WSM has launched The Kelly Sutton Show, a new country music program on the Nashville station that is home to the Grand Ole Opry, Country Now reported on August 7. The show is a tribute to Bill Cody, the longtime WSM host who died recently after years of telling country music stories on the station's morning broadcast.
Sutton takes over after five years co-hosting Coffee, Country & Cody alongside Cody himself, and she is also the first woman ever named an announcer for the Grand Ole Opry. "Bill Cody was so much more than a coworker," she said. "He was a dear friend and a mentor."
The new morning show runs weekdays from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. Central time, with longtime WSM personality and Grand Ole Opry host Charlie Mattos producing and co-hosting alongside Sutton. WSM Studio Director Annie Ney rounds out the team, and Amber Anderson, who co-hosts an Amazon Music show with Sutton, will make regular contributions. Country Now reported the program will combine country music news and exclusive interviews, and that Vince Gill and Amy Grant are set as the first guests when it debuts Monday, August 10.
WSM General Manager Eric Marcum said Sutton's connections with artists and fans made her the right fit for the role. "We're excited to continue WSM's long tradition of live, local programming that connects with audiences around the world," he said. Segments will stream on WSM's social media, and the show can be heard on 650 AM WSM, through WSMRadio.com, the WSM app or iHeartRadio.
WSM has broadcast the Grand Ole Opry for more than a century, and the venue has had its own newsy stretch this month: Charlie Worsham was just invited to join the Opry's cast, Josh Tatofi made his own debut on the Opry stage, and Stella Lefty is set for her own Opry debut on September 2.
The facts
- The Kelly Sutton Show debuts Monday, August 10, on WSM
- It airs weekdays 6 to 10 a.m. Central time on 650 AM WSM
- WSM is the Grand Ole Opry's home radio station in Nashville
- It honors Bill Cody, WSM's longtime host, who died recently
- Sutton is the first woman named an announcer for the Grand Ole Opry
- Charlie Mattos, Annie Ney and Amber Anderson join the show's team
- Vince Gill and Amy Grant are the debut episode's first guests
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