Nashville Bits and Pieces

[Dale]

32 minutes ago, samsonh said:

Dale,

people will always complain about their commute. He gave you reasons why the numbers are what they are, I’d stop arguing!

Capsule review: Columbus’ 21.5 minutes nothing to complain about. Nashville’s 24.3 minutes is “Meh, difference nothing to write home about. Accordingly, Nashvillians have nothing to complain about. What about people without cars ? Well, you have buses. “But the buses suck.” Well, a fraction of $9.4 million went to doubling Columbus’ high-frequency routes and expanding routes. And some of you voted for $9 billion.

Edited December 15, 2018 by Dale

[MidTenn1]

4 hours ago, OnePointEast said:

Is that due to the hills? As I know going towards Clarksville there's plenty of hills.

I know this is telescoped a little, but you get the idea.

[BnaBreaker]

Dale, expanding transit is about providing the populous with more transportation options so they don't have to be reliant on their cars, not about reducing commute times for suburbanites.  Seriously, I don't mean to be abrasive, but honestly, I don't understand why you keep beating this drum.   How many times does that need to be repeated?  

[titanhog]

1 hour ago, BnaBreaker said:

Dale, expanding transit is about providing the populous with more transportation options so they don't have to be reliant on their cars, not about reducing commute times for suburbanites.  Seriously, I don't mean to be abrasive, but honestly, I don't understand why you keep beating this drum.   How many times does that need to be repeated?  

True...but it's not just suburbanites.  There's a good chance it takes some people who live and work within Davidson County longer to get home than it takes people who live outside the county.  I've just tried to get outside of the downtown loop before and it took me over an hour to get out at 5pm.   Even if the suburbs didn't exist, there would be major 5pm traffic issues in Davidson County...and mass transit would at least provide another option if you don't want the headache.

[Tennessine]

Dale gonna Dale. 

[titanhog]

Wish one of the buildings downtown had some kind of 3D light show like this building in Turkey.  It wouldn't even have to have all of the sound effects...just some cool 3D movement.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3m2CRRJWxm0

[Dale]

11 hours ago, BnaBreaker said:

Dale, expanding transit is about providing the populous with more transportation options so they don't have to be reliant on their cars, not about reducing commute times for suburbanites.  Seriously, I don't mean to be abrasive, but honestly, I don't understand why you keep beating this drum.   How many times does that need to be repeated?  

Because I and perhaps one other act as token dissidents who challenge assumptions which are tossed out as neutral-givens, such as alternative = light rail. 

How can you not see this ?

 

[Canuck87]

Nashville’s Star Rises as Midsize Cities Break Into Winners and Losers

"Nashville and others are thriving thanks to a mix of luck, astute political choices and well-timed investments, while cities like Birmingham, Ala., fall behind."

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/16/business/economy/nashville-birmingham-amazon.amp.html

[jmtunafish]

1 hour ago, Canuck87 said:

 

Nashville’s Star Rises as Midsize Cities Break Into Winners and Losers

"Nashville and others are thriving thanks to a mix of luck, astute political choices and well-timed investments, while cities like Birmingham, Ala., fall behind."

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/16/business/economy/nashville-birmingham-amazon.amp.html

I love this part which illustrates just how attractive Nashville is. 

AllianceBernstein, an investment company, decided in May to move its headquarters to Nashville, from New York, in part because of the big-city-worthy cultural amenities and the small-city cost of living.

The company has been flooded with calls from finance industry workers interested in moving to Nashville, said Karl Sprules, an AllianceBernstein executive who is helping lead the transition.

[QCxpat]

Removed. Duplicates NY Times story above about Nashville.  

Edited December 17, 2018 by QCxpat

[PruneTracy]

14 hours ago, Canuck87 said:

Nashville’s Star Rises as Midsize Cities Break Into Winners and Losers

"Nashville and others are thriving thanks to a mix of luck, astute political choices and well-timed investments, while cities like Birmingham, Ala., fall behind."

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/16/business/economy/nashville-birmingham-amazon.amp.html

It's not really clear in the article what exactly the reporter is ascribing to "luck".

[jmtunafish]

1 hour ago, PruneTracy said:

It's not really clear in the article what exactly the reporter is ascribing to "luck".

Yeah I wish he'd expounded on that more although I think Nashville's location can be ascribed to "luck."  The early European settlers certainly weren't looking to  establish a city strategically located in the middle of the eastern half of the country when they settled on the banks of the Cumberland River even though that's what happened.  It means Nashville is perfectly located for logistics and distribution.

And then when WSM-AM started airing live country music in its studios which morphed into the Grand Ole Opry,  I'd consider that luck, since a) really East Tennessee (Bristol and later Knoxville) played an arguably larger role in the development of country music than Nashville, and b) WSM was (is?) a clear-channel station.   I remember reading somewhere that the concept of a live country music concert on the radio was first started in Knoxville (or even Bristol) but found a more welcoming home in Nashville's WSM.  I haven't been able to find that article, but I read it while living in Knoxville and reading one of those "What ifs" columns lamenting that Knoxville is completely overshadowed by Nashville when it comes to  country music tourism.  Anyway, the fact that it was WSM that carried the Grand Ole Opry is significant since WSM, a clear-channel station, was the only radio station in the country on 650 on the AM dial.  Coupled with its giant radio transmitter in Brentwood and its unusual and ingenious design, this means people as far away as the Rocky Mountains could hear the late-night broadcasts of the Grand Ole Opry.  Had the Opry been carried on, say, 1510 WLAC which can be heard only in the immediate Nashville area, it's very likely that Nashville's country music tourism would not be a fraction of what it is today.

I guess it was also luck that had Thomas Frist, Sr., come to Vanderbilt to medical school then stay in Nashville as a  cardiologist, eventually creating a healthcare conglomerate which has made Nashville an epicenter for the healthcare industry and which has brought a tremendous amount of wealth to the city.  Frist, a Mississippian, could've gone to other medical schools closer to home (UT-Memphis, Tulane) instead of Vandy.

Edited December 17, 2018 by jmtunafish

[Tennessine]

Events that may affect the Nashville area's economy in 2019

Mid-State automobile industry could suffer under the trade war against China, reports the Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research at UT. This may hurt greater Nashville's economic output in 2019 and 2020, especially if these tariffs are compounded with a cyclical recession.

More information from KnoxNews here: https://www.knoxnews.com/story/money/business/2018/12/17/university-tennessee-ut-boyd-center-forecasts-tennessee-economy-job-growth-trump-tariff-employment/2315297002/

[tragenvol]

1 hour ago, jmtunafish said:

Yeah I wish he'd expounded on that more although I think Nashville's location can be ascribed to "luck."  The early European settlers certainly weren't looking to  establish a city strategically located in the middle of the eastern half of the country when they settled on the banks of the Cumberland River even though that's what happened.  It means Nashville is perfectly located for logistics and distribution.

And then when WSM-AM started airing live country music in its studios which morphed into the Grand Ole Opry,  I'd consider that luck, since a) really East Tennessee (Bristol and later Knoxville) played an arguably larger role in the development of country music than Nashville, and b) WSM was (is?) a clear-channel station.   I remember reading somewhere that the concept of a live country music concert on the radio was first started in Knoxville (or even Bristol) but found a more welcoming home in Nashville's WSM.  I haven't been able to find that article, but I read it while living in Knoxville and reading one of those "What ifs" columns lamenting that Knoxville is completely overshadowed by Nashville when it comes to  country music tourism.  Anyway, the fact that it was WSM that carried the Grand Ole Opry is significant since WSM, a clear-channel station, was the only radio station in the country on 650 on the AM dial.  Coupled with its giant radio transmitter in Brentwood and its unusual and ingenious design, this means people as far away as the Rocky Mountains could hear the late-night broadcasts of the Grand Ole Opry.  Had the Opry been carried on, say, 1510 WLAC which can be heard only in the immediate Nashville area, it's very likely that Nashville's country music tourism would not be a fraction of what it is today.

I guess it was also luck that had Thomas Frist, Sr., come to Vanderbilt to medical school then stay in Nashville as a  cardiologist, eventually creating a healthcare conglomerate which has made Nashville an epicenter for the healthcare industry and which has brought a tremendous amount of wealth to the city.  Frist, a Mississippian, could've gone to other medical schools closer to home (UT-Memphis, Tulane) instead of Vandy.

I took away luck in regards to "early surrender" and the tv show Nashville.  Open for interpretation as I didn't discern anything overtly stated about Nashville being lucky.

[Griz83]

1 hour ago, jmtunafish said:

Y  Coupled with its giant radio transmitter in Brentwood and its unusual and ingenious design, this means people as far away as the Rocky Mountains could hear the late-night broadcasts of the Grand Ole Opry.  Had the Opry been carried on, say, 1510 WLAC which can be heard only in the immediate Nashville area, it's very likely that Nashville's country music tourism would not be a fraction of what it is today.

There are stories of servicemen in Western Europe during WWII picking up the Opry on 650 (there was only AM band then)  "when the weather was just right."  AM signal can travel an enormous distance.  Regardless, the vets in WWII could hear it on the Armed Forces Radio Service.

Edited December 17, 2018 by Griz83

[titanhog]

13 minutes ago, Griz83 said:

There are stories of servicemen in Western Europe during WWII picking up the Opry on 650 (there was only AM band then)  "when the weather was just right."  AM signal can travel an enormous distance.  Regardless, the vets in WWII could hear it on the Armed Forces Radio Service.

Plus...didn’t the armed forces use the WSM tower to send war time messages to US submarines?  I’m thinking I read that somewhere.

[jmtunafish]

It's definitely a Nashville landmark.  At 878 feet, it was the tallest radio antenna in North America when it was built in 1932.  It's now 808 feet tall.  And upon further research, I discovered that WSM is still a clear-channel radio station, so there's no other radio station on the continent that uses 650 kHz.

Edited December 18, 2018 by jmtunafish

[markhollin]

Nashville rent increases rate #7 in the nation since 2014:

https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2018/12/17/study-nashville-rent-increases-are-among-the.html

[BnaBreaker]

I've always thought that was pretty cool looking for a radio antenna.  If it was built in town it could have become Nashville's version of SF's Sutro Tower

[MidTenn1]

3 hours ago, BnaBreaker said:

I've always thought that was pretty cool looking for a radio antenna.  If it was built in town it could have become Nashville's version of SF's Sutro Tower

There is a replica at the Country Music Hall of Fame. What you see on the outside is the top half. The bottom part is within the interior. A neat tribute to the original. 

 

[MidTenn1]

Also, has anyone notice the new Dodge Ram 1500 commercial was filmed in Nashville. It featured the Christmas parade and Vandy's Children's Hospital. 

It begs the question, why? Nissan and Bridgestone do locally filmed ads. Maybe Nashville had the only Christmas parade that would allow them to feature it in a commercial.

[BnaBreaker]

1 hour ago, PHofKS said:

There is a replica at the Country Music Hall of Fame. What you see on the outside is the top half. The bottom part is within the interior. A neat tribute to the original. 

 

Oh wow!!!  I actually never knew that... that's pretty damn cool!

[MLBrumby]

9 hours ago, jmtunafish said:

It's definitely a Nashville landmark.  At 878 feet, it was the tallest radio antenna in North America when it was built in 1932.  It's now 808 feet tall.  And upon further research, I discovered that WSM is one of only two clear-channel radio stations left in North America, the other being a radio station out of Toronto at 740 kHz.  So there's no other radio station on the continent that uses 650 kHz.

That's THE reason I can pick up WSM at any time of day in Chattown. But I can also pick up 1510 (WLAC) very clearly after dark. Like they're in DT Chat. 

[donNdonelson2]

1510 is also a clear channel station

[jmtunafish]

21 minutes ago, donNdonelson2 said:

1510 is also a clear channel station

True, but there's also a 1510 station in Boston, WMEX, that has a much weaker signal.