Country music and radio have been tied together for a hundred years. Radio carried the music out of the American South, and country is still one of the most popular radio formats in the United States.
In 1925, Nashville station WSM began a weekly barn-dance show that became the Grand Ole Opry. It has been broadcast every week since then, which makes it the longest-running radio broadcast in US history. The Opry helped turn Nashville into 'Music City' and made stars of generations of performers. WSM still carries it today on 650 AM and online.
Country stations can be found in almost every American city and small town, and the format has a famously loyal audience. Most stations play current hits alongside recent favourites, while others specialise in classic country from the 1960s to the 1990s. Many stations also carry local farm reports, high school sports and community news, which keeps country radio closely tied to the towns it serves.
Country has a big audience outside the US. Canada has its own country stars and many country stations, especially in the Prairie provinces. Australia has a strong country tradition of its own, celebrated every January at the Tamworth Country Music Festival in New South Wales. You'll also find country stations in Ireland, the UK, Scandinavia and even parts of Asia.