WSM TOWER A Brentwood Landmark

The large red-and-white diamond shaped transmission tower, located on Concord Road, is the WSM-AM radio tower. WSM radio is known for broadcasting the Grand Ole Opry, which helped establish Nashville’s reputation as the “country music capital.” WSM radio also broadcasted news and public-service programming to millions of people in rural America.

The WSM-AM tower has been a part of the Brentwood landscape since 1932 and is one of the oldest operating broadcast towers in the United States. In 1931 WSM was federally designated as one of 14 national clear channels and was granted the ability to reach 40 states and transmit at full power at night.

Today, the WSM tower stands 808 feet tall and was once the tallest structure in the United States when it was 878 feet tall. The tower’s size was reduced in 1939 so transmission could reach Chattanooga.

The site was specifically chosen for its deep bedrock, needed to support the massive tower. Near the tower is a Colonial Revival-style broadcasting station known as the Tower Tuning House, also built in 1932. The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2011.