The City Paper - Smart, Fast, Free

Anyone with even a remote interest in broadcasting or country music knows the exploits and accomplishments of Ralph Emery, a legendary figure as a radio disc jockey and longtime television host. Emery, who was named country radio’s Greatest Personality of the Century by Radio and Records magazine in 2000, returns to the airwaves tonight at 6 p.m.

as the host of a new weekly 60-minute program Ralph Emery “Live” on RFD-TV, which can be seen locally on both DirecTV and Dish Network satellite systems. The network is also available on various cable systems, among them Charter and Mediacom. Emery’s first guest for his new show will be the great Eddy Arnold.

The show combine interview segments with phone calls and audience questions. It originates from Nashville’s Northstar Studios, and repeats Tuesdays at 3 a.m.

and 10 a.m.; and Saturday at 10 p.

m. Some 26 shows will be produced for the 2007 season, and another 26 are planned for 2008. Other scheduled guests this year include Ray Stevens, T.

G. Sheppard, Lorrie Morgan, Willie Nelson, Bobby Bare, Bill Anderson, Barbara Mandrell and Tom T. Hall.

Ralph Emery “Live” is a new addition to the station’s lineup that features several classic country shows produced locally, among them The Porter Wagoner Show and Wilburn Brothers Show, plus various entries from the Jim Owens video library that are presented under the umbrella of Jim Owens Present: Classic Country Hour. WZTV-17 temporarily took over the local television landscape for the week of April 16-22. The number one show was American Idol – Wednesday with an 18.

7 rating, followed by House and American Idol – Tuesday with a 16. 6 and 16.1 respectively.

WTVF-5’s CSI: Miami finished in fourth with a 15.7, while WTVF-5’s Survivor and WKRN-2’s Grey’s Anatomy tied for fifth place with a 15. 1 (each point equaling 9441 homes).