On November 28 in 1925, "The Grand Ole Opry" debuted on WSM, Nashville under the name "WSM Barn Dance". The program was the brainchild of program director George D. Hay, who had run a similar program on a Chicago radio station. Hay also was also responsible for renaming the program the Grand Ole Opry in 1927. The Grand Ole Opry has remained a Saturday night tradition on WSM to this day, and is country music's most famous institution. The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, that has presented the biggest stars of that genre since 1925. It is also among the longest-running broadcasts in history since its beginnings as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM-AM. Dedicated to honoring country music and its history, the Opry showcases a mix of legends and contemporary chart-toppers performing country, bluegrass, folk, gospel, and comedic performances and skits. Considered an American icon, it attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world and millions of radio and internet listeners. The Opry, today part of the American landscape, is "the show that made country music famous" and has been called the "home of American music" and "country’s most famous stage.
