our partners to lure in conventions, sports tournaments and through leisure tourism efforts, create events to attract people to our community. Our agency leverages every dollar we earn and spend countless hours figuring out how to invest it for maximum economic impact. Last year was historic for Daviess County. But it’s not time to celebrate. Now is the time to run up the score because our tourism partners are depending on us. Tourism counts.
Kyle Cantrell
AWARDS AND ACHIEVEMENTS Grand Ole Opry Announcer, 1985-2003 Golden Voice Award, 2003 Broadcaster of the Year, International Bluegrass Music Association, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2021 D.J. Award, Reunion of Professional Entertainers, 2013 Bluegrass D.J. of the Year, Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America, 2013-2020, 2023 (nine years) Joint Resolution #465, Tennessee General Assembly, honoring Kyle's "many contributions in the broadcasting industry," 2013 Induction into the Country Radio Hall of Fame, 2019
Kyle Cantrell can hardly remember a time when he didn't want to be in radio. As a young boy, he became fascinated with the sound of the voices and music coming out of his grandmother's tube-filled radio. The sounds of Noontime Neighbors and the Grand Ole Opry from WSM in Nashville, and Paul Harvey's distinctive voice over WSIX were some of his earliest radio memories. Kyle was born in Nashville, Tennessee—or more precisely, the suburb of Madison. The fact that he was born so close to the area where he would live and work all of his life makes him something of a rarity in the broadcasting business, but then you might say that everything about his life makes him a rarity. While most of his friends were pursuing other things, Kyle was focused on his goal of a career as a broadcaster, which ultimately took him places the kids of his generation would have never dreamed of going. Like the stage of the Grand Ole Opry. Already an avid fan of the Opry, Kyle first sat in the audience at the venerable country music show when he was 15. It was a night which changed his life. Watching the announcers that evening, he decided then and there he would do that someday. Already accustomed to public speaking (Kyle's warm voice was earning him accolades in high school public speaking contests), it seemed to him the perfect "fit"—a way to combine his love for the Opry and country music with his natural talents. Studying broadcasting and the recording industry first at the University of Tennessee and later at Middle Tennessee State, Kyle landed his first radio job in the summer of 1980 at Murfreesboro, Tennessee’s WMTS. Then, in 1982, WSM called him to join the staff, and in 1985, at the age of 23, he took his place on stage as an announcer on the station’s Grand Ole Opry. In addition to an 18-year run as an Opry announcer, Kyle served as host, producer, and music and production director for the station’s Music Country Radio Network, during which time he developed many shows and features highlighting the heritage of country and bluegrass music. In 1993, he became WSM’s Program Director,
and in 1996, was tapped to oversee programming for all three of the company’s stations--WSM, WSM-FM, and WWTN--as Operations Manager. As a part of WSM’s management team, he helped rebuild the station’s historic stature, pioneering its first classic country format, and working to reclaim its heritage as a broadcasting leader. By 2000, WSM had been named “Radio Station of the Century” by Radio & Records. It was his passion for the traditions of country music itself which kept driving him, and Kyle kept looking for new ways to spread the music he loved, and in 2002, he became the first morning host playing classic country music for Sirius Satellite Radio. In 2003, he left WSM and began a syndication company to syndicate his own classic country music show to more than 160 radio stations across the country. Then, in 2005, he was tapped by Sirius’ satellite rival, XM, to take over the programming of their bluegrass channel. At XM (which became SiriusXM in 2008), Kyle completely revamped Bluegrass Junction, bringing the music in line with current industry trends while honoring his heritage. Then, using his knowledge and experience as a broadcaster, he began pioneering everything from live performance to interview shows to highlight the artistry of the format. The enthusiasm and interest with which he has approached the music was warmly received by fans and artists alike, and SiriusXM’s Bluegrass Junction became regarded as a major influence in bluegrass music. In 2013, the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America (SPBGMA) named Bluegrass Junction Radio Station of the Year, and it has repeated that honor in the nine years since. Meanwhile, for his part, Kyle has been named D.J. of the Year by SPBGMA nine times (2013-2020, and in 2023), and was named Broadcaster of the Year by the prestigious International Bluegrass Music Association in 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2021. Spreading his love for radio, as well as country and bluegrass music, is a continuing passion for Kyle. Now today, through BanjoRadio, a venture he launched in 2023, he continues to interact with fans all over the world.