'ptc' Moves On Up To The Opry After 15 Cramped Years, New Studio Welcomed

After nearly 15 years of being recorded at Opryland's Gaslight Theater, The Nashville Network (TNN) moved its weeknight variety show Jan. 5 to Studio A in the Grand Ole Opry. The series originated in 1983 as 'Nashville Now,' went through an incarnation as 'Music City Tonight,' and is currently 'Prime Time Country,' hosted by Gary Chapman.
'When they sold TNN to CBS, the studio where we were remained a Gaylord property. So that will be part of the megamall, I suppose,' says Chapman, referring to Gaylord's plans to replace the Opryland theme park with a shopping mall. 'We needed to go somewhere else, and it's been a great, great thing for us. I'm just so fired up. The artists love it. The audience loves it. The crew loves it.'
Chapman and the show's co-producer, RAC Clark, say the new facility has many advantages. 'The other place was never intended to be a television studio, and they just made do for a lot of years,' Chapman says. 'This is a wonderful place. Anything we think of we can do.'
That includes dropping pingpong balls on Chapman's head, as they did during the show's first week in Studio A. 'The high ceilings allow us to do things we couldn't do before,' says Clark. 'Scenically, we can create a lot of different looks. We can create on-camera moves because the studio is rigged for that sort of movement.'
The new studio's control room and technical facilities are also bigger. However, the audience seating capacity is only about 250, compared with 550-600 in the old studio. 'Everybody has a little bit smaller square footage, but when you're more concentrated like this, the lighting package is better,' says Clark. 'There's less area to light, so it gives it a bigger, richer look. The audio facility is also much better. The audio board is a totally digital console. Everything is up a step, which is great. We're taking advantage of it.'
Executive producer Dick Clark says the new studio is a big improvement. 'I love the look,' he says. 'I like the intimacy. The other theater was fine, but it wasn't the perfect television studio. This has been laid out beautifully. It has dressing rooms and all the accommodations, and an audio board that is worth about three quarters of a million dollars. We're happy folks.'
Chapman agrees that the new studio works much better. 'The other place was so spread out,' he says. 'If you had a good seat for the house band, you couldn't see the guest band. Everybody (at the new studio) has a good shot at everything that is going on. It's certainly big enough to do what we want to do.'
For many of the TNN employees who had been with the show a long time, moving to a new studio was an emotional adjustment. Chapman recognized it as such. 'After the last show we did there, I just wanted to commemorate the moment because I knew there were members of the crew that had been there since they started doing television from that building,' Chapman says. 'It was the last show before we broke for Christmas. Everyone wanted to wish each other a merry Christmas, and it turned into quite the tearful moment. It was really sweet.'
Dick Clark is pleased with how well Chapman is doing with the show. 'I was just commenting to my wife last night, 'He's so at ease and so comfortable.' He has improved the demographics,' Clark says. 'I think he is doing the task they assigned to him--to bring his personality to it and attract a younger audience without alienating regular viewers. He seems to be able to do that.'
RAC Clark agrees. 'Gary is great with anyone we put across from him,' he says. 'We recently did (a) 'Tribute To The Working Man' theme show, and Gary interviewed one of our ushers . . . He was just a spitfire. He was great. He was a fun guy to talk to. Gary can talk to anybody and make it fun, and that's why he's got the gig.'
The different location is just the latest change made in 'Prime Time Country' since Chapman took the host's seat in October 1996. The show was trimmed from 90 minutes five nights a week to 60 minutes four nights a week. Dick Clark says shortening the show to an hour has been a tremendous improvement. 'It should have been done that way from the get-go, but none of us were smart enough to realize it,' he says. 'Johnny Carson realized it years ago when he cut 'The Tonight Show' to an hour. The last half hour was a stretch.'
A recent trip that Chapman enjoyed was taking the show to Las Vegas in December during the National Finals Rodeo. He says they plan to do the show from Vegas twice in 1998. 'We'll go back in April and then back again for the National Finals in December,'ÊChapman says. He adds that there's a possibility the show may go to the Calgary Stampede in Canada. He also says he'd like to do a week at a state fair, and he'd like to spend a week in a 'great country market/college town like Austin (Texas) or Phoenix.'
Apart from 'Prime Time Country,' Chapman says he's been writing songs for upcoming projects. He remains signed to Reunion Records and performs concerts, although his dates are limited due to his television schedule. (He's booked by William Morris and managed by Blanton/Harrell Entertainment.) He has no plans for a new Christian album this year. However, he says, he'll record a country project for a major country label; at press time he declined to say which one. Chapman also continues to host 'Sam's Place' at the Ryman Auditorium. 'Sam's Place' is a series of concerts each spring and fall that feature both Christian and country artists.

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