Haven't seen anything else here about it...

[Psycho Bass Guy]

..but Nashville was severely flooded after 15 inches of rain fell Monday. Lots of artists lost irreplacable gear that was either in staging, storage or studios, the Ryman and Orpyland Hotel flooded, and I imagine Orpy Mills Malls and the Gibson factory there did likewise (they're right next to each other), but worse, at least 17 people lost their lives. Look at these pictures:

http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-439798?hpt=C2

[Nocturnal]

My friends in KY had major flooding over the weekend. Haven't heard about anyone losing their lives tho. Lots of homes had water in them tho.

[Dave W]

I've read all about it, just terrible. Didn't see anything about Gibson though.

[hollowbody]

I heard today that the Ryman has water up to the stage.

[Dave W]

I heard today that the Ryman has water up to the stage.

You sure? From what I've read, the current Opry House has water up to or over the stage but the Ryman is unaffected by floodwaters, just has no phone service because of flooding elsewhere.

[Denis]

According to this article Ryman wasn't damaged and a show scheduled for Monday is still on.

http://www.wral.com/news/national_world/national/story/7544940/

[Psycho Bass Guy]

I think the mix-up is because the mainstream media is unaware that when it refers to "85 years of performances at The Grand ol' Opry," that refers to the Ryman for longtime country fans, not the current "Opry." You'd think they'd make that distinction. I foolishly assumed that at least the local media would have done that.

BTW, the Gibson showcase factory in the Opry Mills Mall only produces acoustic instruments like banjos and mandolins and not electric instruments.

[hollowbody]

Whoops.  My lady friend's best friend lives in Nashville and apparently the story changed by the time it got passed on to me.

[Pilgrim]

NPR had an interview with the director of the Opryland Museum yesterday and he said all the instruments were stored above water level, so they were in building cleanup mode but there was no damage to the instruments.  Evidently they'll be up and running as soon as power is restored.

[OldManC]

I've seen a little coverage but it strikes me as odd that this wouldn't have been a bigger news story. I'm long past trying to make sense of mainstream news coverage though, so I'm not surprised. Those pictures are heart rending...

[Pilgrim]

I'm long past trying to make sense of mainstream news coverage though, so I'm not surprised. Those pictures are heart rending...

Interesting side notes from the Edward R. Murrow symposium I attended a couple of weeks ago....

NPR listener numbers are consistently growing as "major" media cut their news coverage shorter and shorter and spend more time chasing ambulances.  Makes sense - NPR is the only place you can get 3 to 8 minutes of depth in coverage that tells you anything about a story.  NPR has 20 correspondents overseas now - CBS has TWO.  Shame on CBS.

Also, the funding model of NPR (heavily based on listener support) is holding up much better than commercial radio's ad revenues are during the economic slump.  It's looking pretty good by comparison.  Commercial stations are starting to explore similar listener-supported options to provide a different revenue stream.  (Good luck wid'dat, Clear Channel - you've given no one any reason to like or support your satellite-feed model.)

[Highlander]

First we've heard of it over here...

Which parts of KY...?

[gweimer]

A friend of mine was called down there Tuesday to begin repairs on a trucking terminal.  They had a place for him to stay, he was being escorted in/out of the terminal by the National Guard.  This depot built their own dike around the docks with a stash of old oversized truck tires, from what he said.  I've also heard on the FDP that there were a number of instruments and things in the lockers at the Grand Ol' Opry.  It was reported that the floor and stage were pretty well damaged, along with the keyboard instruments on the stage.

[Nocturnal]

First we've heard of it over here...

Which parts of KY...?

The Barren County and Metcalfe County area.

[Denis]

Taylor Swift just announced she's donating $500,000 to help cleanup efforts in Nashville. While I'm not a big fan of her music, she impresses me as a person.