| April
2004: | Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in
Texas opens with 1,511 guest rooms, more than 400,000 sq. feet of meeting space,
and a 25,000 square foot world-class spa and fitness center. |
| Oct.
1925: | WSM radio broadcasts for the
first time. |
| Nov.
1925: | "WSM Barn Dance Saturday
Night" radio program is launched. |
| Dec.
1928: | WSM Barn Dance changes its
name to the "Grand Ole Opry". |
| June
1943: | The Grand Ole Opry moves into
Ryman Auditorium, where it stays for 43 years. |
| Sept.
1950: | WSM-TV debuts as Nashville's
very first television station. |
| May
1972: | Opryland theme park opens
its doors, drawing 54 million visitors by the time it closes 24 years later. |
| March 1981: | Gaylord's
predecessor company enters satellite and cable television programming. |
| March 1983: | The
Nashville Network (TNN) launches with a record-breaking 7 million subscribers. |
| Sept. 1983: | Gaylord
Broadcasting Company of Dallas purchases the Opryland properties, creating Opryland
USA Inc. |
| June
1985: | The company purchases Acuff-Rose
Music Publishing, gaining country music's largest and most popular portfolio of
songs. |
| July
1985: | The General Jackson Showboat
begins operation. |
| May
1988: | Phase II of a $105 million
renovation and expansion of Opryland Hotel is completed. It opens again with 1,891
rooms. |
| Sept.
1990: | Springhouse Golf Club opens. |
| Oct. 1991: | Gaylord
Entertainment Company begins listing on the NYSE under the symbol GET. |
| June 1994: | The
Wildhorse Saloon opens in downtown Nashville. |
| June
1994: | Following an $8.5 million
renovation, Ryman Auditorium re-opens to the public as a 2,000-seat, state-of-the-art
performance hall. |
| June
1994: | Springhouse Golf Club hosts
its first BellSouth Senior Classic; Lee Trevino walks away as the winner. |
| Jan. 1995: | Gaylord
purchases WWTN-FM, a news/talk/sports format radio station in Nashville. |
| June 1996: | Opryland
Hotel opens Delta, its fourth and final expansion. The hotel's 2,881 rooms and
600,000 square feet now make it the largest combined hotel and convention center
in the world. |
| June
1997: | The National Hockey League
grants a franchise for the Nashville Predators, with Gaylord as a minority interest
owner. |
| Feb.
1998: | Gaylord announces plans to
develop convention resorts in other markets. A few months later, Florida and Texas
are named as the first two new locations. |
| June
1999: | Construction on Gaylord's
Florida convention resort begins. |
| May
2001: | A new management team implements
plans to hone Gaylord's focus to concentrate on convention resorts, adjacent attractions,
complementing country music holdings and a handful of strategic media outlets.
Most non-essential assets are sold, including Acuff-Rose Music Publishing. |
| Oct. 2001: | The
new management team announces plans of re-branding the hotel aspect to Gaylord
Hotels from Opryland Hotels. |
| Feb.
2002: | Gaylord Palms Resort &
Convention Center in Florida opens with 1,406 guest rooms, more than 400,000 square
feet of meeting/exhibition space - and record-breaking convention pre-bookings.
|
| Nov. 2002: | The
Opry becomes available on Sirius Satellite Radio as well as worldwide on the Armed
Forces Radio Network and via enhanced web-viewing on www.opry.com and www.wsmonline.com |
| Jan. 2003: | Gaylord
Opryland Resort & Convention Center is named a Gold-Key Elite Award winner
by Meetings & Conventions Magazine. Gaylord Opryland is one of only
five resorts to earn this honor. |
| June
2003: | Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center earns
AAA's Four Diamond Award, one of dozens of distince accolades for the Orlando-area
resort. |
| Aug. 2003: | "America's
Grand Ole Opry Weekend" airs on 205 Country Music radio stations nationwide
via syndication on Westwood One, part of the Opry's aggressive distribution expansion. |
| Nov. 2003: | The company
completes the acquisition of ResortQuest International, its third-industry leading
brand alongside Gaylord Hotels and the Grand Ole Opry. Management emphasizes they
will aggressively cross promote the three complementary brands. |
