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Thursday, November 1, 2012

WSM Open House Will Celebrate Its AM Tower

The Blaw-Knox diamond-shaped vertical antenna that serves 650 AM WSM remains a radio broadcasting icon. The tower will celebrate a notable birthday early next month.


Paul McLane at Radio World reports Nashville’s WSM will hold an open house on Nov. 10 at its tower/transmitter site on Concord Road in Brentwood, Tenn., to salute the 808-foot structure and its 80 years of service. The signal from the tower can be heard in 38 states.

The event is part of a month of activities centered around WSM’s 87th birthday. The station went on the air in 1925 and has been at 650 kHz since 1928. It switched on a 50 kW transmitter in 1932. As WSM states on its website: “The station today still spans the nation with its AM signal, of course, while also circling the globe online.” WSM has a legendary place in country music thanks in part to its role as birthplace of the Grand Ole Opry.

The open house will offer a tour of the historic transmitter facility, a chance to meet air personalities and lunch on the grounds. According to The Tennessean newspaper, a historical plaque placement also is planned. The tower was named to the National Register of Historic Places last year.

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