650AM WSM to offer country star hosted shows

On March 15, revered country radio icon 650 AM WSM kicks off a series of new midday shows hosted by award-winning artists. The three weekly one-hour shows hosted by Dierks Bentley, Pam Tillis and Jim Lauderdale will air Monday - Wednesday at 2 p.m. CT. The shows can also be heard online at www.wsmonline.com or as podcasts via iTunes.

Listeners will enjoy an insider’s view of the artist-hosts’ musical passions and personalities and can expect a mix of Country, Bluegrass and Americana music. Often, the hosts will welcome in-studio guests for conversation and the occasional impromptu jam session. CMA award-winner Bentley leads off on Mondays with his show “The Thread” followed on Tuesdays by fellow CMA honoree, Tillis and her “Lettin’ My Roots Show.” Grammy and Americana Music Association award-winner Lauderdale takes Wednesday duties with “The Jim Lauderdale Show.”

A variety of guest artists and WSM favorites will take the mic on Thursdays. Old Crow Medicine Show’s Ketch Secor will guest host the first Thursday show March 18, while Diamond Rio’s Dana Williams follows March 25.

“650 AM WSM is a country music institution...I can’t believe they are turning the controls over to me for an hour every week...it’s the most fun I’ve had in a long time,” said Bentley.

Jim Lauderdale adds, “I’m so happy to have this show on the mighty WSM…It is a thrill and an honor!”

“We look forward to having these diverse artists as part of the station line-up,” WSM Operations Manager Joe Limardi said. “It’ll be exciting to listen to them taking their turn on the other side of the microphone, stepping into the shoes of renowned station DJs that have filled the airwaves for 85 years. WSM continues to be on the cutting edge of programming like no other radio station in the country through digital media and an expanded playlist to encompass ‘all things country.’”

Shannon McCombs produces the new shows with WSM’s Robin Roberts as co-producer. McCombs’ past experience includes working with Kix Brooks on his CMA award-winning syndicated show “America’s Country Countdown.”

650 AM WSM’s first official broadcast day was October 5, 1925. The station is the radio home of the Grand Ole Opry, which has been broadcast live over the airwaves since its inception. WSM can be picked up in 38 states on 650 AM and worldwide on www.wsmonline.com.

650 AM WSM is owned by Gaylord Entertainment (NYSE: GET), a Nashville-based hospitality and entertainment company that owns and operates Gaylord Hotels and the Grand Ole Opry.

For more information, visit www.wsmonline.com or www.gaylordentertainment.com.