In response to a comment on this blog, I checked with some people to see if there is any update on the Opry and GAC. As I am sure most of you know, GAC has been showing repeat episodes of the Opry on Saturday nights and have had no new live shows on since the 1st of the year. There was speculation that the contract between GAC and Gaylord had expired or was up for renewal and that talks were under way. The official explanation from GAC was that they were just showing best of Opry shows, as they received response that viewers wanted to see these shows again. I talked to an individual at Gaylord Entertainment yesterday(no names please), and she told me a couple of things. First, that GAC does have the contract to show the Opry. Secondly, she told me that the Opry management is meeting with GAC producers to set up a new production schedule and that new shows would start to air later this summer or fall. I also received an email from a source at GAC which stated; "GAC will continue to air the best of Opry live shows for the next few weeks. GAC is currently planning to begin airing new Opry live shows later this year in either summer or fall." Finally, I talked to an individual at the Scripps Network, which is the owner of GAC. She told me basically the same thing, that the Opry is a part of GAC and new shows would begin airing in the summer.
The problem I have with the GAC Opry telecasts is that they are not really the Opry. Now, I don't get GAC, but I could listen as they were doing the telecast. During the one hour, there might be four acts. This would throw off the Opry schedule and struck me as false advertising in this way: those who didn't know would think from watching GAC that this is how the Opry functions, and it doesn't, except for that occasional one hour.
ReplyDeleteBut promoting the Opry is important, and I hope they will televise the Opry again. And that they will tape the Tuesday or Thursday night shows so that they don't upset the applecart on Saturday night.
Like I have mentioned before, when I have been at the Opry, I am suprised at the number of fans who think that the Opry is just the televised portion and have no idea that there is another hour to the show, with a whole different flow. My issue with the televised portion as it is set up now, is that if you are at the Opry house for the show, it seems like the first hour is nothing more than a warm-up show for the televised portion, and that the first hour does not mean as much as the second(tv)hour. This does appear true from the standpoint that the higher profile artist are always on the televised portion. I think that this is very evident when the Opry show went to just 2 hours. When it was a television week, and with usually only 4 artists on that portion, you end up with an Opry show with only 9 to 11 artists.From a person who attends quite a few Opry shows, I always enjoy attending when the Opry is not televised. The show just seems better. Now, this brings me to a couple of more comments from my conversation with Ms. Thomas at GAC. She told me that GAC has no control over which artists are on the televised portion, it is entirely an Opry management decision. But, she did say, that the Opry management does know the demographics of the GAC audience and that Opry management does want the highest television ratings possible, so obviously, she told me that higher profile artists will be on the televised portion. She also told me that it was the Opry managements decision not to have a designated host for the televised poriton on most shows. That is why, if you watch GAC, you see Mike Terry or Nan Kelly doing much of the into. They will still have a on-stage host, but only if it is one of their higher profile television people, such as Ricky Skaggs, Vince Gill, Marty Stuart, or Hal Ketchum, who know how to host a tv show. I can understand that, as I can remember years ago in the old TNN days, when Jack Greene hosted the televised portion one night and forgot the name of the artist who was to be introduced next and then butchered his name horribly. In fact, I think that was the last time Jack hosted a televised segment. I also know that for years, they could never end the televised portion on time and many shows were cut off during the middle of songs, etc.
ReplyDeleteI remember some of the things that happened on the TV portion when TNN televised the Opry as it happened, as opposed to GAC televising a version of the Opry. There was the night Mr. Acuff introduced then-Vice President George Bush and, it turned out, decided to do it during the segment after his first song without telling anyone--a bit of a hoohah, I guess, since he was supposed to come out later. At the end, Mr. Acuff said it was his segment and he would run it his way. Well, he could do that, and so could the others of that time. Not so much any more, and I understand it.
ReplyDeleteAs for butchering and forgetting names, Mr. Acuff and Grandpa Jones were legendary for it, so I suppose it would be excused in their cases (I spoke with someone who used to perform on the Opry, and he said that was even more common when they were across from Tootsie's, if you get my drift). Some are better hosts than others. Bill Anderson and Jim Ed Brown did a lot of the early TNN broadcasts because they had so much TV experience, as did Porter Wagoner. Hank Snow had his own internal clock, so he could get them off pretty much on time. I regretted missing the ends of some songs, but my attitude was, it was the Opry and still going, so I understood.
I agree that the TNN Opry was showing a true half hour part of the Opry, exactly as it happened, with all the right commercial breaks, etc. The Opry now shown on GAC is an Opry show within the Opry and seems more like a televised production than the Opry itself.
ReplyDeleteActually, part of the fun was poor Keith Bilbrey trying to make sure they got in and out of their own commercials in time to the Opry commercials. One time, they cut to him as Monroe was doing a number to sign off, and he looked like he knew they were screwing up!
ReplyDeleteI think the other difference now is that they actually have a full rehersal of the televised portion during the afternoon prior to the show to get the timing down exactly and to go over what songs are going to be sung and the order, etc. Back in the TNN days, there was no practice. I also remember a couple of times on the old TNN shows when the segment prior to the televised portion ran long and you could hear the segment going in the background as Keith Bilbrey was doing the introduction and then talking to fill time. I know one time the previous segment ran over by almost 5 minutes and you could see Grandpa Jones strolling off the stage past Keith. A little trivia note, that on the first televised show, Roy Acuff was the host and the guests were Connie Smith and The 4 Guys.
ReplyDeleteAnd Minnie Pearl! It was a one-hour show, and Acuff ran long (what a shock). Porter Wagoner hosted the second half hour with Dottie West, Jack Greene, the Crook Brothers, and the Melvin Sloan Dancers. Porter was just starting his second song when they went off.
ReplyDeleteActually, Porter was the one most inconvenienced by the telecasts. He had hosted the 7 p.m. segment most of the time and had to move back or forward, depending.
Part of the problem was that the first two segments on Saturday nights were 15-minute shows. Usually each would feature a host and one guest, but sometimes Hal Durham would push his luck and have two guests on one or both segments. Add in the opening with the square dancers and that was a lot to pack into the half-hour before live TV.
I loved the GAC Opry live feathering new and popular artists and Nan Kelly. What would the Opry be without her? These great new traditions made the Opry fresh and popular. I will never forget the night that Randy invited Carrie to join the Opry. Mixing old and new traditions. I think I herd that was the highest rated Opry ever. Don’t get me wrong the older artists that made the Opry should have a place as will. I think GAC tried to do that. We need the younger artists to carry on the traditions. Thanks for the information. I hope Opry live doesn’t become a victim of corporate greed.
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