Release Details

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Nov 4, 2002 (BUSINESS WIRE) --

Country Music Performances From the Grand Ole Opry to Air This Week

World-famous 650 WSM-AM successfully debuted across an exciting new medium - satellite radio - today. Breaking new ground, WSM Entertainment, the newly created channel #164 on Sirius Satellite Radio, is now featuring music, live performances and special features from WSM-AM, America's country music station. Later this week, the Grand Ole Opry, the world's longest-running live radio show, will air for the first time on WSM Entertainment this Friday and Saturday evening.

WSM Entertainment will broadcast each Grand Ole Opry performance, including the Grand Ole Opry's weekly Friday show (8 p.m.-12:30 a.m. EST through mid-December) and its weekly Saturday show (7:30 p.m.-1 a.m. EST). Seasonal performances, which run for six months from spring to fall on each Tuesday, will air from 8-10 p.m. EST. Listeners will also have access to special features from the Grand Ole Opry and WSM archives throughout the day.

"Gaylord Entertainment has committed to expand the distribution of WSM and the Grand Ole Opry, country music, and its artists, and we are ecstatic today to open another excellent venue for country music fans," said Colin Reed, president and CEO of Gaylord Entertainment, which owns both WSM and the Grand Ole Opry. "The Grand Ole Opry is one of America's most cherished lifestyle brands, and fans can now access this 77-year-old show through even more cutting-edge technology - by listening to WSM Entertainment on Sirius Satellite Radio."

Earlier this June, WSM upgraded its streaming capabilities on www.opry.com and www.wsmonline.com, enabling even more listeners across the country to hear outstanding Grand Ole Opry performances from country music's finest and regular broadcasts from America's beloved country music station. Today, the introduction of WSM Entertainment across satellite radio will expand country music's distribution even further.

"Having WSM and the Grand Ole Opry accessible on Sirius Satellite Radio is a real win for Music City USA - Nashville, Tenn.," said Ricky Skaggs, a member of the Grand Ole Opry. "Having original country music and the music that's closest to my heart - bluegrass - heard on Sirius just helps expand the fan bases of the artists who are played on WSM and who play on the stage of the Opry."

"WSM and the Grand Ole Opry date their origins to 1925," said Steve Buchanan, Gaylord Entertainment senior vice president of media and entertainment. "Seventy-seven years later, we are thrilled to connect new and existing fans to country music by broadcasting WSM Entertainment on Sirius Satellite Radio."

    About the Grand Ole Opry and WSM

The Grand Ole Opry began on the night of Nov. 28, 1925, when a young announcer on Nashville radio station WSM introduced an 80-year-old fiddle player, Uncle Jimmy Thompson, as the first performer on a new show called "The WSM Barn Dance." The announcer was George D. Hay, a former newspaperman who labeled himself "the Solemn Old Judge," but in actuality he was neither old nor a judge. Somehow, Hay knew he had started a good thing. Now almost 80 years later, the show Hay started is stronger than ever. Along the way, the show led to Nashville's becoming known as Music City USA, and it became the cornerstone of Gaylord Entertainment Company.

    About Gaylord Entertainment

Gaylord Entertainment, a leading hospitality and entertainment company based in Nashville, Tenn., owns and operates Gaylord Hotel branded properties, including the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center and Radisson Opryland Hotel in Nashville, and the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center in Kissimmee, Fla. The company's entertainment brands include the Grand Ole Opry, the Ryman Auditorium, the General Jackson Showboat and WSM-AM, WSM-FM and WWTN Radio. Gaylord Entertainment's stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol GET. For more information about the company, visit www.gaylordentertainment.com.

CONTACT:          Gaylord Entertainment, Nashville
                  Jim Brown, 615/316-6302
                  www.gaylordentertainment.com

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