Ok. Many of these people became enraged (as did I) when Gaylord Entertainment considered the misguided possibility of changing the format of WSM-AM from country to sports talk. But now, these same people are considering moving the Country Music Association Awards away from Nashville?
Quote:
”We can’t turn our backs on anything,” Benson said, noting that taking the show to other cities may help broaden country music’s awareness.
One question: Did Nashville turn its back on you when you wanted to build a new Country Music Hall of Fame? Here’s some good PR advice for you, Mr. Benson. Learn from the Gaylord Entertainment folks and declare today that you were just kidding when you said that.
February 6th, 2002 at 12:56 pm
Hey, don’t dis Ed Benson. Other cities expressed interest in hosting the CMA awards, and the board is merely entertaining their offers. The CMA didn’t build the Country Music Hall of Fame. That’s another group. The CMA is responsible for Fan Fair.
Ed and the Benson family have contributed greatly to the Nashville area over the years. Plus his wife Jamie and I are good friends. We go to lunch regularly and plan to attend the SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament together.
If it makes you feel any better, Ed was stranded in the snow in the Dallas airport yesterday, as he returned from the CMA board meeting.
February 7th, 2002 at 9:50 pm
OK Barbara. I feel better knowing that you have a direct line to getting the advice to Ed Benson that the CMA should not even entertain offers from other cities to host the CMA Awards.
Not to say, they shouldn’t have big events in other cities. Indeed, around 1984 or so, they had the CMA’s 25th or 50th (I forget which) anniversary in Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. It was attended by President Reagan and Vice President Bush and lots of members of congress. I will not reveal how, but I got some super seats to the event, about five rows from the President.
Now, I still don’t understand how the CMA and the Country Music Hall of Fame are not related because when you go to http://www.cmaawards.com or to http://www.cmaworld.com, they both have logos for the Hall of Fame and one has a big quote from Mr. Benson:
So, while the CMA and Hall of Fame might not be the same, the CMA is communicating to the world that the two are very inter-related.