George Strait and Reba McEntire in Dead Heat for President

George Strait and Reba McEntire in Dead Heat for President

CMT Poll Names Country Artists Most Qualified for Oval Office

Opinion Divided Among McCain and Obama Supporters, and Women

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Oct. 30 /PRNewswire/ A little country royalty in the Oval Office might not be such a bad idea according to a recent CMT poll. Americans revealed they think George Strait and Reba McEntire are the most favored Presidential picks among top country artists. In a race close enough to demand a recount, "King" George was voted as best-suited to become commander-in-chief with 23% of the overall vote, while the fiery redhead came in a close second with 22% of the overall vote.

Although the race was tight across the board, Strait beat out McEntire among red states* (30% vs. 19%), McCain supporters (26% vs. 20%) and Gen Xers (23% vs. 17%). McEntire narrowly beat out Strait among women (23% vs. 22%, respectively). Her margin of victory was better among Generation Y adults 18-29 (23% vs. 17%), Obama supporters (24% vs. 19%) and blue states* (23% vs. 20%).

"George and Reba are always huge fan favorites on CMT, so it makes sense they would go head-to-head for the Oval Office," said Jay Frank, SVP of music strategy, CMT. "I think George's 50-plus #1 hits may have given him an edge in what is clearly the most important decision the country music fan had to make this season."

Rounding out the top overall picks for President are:
-- George Strait (23%)
-- Reba McEntire (22%)
-- Trace Adkins and Alan Jackson (tied for third with 14%)
-- Brad Paisley and Kenny Chesney (tied for fourth with 6%)
-- Carrie Underwood (5%)
-- Keith Urban (4%)
-- Alison Krauss, Gary LeVox of Rascal Flatts, Martina McBride and
Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland (tied for seventh with 2%)

CMT commissioned the poll using a random, national representative study of 1,096 adults 18 and older. Artists included in the political poll were among those nominated for CMA Awards this year.

Visit CMT's press-only Web site www.cmtpress.com for more information and downloadable photos on all of CMT's programming.

CMT, a unit of Viacom's MTV Networks (NYSE:VIA)(NYSE:and)(NYSE:VIA.B), is the leading television and digital authority on country music and entertainment, reaching more than 87 million homes in the U.S. CMT and its website, CMT.com, offer an unparalleled mix of music, news, live concerts and series and is the top resource for country music on demand. The network's digital platforms include the 24-hour music channel, CMT Pure Country, CMT Mobile and CMT VOD.

MTV Networks, a division of Viacom (NYSE:VIA)(NYSE:VIA.B), is one of the world's leading creators of entertainment content, with brands that engage and connect diverse audiences across television, online, mobile, games, virtual worlds and consumer products. The company's portfolio spans more than 150 television channels and 350 digital media properties worldwide, and includes MTV, VH1, CMT, Logo, Harmonix, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, Noggin, The N, AddictingGames, Neopets, COMEDY CENTRAL, Spike TV, TV Land, Atom, GameTrailers and Xfire.

*Red States and Blue States were defined according to whether the state-by-state presidency polls indicate a state's leaning Republican or Democrat, respectively.

Source: CMT

CONTACT: Amanda Murphy, CMT, +1-615-335-8408, amanda.murphy@cmt.com

Web site: http://www.cmt.com/
http://www.cmtpress.com/

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