Frances Williams Preston

she attended George Peabody College for Teachers. Her plans to teach changed after she took a summer job as a receptionist for radio station WSM in Nashville. Preston, whose early duties included answering fan mail sent to singer-songwriter Hank Williams, began hosting a daily fashion and style program on WSM-TV during her lunch break. She eventually moved into the promotions department. By the time Frances Williams Preston retired as president and chief executive of BMI (Broadcast Music Inc.) in 2004, she had been long known as one of the most successful and influential executives in the music industry and a key figure in Nashville's growth as a major music center. Preston's 1962 marriage to Nashville businessman E.J. Preston ended in divorce. She is survived by her three sons, William Kirk Preston, David J. Preston and Donald L. Preston; six grandchildren; and a great-granddaughter.