ABC's 'Good Morning America' and CMT to Air CMA Awards Nominations Live From New York City and Nashville Thursday, Aug. 30

ABC's 'Good Morning America' and CMT to Air CMA Awards Nominations Live From New York City and Nashville Thursday, Aug. 30

Sara Evans to Announce CMA Awards Finalists Live on 'Good Morning America' From The GMA Studio in the Heart of New York City's Times Square

CMT Personalities Katie Cook and Lance Smith with Honky Tonk Heroes Montgomery Gentry and Rising Country Star Taylor Swift Complete The Announcements on a Special Edition of 'CMT Insider' in Nashville

CMA Broadcast Awards Finalists Announced by Montgomery Gentry and Swift Nominee Announcements Carried to Country Radio by Premiere Radio Networks

'The 41st Annual CMA Awards' Airs Live Nov. 7 on the ABC Television Network

NASHVILLE, Aug. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- The announcement of the final nominees for the 2007 CMA Awards will be carried live Thursday, Aug. 30, on network and cable television from the "Good Morning America" studios in the heart of New York City's Times Square on the ABC Television Network, and from the Sommet Center in Nashville on a special edition of CMT's "CMT Insider."

"The 41st Annual CMA Awards" will be broadcast live from the Sommet Center in Nashville Wednesday, Nov. 7 (8:00-11:00 PM ET/delayed PT) on ABC.

"Having 'Good Morning America' and 'CMT Insider' broadcast our CMA Awards final nominees live brings a heightened level of excitement to these highly- anticipated announcements," said CMA Chief Operating Officer Tammy Genovese. "These special broadcasts will allow fans across the nation to experience the same excitement our artists and industry feel as the names are announced for the first time by our hosts. It also demonstrates the enthusiasm of our network partner ABC, and the continued and valued support of "Good Morning America" and CMT."

"CMT is honored to once again partner with ABC and the CMA to announce this year's Awards nominees," said Brian Philips, Executive Vice President and General Manager, CMT. "Going live with this announcement signifies the importance of the CMA Award nominations in the music industry, and we're proud to deliver the news via our signature show, 'CMT Insider'."

The final nominees in select categories will be announced live on national television during "Good Morning America" with Sara Evans from the "Good Morning America" studios located in the heart of New York City's Times Square Thursday, Aug. 30 during the 8:30 AM/ET half-hour of the morning news program.

"I am thrilled to be involved in the upcoming CMA Award announcements," said Evans, "The CMA Awards hold a special place in my heart. The first award I ever received was the CMA Award for the 'Born to Fly' video and it is one of the most memorable times of my career."

Multi-Platinum Evans prepares to release her first Greatest Hits package on Oct. 9. The album is a culmination of her hits spanning her 10-year career, which has spawned three Top 5 singles and four No. 1 songs including "No Place That Far," "Born to Fly," "Suds in the Bucket," "A Real Fine Place to Start," and "I Could Not Ask For More" among others. Evans became a national household name and won the hearts of viewers across the country when she competed in the 2006 fall season of "Dancing with the Stars" on ABC. Currently, Evans is performing at stadium shows on Kenny Chesney's "Flip Flop Summer" tour. Her newest single, "As If," which she co-wrote with Hillary Lindsey and John Shanks, is climbing the Country singles charts.

Broadcasting live from Nashville, CMT's Katie Cook and Lance Smith will present exclusive coverage of the remaining 2007 CMA Awards nominee announcements in a special half-hour edition of "CMT Insider," premiering Thursday, Aug. 30 (10:00 AM/ET; 9:00 AM/CT) on CMT. The special will re-air on CMT immediately following the live broadcast at 10:30 AM/ET; and again at 1:00 PM/ET; and on Friday, Aug. 31 at 8:00 AM/ET and 1:30 PM/ET; and Saturday, Sept. 1 at 10:30 AM/ET. Footage from the nomination special will also be available immediately following the telecast on CMT's broadband channel, CMT LOADED at CMT.com.

Following the announcements on "Good Morning America," CMT will go live with two of the hottest and most innovative acts in Country Music today, boundary-busting Montgomery Gentry and Taylor Swift, as they reveal the remaining CMA Awards nominees. Following the nominations, Cook and Smith will interview nominees and examine the categories and evaluate the finalists.

"This day is always an exciting one for the industry," said Eddie Montgomery. "Every artist and every record label wants to be nominated for one of these prestigious Awards."

"But, more than that, we all want to win one or two" continued partner Troy Gentry with a wry laugh. "We're so glad that CMA, CMT and Premiere asked us to be a part of the nomination celebration and we're looking forward to the big Awards night."

"I'm so thrilled that the CMA asked me to help announce the nominees for the CMA Awards," said Swift. "I'm such a HUGE superfan, so I just can't believe I get to see all the names first!"

Widely considered as one of the most successful duos in Country Music history, Montgomery Gentry burst onto the scene in 1999, quickly becoming a multi-Platinum selling act. Awards and acclaim soon followed including the 2000 CMA Award for Vocal Duo of the Year. Their success grew with chart- topping hits including 11 Top 5 singles, with three reaching No. 1. Their most recent single, "Lucky Man," from their current album Some People Change, remained at the top of the Country singles chart for two weeks. They are currently on tour performing to sold-out crowds across the country. Their latest single, "What Do Ya Think About That" is rising up the Country Music charts.

Less than 10 months after her self-titled debut CD was released, Swift became the best-selling artist in Country Music. With more than 20 million MySpace streams and 350,000 friends, she has established herself as the first bona fide County star of the MySpace generation. She's had two Top 5 singles, a Platinum CD, and 39 weeks after its release, Taylor Swift reached the top of Billboard's Country Albums sales chart. In the past year, Taylor has taken her live show to more than a million fans, thanks to opening tour slots for Rascal Flatts, George Strait, Brad Paisley, Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. As if that weren't enough, she's earned her place in the history books as the only female solo artist in Country Music history to write or co-write all of the songs on a Platinum-selling debut.

In addition to the nominee announcements, Montgomery Gentry and Swift will announce the finalists for the 2007 CMA Broadcast Personality and Radio Station of the Year in four categories (small, medium, large and major markets) as well as the finalists for the CMA National Broadcast Personality of the Year.

The audio announcement of the CMA Awards nominees and Broadcast Awards finalists will be available via StarGuide from CMA's official radio partner Premiere Radio Networks. Premiere has provided outstanding, radio coverage of the CMA Awards nominations for more than a decade.

As part of their comprehensive 2007 CMA Awards radio package, Premiere Radio Networks will offer coverage of the nominee announcements, a preview special, Red Carpet features, a live feed of the Awards gala and a backstage wrap up show. Any Country radio station interested in receiving the radio package, including the nominations feed, may contact Premiere Affiliate Relations at (818) 377-5300.

The announcements will be made at the Sommet Center with Genovese and other guests starting at 9:00 AM/CT. The venue will open at 8:00 AM/CT for invited media and members of the music industry to watch the televised announcements on "Good Morning America."

"The CMA Awards are 'Country Music's Biggest Night' and this is certainly going to be Country Music's biggest morning," Genovese said. "I can't imagine a more exciting way to kick off the CMA Awards season and the excitement leading up to 'The 41st Annual CMA Awards'."

The 2006 CMA Awards, held in Nashville during November Sweeps (Nov. 6), ranked behind only the Academy Awards, the Golden Globes and GRAMMY Awards during the 2006-2007 season for awards shows among total viewers. With "The 40th Annual CMA Awards," ABC won Monday evening in both total viewers (16.0 million) and adults 18-49 (5.4/13). According to Nielsen, research estimates that more than 30 million viewers watched all of part of the ceremony.

The CMA Awards nominees and winners are determined by the 6,000 industry professional members of CMA, which was the first trade organization formed to promote an individual genre of music in 1958. The first "CMA Awards Banquet and Show" was held in 1967. The following year, the CMA Awards were broadcast on NBC television for the first time -- making it the longest running, annual music awards program on network television. The show aired on NBC through 1971 and on the CBS Television Network from 1972 through 2005.

"The 41st Annual CMA Awards" is a production of the Country Music Association. Walter C. Miller is the Executive Produce; Robert Deaton is the Producer. Paul Miller is the Director. The special will be shot in high definition and broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC's selected HDTV format, with 5.1 channel surround sound.

ABC News' "Good Morning America" is anchored by Diane Sawyer and Robin Roberts. Chris Cuomo is the news anchor and Sam Champion is the weather anchor. The morning news program airs live from 7:00-9:00 AM/EDT, Monday through Friday, on the ABC Television Network. Jim Murphy is the senior executive producer and Tom Cibrowski is the executive producer of ABC News' "Good Morning America."

CMT's weekly entertainment series CMT INSIDER, hosted by Katie Cook, gives viewers their fix of Country Music news plus broader topics from the entertainment world, including the latest in movies, music, fashion and sports. CMT INSIDER premieres every Saturday at 2:00 PM ET/PT on CMT. Lewis Bogach serves as Executive Producer.

Premiere Radio Networks is the official radio packager of the CMA Awards, including a stereo-radio simulcast of the gala event. American Airlines is the official airline of the 2007 CMA Awards. Chevy: The Official Ride of Country Music. Mary Kay(R) is the Official Beauty Sponsor. Additional promotional partners include Crisco(R), Gibson Guitar(R), and Greased Lightning(R) Cleaning Products.

Source: Country Music Association

CONTACT: Media, Wendy Pearl, +1-615-244-2840, Scott Stem,
+1-615-244-2840, or Lisa Chader, +1-615-335-8405, all of CMT; or Denise
Carberry of PFA-NY, +1-212-334-6116; or Mozell Miley of ABC-NY,
+1-212-456-6444; or Bridgette Maney of GMA, +1-212-456-5902

Web site: http://www.cmaworld.com/
http://www.cmt.com/

NOTE TO EDITORS: For information, visit www.CMApress.com for CMA Awards history, photos, press releases and logos. On-line media credentialing for the CMA Awards begins Aug. 30. This is a protected site for the media only with restrictions on use.

---

Profile: International Entertainment