Gaylord Entertainment's WSM-AM Named ''Country Radio Station of the Century''

March 8, 2000 NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 8, 2000--Radio station WSM-AM, the first component of today's Gaylord Entertainment Company (NYSE:GET) and the home of the since 1925, has been named "Country Station of the Century" by Radio & Records, a leading broadcasting industry trade publication.

The tribute to WSM-AM is part of a Radio & Records special section, "A Century of Country," that spotlights several aspects of the country radio industry, including the naming of country's greatest personalities, artists, executives and programmers. The special section is in the March 3 issue.

Radio & Records surveyed country radio industry veterans who have a national perspective on broadcasting plus more than 20 years' experience. That panel identified the people and organizations that have been leaders in country radio.

"A truly great radio station combines time, people, ratings and leadership in establishing a legacy. Our voters gave the overall nod to the broadcasting home of the Grand Ole Opry--the "Mother Church" of --WSM-AM/Nashville," the editors said as they identified WSM as the "Country Station of the Century."

WSM-AM went on the air in 1925 as a service of the National Life and Accident Insurance Company. Its call letters were an acronym for the company's motto, "We Shield Millions."

The year the station started broadcasting, program director George D. Hay started a live country music show called the "WSM Barn Dance." An ad-lib from Hay about two years later changed the name of the show to the Grand Ole Opry, and that began the process that transformed Nashville into Music City USA. (It was another WSM personality, David Cobb, who coined the Music City USA nickname for Nashville.)

"Everyone who works at WSM-AM understands the legacy of 75 years of broadcasting. We are both pleased and humbled to be recognized by our peers nationally for what the station has accomplished. Our pledge to our listeners and to country music is to continue that tradition," said vice president and general manager Bob Meyer.

For decades, WSM's impact has reached far beyond Nashville because of its 50,000-watt clear channel signal. That signal, beamed from the station's diamond-shaped tower, can reach listeners across much of the U.S. and into Canada and Mexico.

Also, former WSM on-air personality was identified as the "top jock" in the history of country radio in the same Radio & Records section. Emery gained fame in the 1960s as host of WSM's overnight "Opry Star Spotlight" show before gaining even wider fame as host of a syndicated country radio show and host of The Nashville Network's "Nashville Now" show on cable TV.

Two Grand Ole Opry artists-- and Patsy Cline--were named as country radio's greatest artists of the century.

WSM, and its sister stations WSM-FM and WWTN, are part of Nashville-headquartered Gaylord Entertainment Company (NYSE: GET), a diversified entertainment company whose businesses are in three groups: hospitality and attractions, creative content and interactive media. Other components include the Opryland Hotel, the , Opryland Productions, Country Music Television International, , Musicforce.com, Lightsource.com and Songs.com.