Opry For Sale? Can It Even Be Saved?

The Ryman Auditorium, the Grand Ole Opry and WSM 650 AM may be headed toward a change in ownership. Ryman Hospitality Properties has confirmed it's exploring outside partners for Opry Entertainment Group — no sale has been finalized, but that possibility raises a question I never thought I'd have to ask. I've played the Opry twelve times. I spent two full years working at the Ryman. And I worked for Gaylord — the company that shaped these institutions for decades before Ryman Hospitality took over. I watched them close Opryland in 1997. I watched the Opry drift further from its roots every year after that. In this episode, I'm giving you my honest, firsthand take on what these places have become — and what I believe they should be instead. The Ryman as a living museum. The Opry House as a real concert venue. WSM as the keeper of classic Opry history. Whether you agree with me or not, I want to hear your take in the comments. Want to hear the classic songs mentioned in this story performed in full? Head over to our second channel, Hank's Classic Country Vault, where we post song-only performance videos:    / @hanksclassiccountryvault   Please do me a favor and go down there and hit the thumbs up button, the like button. Also hit the subscribe button so you can hear a lot of inside stories, just like the one you heard today. Leave us a comment too, if you'd like — I'd love to know what you think should happen to the Opry, the Ryman and WSM. #GrandOleOpry #RymanAuditorium #WSMRadio #CountryMusicHistory #HankWilliams #Nashville #OpryEntertainmentGroup #ClassicCountry #NashvilleTennessee #HighwayToHank ***Fantastic Psychological Study of Hank Williams - https://amzn.to/4fTxD2x 🎸 My Recommended Hank & Classic Country Gear Victrola Record Player Under $100!!! - https://amzn.to/4s9ye4m Hank Williams' Greatest Hits VINYL Record - https://amzn.to/412ECPI The BEST Hank Williams Biography -https://amzn.to/3OQnZDS My First and Favorite Hank Music CD -https://amzn.to/4kYSR0Y Hank Williams Complete Singles Collection CD- https://amzn.to/407zedA For the Biggest Hank Fans, The Complete Hank Recordings-https://amzn.to/4l28zs5 Great Coffee Table Hank Book, Incredible Photos - https://amzn.to/4l5wdnN History of the Louisiana Hayride, Fantastic Book - https://amzn.to/3N0ViDA History of the Grand Ole Opry Book - https://amzn.to/3OF8KO8 My Personal Country Music Word Search Book!!!- https://amzn.to/403yTbP MY GEAR: D'Addario Guitar Strings - https://amzn.to/4r1SZOM Stetson Hat (including the famous white one!) - https://amzn.to/4bgLcb1 My Show Boots (Ariat) - https://amzn.to/4shBSt5 Drifting Cowboy Western Shirts - https://amzn.to/4tXkTOF Retro Western Shirts (Hank style)- https://amzn.to/4r7xHzk **I will make a small commission if you clink the links and purchase. It helps support my channel! Thank you so much!!! 🌠 BOOKING FOR JASON'S SHOWS: send email to: highwaytohank@gmail.com -Hank Williams-The Lonesome Tour (One-Man Show) -100 Years Of Hank Williams (Full Band and Trio Versions) -Country Royalty-Hank Williams and Patsy Cline (Full Band) -Classic Nashville Roadshow (Full Band) -Classic Nashville Christmas (Full Band) Visit www.jasonpetty.com for more info on Jason's shows.