Oprah Winfrey Buys Financially Troubled Grand Ole Opry, Will Rename It âGrand Ole Oprahâ
Financially troubled country music institution the Grand Old Opry has accepted a buyout offer from media mogul and car-giveaway queen Oprah Winfrey in a deal that guarantees the stage concertâs existence well into the next century. There was just one condition â a name change. Oprah insisted that the theater be renamed âThe Grand Ole Oprah.âOpry General Manager Ralph Jackson Rogers spoke from his Opry office: âWe were in a bind, and I got a call from the horseâs mouth herself,â Rogers explained. âMy secretary told me she had Miss Oprah Winfrey on the phone and I thought she was just pulling my damn leg. I picked up the phone and she said âHello, itâs Opraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!â the way she does you know, so I knew it was her. I was shocked.âWinfrey, a country music fan, heard the Opry was facing financial difficulties from her close friend, Gayle King. âI was doing a segment for my show, CBS This Morning,â explainedÂ King, âand I overheard an employee talking about cutbacks.ââI got back from Nashville and rushed right over to tell Oprah about the Opry,â said King. âAnd Steadman too,â she added. âHe was there too.âWinfrey immediately researched the Opryâs financial state. âAs most of my devoted followers already know,â said Winfrey, âI moved to NashvilleÂ as a teenager. I would be spiritually devastatedÂ if the Opry disappeared, soÂ I decided the right thing to do was to buy it.âWinfrey revealed a childhood dreamÂ that one day she would be the star ofÂ her very own musical theater. âWell,â admitted the multi-billionaire, âas most of my devoted followers already know, I canât sing. Steadman tells me that all the time. He was here just the other day when Gayle came over to tell us both the news. Now I own the Opry and weâre thrilled! Steadman and I are thrilled!âThe Grand Ole Oprah will debutÂ next spring in a star-studded extravaganza produced by The Oprah Winfrey Network. Oprah now operates the Opry, but not everyone is as exited as Oprah,Â Steadman, andÂ Gayle at the change.Local fan and devoted audience member MaryÂ Coursey remarked, âWhatâs she gonna buy upÂ next, NASCAR? Then sheâd go and rename thatÂ âOprahâs Go-Kart Festivalâ? Now Iâm not saying nothing prejudiced, but ever since Obama got in, thereâs been some mighty big changes in this country. Still,â Coursey reluctantly added, âIâm glad the Opry will be around for my grandbabies to enjoy. I know Oprahâs one of the good ones,â she added, âbut down here weâre still gonna keep callinâ it the Opry!â