NASHVILLE, TN. (CMA press release) - We don't know who will be in the White House after the November Presidential election, but we'll soon find out who'll be in the Grand Ole Opry House for "The 38th Annual CMA Awards," which will air live Tuesday, Nov. 9 (8:00-11:00 PM/EST) on the CBS Television Network.
CMA will announce the hosts of the 2004 CMA Awards Monday, Aug. 30, during the CMA Awards Press Conference at The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum in Nashville. After hosting the CMA Awards for a record 12 consecutive years, Vince Gill stepped down from his podium duties in January leaving the door open for future hosting duties, but taking a welcomed break.
"We knew going in that it would be nearly impossible to find a 'replacement' for Vince," said CMA Executive Director Ed Benson. "His unique style, quick wit, flexibility and sensitivity to the artists has developed and grown over the past 12 years. Someone new walking into that position would have some big shoes to fill. So, we spent a lot of time discussing options for taking this vital role in a new direction in 2004 that would be comfortable for the artists and exciting and entertaining for the viewers."
Further details of the new hosting plan will be revealed during the CMA Awards Press Conference following the announcement of the 2004 Broadcast Personality and Radio Station of the Year Awards with special guest Dierks Bentley 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 and follows the announcement of the finalists for the 2004 CMA Awards on CBS and CMT.
The final nominees of select categories will be announced live on national television during "The Early Show" with anchor Hannah Storm and Country Music icon Kris Kristofferson from the CBS studios in New York at 8:30 AM/EDT (7:30 AM/CDT).
CMT will pre-empt its regular programming to carry "CMT Insider: CMA Special Edition" at 8:30 AM/EDT (7:30 AM/CDT) with host Katie Cook and special guests Big & Rich and Gretchen Wilson. The special, live edition of "CMT Insider" will reveal the final nominees in all 12 CMA Award categories including "The Early Show" announcements. CMT will re-air the 30-minute special at 9:00 AM/EDT (8:00 AM/CDT) and again at 6:30 PM/EDT (5:30 PM/CDT) and 11:00 PM/EDT (10:00 PM/CDT).
In 2003, the Awards, which were held during November sweeps, were a success on many levels - the widespread critical acclaim for the depth and diversity of the performers, popularity with viewers and consumer response at retail.
"Moving from our traditional slot on Wednesday night to Tuesday offers some additional benefits for the Awards this year," Benson added. "Tuesday is a bigger night in terms of households watching television, and airing the same day that new product hits record stores and having an additional day in the sales week should have a positive impact on record sales."
More than 40 million viewers watched all or part of the 2003 sweeps broadcast (12.8/20), making it the No. 3 show of the week - the highest CMA Awards ranking since 1992. "The 37th Annual CMA Awards" delivered its best ratings since 1997 in households, 1996 in viewers, 1998 in adults 25-54, and 2000 in adults 18-49.
While the broadcast experienced spikes in many key demographics, including adults 25-54 and adults 18-49, perhaps the greatest barometer of the show's success came in the form of album sales. All artists who performed on the Awards saw sales increases (as did many artist presenters, nominees and Award-recipients). According to Nielsen SoundScan, the increase in CD sales ranged from nearly 10 to 170 percent, proving the far-reaching impact of the CMA Awards.
The industry professional members of the Country Music Association vote to determine CMA Awards nominees and winners. The CMA Awards are produced by Walter C. Miller, directed by Paul Miller and scripted by David Wild. MJI Programming, a division of Premiere Radio Networks, is the official radio packager of the CMA Awards, which includes Red Carpet coverage and a stereo-radio simulcast of the gala event.
