Nashville Radio: Street Talk Rampant About WSM-FM

For the past 11-year, WSM-FM, owned by Cumulus Media, has been branding “95.5 Nash Icon” brand, focusing on a mix of contemporary country hits and traditional country from the 1980s and 1990s. The station format was launched in 2014 as part of a joint venture with Big Machine Records to support the Nash Icon Records label.

Recent programming updates at WSM-FM’s former sister station, WSM-AM (650 AM), include schedule adjustments like new times for countdown shows and the addition of “Late Nights with Lexi” from midnight to 5 a.m. weekdays.

While these changes are specific to WSM-AM, they reflect a broader strategy by parent company Ryman Hospitality Properties (for WSM-AM) and Cumulus Media (for WSM-FM). Street talk has WSM-FM updating lineup or format especially given its shared market with rival station WKDF, also owned by Cumulus.

Impending changes are expected to include new shows, hosts, or a slight tweak to its playlist to balance modern and classic country.

No official word, but Street Talk has Big D & Bubba, along with WKDF afternoon host Tyler Reese, to move to the same dayparts on WSM-FM. The moves displace Marty McFly and Stew James from those respective shifts. No word on how those dayparts will be filled on WKDF.

McFly has been in mornings on WSM-FM since 2014 (CAT 2/12/14), after spending four years in the shift at WKDF, where he served as PD from 2011 to 2014. He also handled mornings for Westwood One's Nash Icon format. McFly's previous stops include KNIX/Phoenix, WSIX/Nashville and WGSQ/Cookeville, TN, where he continues to be heard in afternoons. 

In 2003, Cumulus Media acquired WSM-FM (along with WWTN) from Gaylord Broadcasting, ending its formal connection with WSM-AM after a five-year joint sales agreement expired in 2008. The station moved to Cumulus’ Music Row studios on Music Circle East in mid-2004. Under program director Jon Sebastian, WSM-FM rebranded as “95.5 The Wolf” in September 2004, adopting a format blending country with some Southern rock. Despite initial ratings gains, it settled into third place behind WKDF and WSIX-FM, leading to a return to a more traditional country approach.

On December 16, 2010, WSM-FM dropped “The Wolf” and reverted to its heritage call letters, emphasizing mainstream country hits from the 1990s onward. In 2012, Cumulus acquired Citadel Broadcasting, making WSM-FM and WKDF sister stations. Both competed for the mainstream country audience, but operations were streamlined in January 2014 with a shared program director. WKDF adopted Cumulus’ “Nash FM” brand in February 2014, setting the stage for WSM-FM’s next transformation