WSM Radio

What WSM Radio does

WSM Radio (650 AM WSM) is a Nashville-based country music radio station founded in 1925, operating as a subsidiary of Opry Entertainment Group, which is itself owned by publicly traded Ryman Hospitality Properties (NYSE: RHP). The station holds the exclusive position as the radio home of the Grand Ole Opry since the show's inception, anchoring WSM's content identity around traditional country music, Americana, and live Opry broadcasts. The company operates four distinct 24/7 digital streaming channels (WSM Radio, Opry 100 Radio, Route 650 Americana, and Legends of Country Radio) alongside terrestrial 650 AM broadcasting, with global accessibility via its website and iOS/Android mobile app.

WSM's core product is human-curated audio programming across multiple dayparts, including flagship shows Coffee, Country & Cody (mornings), WSM at Night (weeknights), Grand Ole Opry broadcasts (Fridays/Saturdays), and artist-driven shows like WSM Playlist and Late Nights with Lexi. Distribution extends through SiriusXM (Mike Terry on Prime Country Ch. 58 and Willie's Roadhouse), Circle Network TV (partnership with Gray Television covering 50%+ of U.S. TV households), and syndicated programming (Y'all Access on 200+ stations, Bob Kingsley's countdown on 300+ stations). The technical stack is conventional AM radio broadcast plus digital streaming infrastructure under Chief Engineer Jason Cooper.

WSM's revenue model centers on advertising sales led by General Sales Manager Jason Mayes (local and regional Middle Tennessee advertisers), sponsorships of specific shows (Curb Records for WSM Playlist, Robert's Western World for Face the Music), event ticketing (e.g., Coffee, Country & Cody Christmas Breakfast at $6.50/person), and ancillary revenue from venue partnerships and Opry Tour ticket sales. The company is privately held as part of a larger REIT-owned entertainment portfolio, with no standalone revenue disclosures and a small operating team of 11+ identified staff members.

Name

WSM Radio

Legal name

OEG Holdco, LLC dba Opry Entertainment Group

Website

https://wsmradio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1925

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

WSM Radio is a Nashville-based country music station broadcasting on 650 AM since 1925, serving as the exclusive radio home of the Grand Ole Opry with four digital streaming channels and global distribution via SiriusXM and Circle Network TV.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Nashville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Advertising Sales: Traditional radio advertising across AM broadcast and digital streaming platforms. Sponsorships of shows and events including Coffee, Country & Cody, WSM Playlist (sponsored by Curb Records), and Face the Music (sponsored by Robert's Western World).
2. Event Ticketing and Sponsorships: WSM Night at the Opry events and partnerships with venues for concerts. Revenue from event tickets and venue sponsorships.
3. Digital Streaming Subscriptions: Free streaming via website and app, with potential premium features through mobile app downloads and engagement
4. Event Revenue: Direct ticket sales for events like Coffee, Country & Cody Christmas Breakfast at $6.50 per person
5. Local and Regional Advertising: General Sales Manager Jason Mayes leads sales initiatives targeting local and regional brands throughout Middle Tennessee with customized advertising strategies

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

WSM Radio is a country music broadcasting company operating the historic 650 AM station from Nashville, Tennessee, and serving as the radio home of the Grand Ole Opry since 1925. The company operates four 24/7 digital streaming channels (WSM Radio, Opry 100 Radio, Route 650, and Legends of Country Radio), produces a portfolio of country and Americana music shows, and distributes its content globally via terrestrial AM, web streaming, and mobile apps. Revenue is generated primarily through advertising sales, event sponsorships, and ticket sales for branded events such as Coffee, Country & Cody.

Product overview

WSM Radio operates as a multi-platform radio broadcasting company centered around its flagship 650 AM terrestrial station in Nashville, Tennessee. The company offers four distinct digital radio streams (WSM Radio, Opry 100 Radio, Route 650, Legends of Country Radio) alongside a portfolio of radio shows including Coffee, Country & Cody (morning), WSM at Night (late night classic country), Late Nights with Lexi (weeknight overnight), On Air with Eryn (afternoon), Y'all Access with Kelly Sutton (Saturday), WSM Playlist (artist guest DJ hours), Bob Kingsley's Countdown Classics, The Crook and Chase Countdown, Opry Star Spotlight, The Fringe with Lexi Carter, and Face the Music with Chuck Mead. Programming also includes the Grand Ole Opry broadcast (Fridays/Saturdays) and Pure American Country syndicated show. Access is provided through terrestrial radio (650 AM), online streaming (wsmradio.com), and mobile applications for iOS/Android.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WSM Radio 100 Years: Centennial branding and celebration for the station's 100th anniversary in 2025.
• Opry 100 Radio
• Route 650
• Legends of Country Radio
• Dolly Radio

Products and services

• WSM Radio (650 AM) Terrestrial radio station broadcasting at 650 AM from Nashville, Tennessee, showcasing traditional country music and the Grand Ole Opry since 1925.
• Opry 100 Radio Digital streaming station celebrating the music city lifestyle, featuring modern country hits and emerging artists in Nashville, Tennessee's music scene.
• Route 650 Americana 24/7 Americana music streaming station featuring roots, folk, country, blues, bluegrass, and soul, with current and heritage Americana artists including Whiskey Wednesday hosted by Wild Ponies.
• Legends of Country Radio Digital streaming station dedicated to the voices who shaped country radio's greatest era, keeping the spirit of country radio's greatest voices alive for generations.
• Dolly Radio 24/7 all-things Dolly Parton streaming channel featuring her catalog of over 3,000 songs, past Opry performances, archived interviews, and special features from fellow artists.
• Grand Ole Opry (Radio Broadcast) Weekly radio show broadcast on WSM Radio since 1925, featuring live performances by current Grand Ole Opry members. Aired Fridays and Saturdays 7:00PM-9:15PM CST.
• Coffee, Country & Cody Morning radio show on WSM Radio featuring news, entertainment updates, artist interviews, and performances, hosted by Bill Cody and Charlie Mattos with contributor Kelly Sutton.
• WSM at Night

Quantifiable outcome

• Grand Ole Opry maintained 4,916 consecutive Saturday night broadcasts as of March 2020
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Circle Network (Opry Broadcast)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 March 2020During COVID-19 pandemic, Circle and the Opry partnered to bring the Historic Saturday Night Opry to global audiences with an acoustic version of the iconic show. Nearly half a million fans streamed or listened to Opry members Bill Anderson, Jeannie Seely, Connie Smith, and others perform acoustically from the Opry Circle. Grand Ole Opry maintained its nearly-100-year radio broadcast history while also reaching TV audiences through Circle.
• Circle NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 December 2019Circle is a country music and lifestyle television network launched January 1, 2020 as a partnership between Opry Entertainment Group (subsidiary of Ryman Hospitality Properties) and Gray Television. Circle features original programming centered on artists and music, hobbies, outdoor adventures, food, family, and friends, with Grand Ole Opry broadcasts as a central component reaching over 50% of U.S. TV households.
• Gray TelevisioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 December 2019Gray Television (NYSE: GTN) partnered with Opry Entertainment Group to launch Circle network, debuting January 1, 2020. Circle is broadcast on Gray Television stations across 56 markets covering more than 50% of U.S. TV households, plus additional stations through CBS Television Stations in major markets including New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Tampa and Detroit.
• Curb RecordsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCurb Records is the sponsor of WSM Playlist, the weekly series of hour-long guest DJ shows where artists pick the music, share stories, and discuss the impact of WSM on their musical careers. Listeners hear from longtime friends of the station and new artists each Friday at 5pm/CT on 650 AM, WSMonline.com, or the WSM app.
• Robert's Western WorldminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLegendary Nashville honky-tonk Robert's Western World sponsors Face the Music with Chuck Mead, a monthly radio program featuring artist-to-artist conversations about records that influenced guests and shaped their work. The show airs the second Friday of every month from 6-7 PM/CT.
• Ryman Hospitality PropertiescoreOthersWSM Radio is owned by Ryman Hospitality Properties (NYSE: RHP), a subsidiary that also operates the Grand Ole Opry, ACL Live, Ryman Auditorium, Ole Red, and other entertainment brands. WSM was founded by the National Life and Accident Insurance Company in 1925.
• Dolly PartonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn September 2019, WSM's Opry Nashville streaming channel flipped to 'Dolly Radio' to celebrate Dolly Parton's 50th anniversary as a Grand Ole Opry member. The 24/7 'all things Dolly stream' featured Parton's catalog of over 3,000 songs, past Opry performances, archived interviews, and special features from fellow artists.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• SiriusXM: Satellite radio subscription service with multiple country music channels including Prime Country (Ch. 58) and Willie's Roadhouse — WSM talent like Mike Terry hosts shows on SiriusXM. Directly comparable as a country-audio distribution platform and competitor for the same country music listening occasions.
• Cumulus Media: Major U.S. radio company that operates NASH FM and other country-formatted stations plus the Westwood One syndication network (which distributes country programming to hundreds of affiliates). Directly comparable to WSM as a country radio operator and content syndicator.
• Townsquare Media: Operates a portfolio of country and other format radio stations across the U.S., with regional clusters and digital properties. Comparable to WSM as a multi-station country radio operator with local advertising focus and digital extensions.
• Audacy (formerly Entercom/CBS Radio): Operates a large portfolio of terrestrial radio stations including country formats plus the Audacy streaming app. Directly comparable as a scaled multi-format U.S. radio operator with both AM/FM and digital distribution.
• Beasley Broadcast Group: Operates a portfolio of terrestrial radio stations across multiple U.S. markets, including country formats. Comparable to WSM as a regional-focused radio operator dependent on advertising revenue.
• Bonneville International: Family-owned radio broadcasting company operating stations in major markets including country formats. Comparable to WSM as a privately-held multi-station operator with heritage brands and digital extensions.

Broad incumbents

• iHeartMedia: Largest U.S. radio operator with hundreds of terrestrial stations including major country outlets, plus the iHeartRadio streaming platform and country music awards shows. Competes directly for country radio ad dollars and digital audio listeners, and is the most relevant scaled incumbent to WSM's broadcasting and streaming model.
• Cox Media Group: Diversified media company operating radio and TV stations in major U.S. markets, including country formats. Comparable to WSM as a multi-platform broadcaster with overlapping distribution and ad sales capabilities.

Emerging players

• Amazon Music (Country): On-demand music streaming service with prominent country music programming, including the Country Heat Weekly podcast co-hosted by WSM's Kelly Sutton. Competes for country music listening time and ad-supported audio budgets.
• Spotify: Global audio streaming platform with leading country music playlists and algorithmic personalization. Competes for the same country music listening occasions and ad-supported audio revenue as WSM's digital streams.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wsmradio
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@wsmstudios/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/wsmradio
• Instagraminstagram.com/wsmradio
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wsm-650-am

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about WSM Radio