Grand Ole Opry / WSM radio broadcasting origins

The Grand Ole Opry began in 1925 as a live radio program broadcast over WSM (AM), which was established by the National Life and Accident Insurance Company and became a 50,000-watt clear-channel station. The Opry's radio broadcasts helped popularize live-broadcast music formats nationally and were a major driver of early broadcast technology and distribution in Nashville. The Grand Ole Opry moved into the current Opry House at this address in 1974 and continues to be produced as a live radio and television event. The Opry and WSM together represent a key early-20th-century intersection of performance and broadcast technology in Nashville.