Bristol, Tenn.-Va. (May 5, 2021) – The Birthplace of Country Music (BCM) will kick off its annual WBCM Radio Bristol Fund Drive Wednesday, May 12 with a special Farm and Fun Time Noon Show, featuring host band (and Rebel Records sensation) The Kody Norris Show, followed by a Radio Bristol DJ Showcase chocked full of regional star-studded talent.
“Our fund drive is going to be a joyous celebration,” said Radio Bristol producer Kris Truelsen. “Not only are we bringing back Farm and Fun Time, which we’ve all missed so much over the past 13 months, but to bring our DJs together for the showcase in celebration of Radio Bristol is really going to be special. We sure have missed our community during this time, but we are so happy things seem to be going in the right direction and are so grateful that our listeners have stuck with us through it all.”
The Farm and Fun Time Noon Show with The Kody Norris Show, which usually airs on Fridays, has become an internet sensation – reaching millions of fans internationally since the show’s premiere. The popular program will kick off Radio Bristol’s Fund Drive at noon EDT, followed by the DJ Showcase at 12:30 p.m.
In the early development of Radio Bristol, programmers saw the benefit of inviting local musicians to host shows on the station. It’s a formula that has benefited the station in many ways as artists tend to draw from the wells of their own musical influences to produce content for their eclectic shows. From honky tonk and garage rock to rare early country music recordings and mountain stories, Radio Bristol’s original programming is what sets the station apart from any other outlet across the globe. The DJ Showcase is a celebration of all those musical influences and the talent that has helped drive Radio Bristol’s unique and original programming.
The Radio Bristol DJ Showcase will feature music by The Kody Norris Show, Kris Truelsen and Kalia Yeagle (of Farm and Fun Time house band Bill & the Belles), Rich Kirby, JP Parsons, Bailey George & Jukebox Jess, Scotty Almany, Moose ‘Trainwreck’ Roberts, Marshall Ballew, Virginia West, Bill Smith, The Boys, Momma Molasses and Ivy Sheppard.
The Fund Drive continues through Thursday, May13 and ends with a big finale – the long-awaited return of the Farm and Fun Time live variety show with special guests Parker Millsap and Alexa Rose. Host Kris Truelsen and house band Bill & the Belles will be back on the program after a long hiatus. It will also be the first Farm and Fun Time since the beginning of the pandemic to host a live studio audience in the Performance Theater at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum – masked and socially distanced according to health and safety guidelines.
“To say Radio Bristol is thrilled to be able to bring back live programming is an understatement,” said producer Kris Truelsen. “This past year has been so hard on all of us and to finally be able to provide live programming to our dedicated community of listeners feels really good.”
Tickets to be part of the studio audience for Farm and Fun Time sold out quickly to BCM e-newsletter subscribers who were first notified of the event when it posted. Distanced seating will be limited to 30 people in the intimate, 100-seat Performance Theater at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum and face coverings will be required. The program will stream live on Radio Bristol’s Facebook page at no cost.
The Farm and Fun Time Noon Show with The Kody Norris Show and the DJ Showcase will not be open to the public, but will also stream live on Radio Bristol’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.
WBCM Radio Bristol is a public, listener-supported station that broadcasts live from the Birthplace of Country Music Museum in Historic Downtown Bristol, Tennessee-Virginia, home of the legendary 1927 Bristol Sessions. Listeners may pledge their support of the station online at ListenRadioBristol.org or call them in to 1-833-I-LUV-Bristol (1-833-458-8274).
Radio Bristol operates a low-watt FM signal at 100.1 FM in the Bristol area in addition to an online media center at ListenRadioBristol.org and a free radio app. The station went live in August 2015, one year after the grand opening of the museum.