Country Music Television
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Type | Cable network (Country Music) |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Availability | National |
| Owner | MTV Networks (Viacom) |
| Key people | Tom Freston - President, MTV Networks |
| Launch date | March 5, 1983 |
| Past names | None |
| Website | http://www.cmt.com |
Country Music Television, or CMT as it usually called, is an American country music oriented cable television channel. Programming includes music videos, taped concerts, movies, and biographies of country stars of past and present. CMT is owned and operated by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom.
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 www.cmtcountry.com [1] for more details.) 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 competitor MTV since the "CMTV" branding would confuse viewers that CMTV was a spinoff of MTV.) CMT(V) beat The Nashville Network (TNN) on the air by 2 days and became the chief competion 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 1995, the 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, formed the CBS Cable division. Viacom eventually merged with Westinghouse/CBS, assuming ownership of CMT and TNN and folding them into the MTV Networks stable.
In 2000, Viacom changed the focus/format of TNN, eventually renaming it Spike TV. Since then, CMT has become a network designed after MTV, with current programming featuring 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, such as "Freebird: The Movie" and Dukes of Hazzard. Much like sister channel VH-1, CMT has become more of a pop-culture channel in the last few years, with a growing emphasis on specials, countdowns and reality programs in lieu of music videos. Some complain that it is shifting too far away from country music. For instance, in 2005, CMT acquired the rights to air the Miss America pageant beginning with the 2006 event. For 2007, the network has announced plans to air an accompanying reality show in the weeks prior to the pageant. There is also a video game, titled CMT Presents: Karaoke Revolution Country, that was released in early/mid 2006 on PS2 as a karaoke and dancing game.
Its main competitor now is the Great American Country network, or "GAC", owned by The E.W. Scripps Company. Meanwhile, Viacom launched a Country Music Video channel to appease fans of the music videos, since CMT is playing less of them, called CMT Pure Country (which was known as VH1 Country, until Memorial Day weekend 2006).
[edit] Current Shows
- CMT Cross Country
- Dukes of Hazzard (syndicated)
- CMT Insider
- CMT Insider Special Edition
- CMT Outlaws
- CMT Total Access
- American Revolutions
- Top Twenty Countdown
- Top Ten Countdown
- In The Moment
- Power Picks
- CMT Pure Country Preview
- Trick My Truck
- Country Fried Home Videos
- Wide Open Country
- Stacked
- The Ultimate Coyote Ugly Search
- Small Town Secrets
- Most Shocking
- Greatest NASCAR
- Crossroads
- Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team
- The Greatest
- Greatest Moments
- Foxworthy's Big Night Out
- Inside Fame
- CMT Music
CMT also shows country/rural lifestyle movies such as "A Wedding on Waltons Mountain" and "Pure Country." Specials on the network include profiles of country artists, and uncut presentations of 60 Minutes specials. CMT is also the home of the Miss America pageant and the CMT Music Awards.
