Country Music Television, or CMT as it is usually called, is an American
country music-oriented cable television network.
Programming includes music videos, taped concerts,
movies, biographies of country music stars, and reality programs. CMT is owned and operated by MTV Networks, a
subsidiary of Viacom.
History
CMT used this logo from 1990 to 2003.
CMT was started on March 5, 1983 at 6:19 PM CST, founded by Glenn D. Daniels and launched from the Video World Productions
facility in Hendersonville, Tennessee (see the founder's website at http://www.cmtcountry.com for more details.) Daniels put together the investor group of Telestar Corporation
and the penny stock company Blinder and Robinson in a 3-way ownership split.
Glenn D. Daniels was the creator, founder and first president of the network, originally called "CMTV" but always "Country
Music Television." (The "V" was dropped in response to a complaint by competitor MTV). CMT(V) beat The Nashville Network (TNN) on the air by 2 days and became the chief competition to TNN until
Gaylord Entertainment Company (then-owner of TNN) bought the
financially-strapped network in 1991. CMT was positioned to play 24-hour country music videos, while TNN was geared toward
programming lending itself to a "country lifestyle".
In 1997, both networks were sold to Westinghouse, the owner of the
CBS network. The acquisition of the two country-themed networks, along with the formation of the
ill-fated "Eye On People" network, and two regional sports networks (the Baltimore-area
Home Team Sports, now Comcast Sportsnet Mid-Atlantic, and Midwest Sports Channel in
the Twin Cities, now FSN North) formed the CBS
Cable division, based in Nashville at the Grand Ole Opry and a Charlotte office at Lowe's
Motor Speedway.
In 1999, Viacom acquired CBS, assuming ownership of CMT and TNN and folding them into the MTV Networks stable. The resulting
moves in 2000 led to the closing of the CBS Charlotte office, while Viacom changed the format of TNN, eventually renaming it
Spike TV. Viacom also changed the format of CMT, modeling it after MTV to include
shows and movies in addition to music videos.
CMT has experienced significant ratings gains since its acquisition by MTV Networks in 1999. As
of 2007, the channel is available in more than 83 million homes.[1]
Current programming
- See also: List of programs broadcast
by CMT
CMT's current programming features country music-oriented shows (i.e. country music videos, taped concerts, etc.), country
lifestyle-oriented shows, and old shows and movies that prominently feature country or Southern-rock music. Much like sister
channel VH-1, CMT has become a sought-after pop-culture channel in the last few years, with added
emphasis on specials, countdowns, and reality programs as well as music videos.
In 2005, MTV Networks acquired the rights to air the Miss
America pageant beginning with the 2006 event. In 2007, the network is aired CMT Total
Access Miss America, an accompanying reality show in the weeks prior to the pageant. CMT also hosts the CMT Music Awards.
Popular shows on CMT include Crossroads (a country artist is paired with
an artist of a different genre, usually classic rock), Cross Country (two
country music artists are paired), CMT Giants (a country legend is honored by current artists),
Power Picks (online voting for upcoming videos), and Trick My
Truck (big rig truck mechanics customizing trucks).
CMT also shows country/rural lifestyle movies such as A Wedding on Waltons Mountain and Broken Bridges. Specials on the network include profiles of country artists and award shows such as
the CMA Awards and CMT Music Awards. CMT also offers the only country
music oriented video game, titled , released in early/mid
2006 on PS2 as a karaoke and dancing game.
As of 2007, CMT has also begun adding repeats of several shows that have very little to do with country music, but have been
airing on its sister channels, such as MTV's Two-a-Days and VH1's Hogan Knows Best.
See also
References
- ^ Underwood, Ryan. "If it
has a screen, CMT is on it", The Tennessean, April 15, 2007.
External links
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