THE 44TH ANNUAL CMA AWARDS Air Live On ABC 11/10

The Country Music Association and ABC Television Network have announced that "The 44th Annual CMA Awards" will air WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10 (8:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on ABC live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.

"The CMA Awards is 'Country Music's Biggest Night' and is one of the most highly anticipated events for our industry each year," said Steve Moore, Chairman of the CMA Board of Directors. "It's a night to recognize and honor our finest performers, songwriters, record producers, musicians and music video directors."

The 2009 CMA Awards came in No. 3 for its telecast week in the Adults 18-49 demo and No. 5 for the week in Total Viewers, according to Nielsen. Held during November Sweeps (Nov. 11), "The 43rd Annual CMA Awards" on ABC dominated the night, ranking No. 1 in all six half-hours of the night in both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49 (5.3/14). In fact it was a clean sweep on the night, as the net also took top honors of the evening across all key Adult, Men and Women demographics (18-24, 18-49, 25-54), as well as registering as the top-rated broadcaster with Teens (12-17) and Kids (2-11). The program beat second-place CBS by 5.7 million viewers, with 17.3 million people tuned in. The CMA Awards gave ABC its biggest Wednesday audience with non-sport programming in well over four years and its highest Adult 18-49 numbers in two years. An estimated 36 million viewers watched all or some portion of the live, three-hour broadcast.

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. Winners of "The 44th Annual CMA Awards" will be determined in a final round of voting by eligible voting members of the Country Music Association. CMA Awards balloting is officiated by the international accounting firm of Deloitte & Touche LLP.

"The CMA Awards recognizes the best of our format. Our artists and music resonate with people from all walks of life, and that's what makes this 'Country Music's Biggest Night,'" said Moore.

The eligibility period for the 2010 CMA Awards is July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010. All voting for "The 44th Annual CMA Awards" will be conducted online. The first ballot and instructions will be emailed June 29 to CMA members in good standing who are eligible to vote. Voting for the first ballot closes at 5:00 PM/CT, July 15.

The second ballot will be emailed to CMA members Aug. 10. Voting for the second ballot closes at 5:00 PM/CT, Aug. 23. The final nominees in each of the 12 categories will be announced in early September.

The third and final ballot will be emailed to CMA members Oct. 15. Voting for the CMA Awards final ballot ends at 5:00 PM/CT, Nov. 2.

"The 44th Annual CMA Awards" is a production of the Country Music Association. Robert Deaton is the executive 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.

The first "CMA Awards Banquet and Show" was held in 1967. The following year, the CMA Awards was broadcast on NBC Television for the first time - making it the longest running, annual music awards program on network television. The Awards aired on NBC through 1971, and on the CBS Television Network from 1972 through 2005.

Premiere Radio Networks is the official radio packager of the CMA Awards. American Airlines is the official airline of the 2010 CMA Awards. Chevy: the Official Ride of Country Music.

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