NASHVILLE, TN. (Country
Music Association) - One of Country Music's hottest stars, Dierks Bentley, will announce the finalists for the 2004 CMA Broadcast Awards, Monday, Aug. 30, at the Country
Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville. The audio announcement of the finalists, which is one of the most anticipated events of the year for Country radio, will be available live via StarGuide from CMA's official radio partner MJI Programming, a division of Premiere
Radio Networks.
The finalists for the 2004 CMA Broadcast Personality and Radio Station of the Year honors will follow the announcement of the finalists for "The 38th Annual CMA Awards," which will be carried live by CBS Television Network on "The Early Show" with CBS News anchor Hannah Storm and Country Music icon Kris Kristofferson and "CMT Insider: CMA Special Edition" with CMT personality Katie Cook and special guests Big & Rich and Gretchen Wilson at 7:30 AM/CDT (8:30 AM/EDT).
CMT will re-air the 30-minute special, which includes "The Early Show" announcements, at 8:00 AM/CDT (9:00 AM/EDT) and later that evening at 5:30 PM/CDT (6:30 PM/EDT) and 10:00 PM/CDT (11:00 PM/EDT).
The CMA Awards Press Conference and the announcement of the Broadcast Award finalists will begin at 8:15 AM/CDT at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum's Ford Theater. The CMA Awards Press Conference is by invitation only.
"So much of what we do as an industry depends on the support, creativity and strength of Country radio," said Ed Benson, CMA Executive Director. "These stations represent the best in the business. Radio is the premiere vehicle for creating awareness and developing a fan base for a new artist and it is exciting to have one of the top new artists in our genre be part of the celebration for the radio stations and personalities."
"Country radio has been very good to me in my career so far, so I amthrilled to announce the nominees for this year's CMA Broadcast Awards," said Bentley.
The Capitol Records Nashville artist has made a name for himself since releasing his self-titled debut in 2003. The album has since been certified Gold by the RIAA and the first single, "What Was I Thinkin'," became the first debut cut in 2003 to reach No. 1 on the Country charts in three years. Bentley performed part of the song on the 2003 CMA Awards and in total during "CMA Music Festival: Country Music's Biggest Party" on the CBS Television Network in July.
On tour, Bentley has opened dates for Kenny Chesney and George Strait and is setting his own attendance records at summer fairs across the country. And, he was tapped for People magazine's annual, "50 Hottest Bachelors" issue in June.
The CMA Broadcast Award winners will be recognized during "The 38th Annual CMA Awards," which will be broadcast live Tuesday, Nov. 9 (8:00-11:00 PM/EST) on the CBS Television Network from the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville.
For the first time since its inception in 1973, submissions for the 2004 CMA Broadcast Awards for Broadcast Personality, Radio Station and National Broadcast Personality of the Year were accepted online.
In previous years, entries were submitted in multiple, cumbersome binders. This year only one submission came in binders, while all the others used the new online entry process.
"That tells me that the program was a big success," said Eric Logan, Chairman of the CMA Radio Committee. "Moving the entries online leveled the playing field for all the stations and made it easier for the judges to view and evaluate them online."
The finalists for Broadcast Personality and Radio Station of the Year are selected in four categories (Small, Medium, Large and Major markets). The categories are established by market size based on population as ranked by Arbitron. There is a separate category for National Broadcast Personality of the Year. CMA members, who are full-time, Country on-air personalities and CMA member radio stations in the U.S. and Canada, were eligible.
Personalities who were not CMA members, but were employed by a CMA member station were also eligible.
A panel of distinguished broadcast professionals, representing all market sizes and regions, judge the entries. Winners are determined by the aggregate score of the first and second round of judging. The international accounting firm of Deloitte & Touche LLP tabulates judges' scores.
MJI Programming will provide radio with a live audio feed of both the nominations announcements and the press conference. Specific information on how interested radio stations can receive the audio from MJI will be released soon.
