Academy of Country Music, dick clark productions & GAC Television Partner to Give Fans the Power to Name Top New Artist Categories for the First Time Ever

Academy of Country Music, dick clark productions & GAC Television Partner to Give Fans the Power to Name Top New Artist Categories for the First Time Ever

Unprecedented Television Exposure for New Artists Planned

ENCINO, Calif., Feb. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- The Academy of Country Music, dick clark productions and Great American Country (GAC) announced today that for the first time ever, the three newcomer categories for the ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS - Top New Female Vocalist, Top New Male Vocalist and Top New Vocal Duo or Group - will be opened up to interactive fan voting through GACTV.com.

The 44th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards will be broadcast LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Sunday, April 5, 2009 at 8:00 PM live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network.

Fan voting for these three categories will begin at GACTV.com on Friday, February 13, and will close on Thursday, March 5. The winner in each of the three categories will be announced March 9, and will move on to compete in a brand new Academy of Country Music Awards category, Top New Artist. Voting for the Top New Artist category will begin on March 16, and will close on April 5, with the winner being announced live during the 44th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards.

As part of this new partnership, GAC will air several stand-alone specials, including a show featuring all the nominees from each of the three categories, as well as a special on the winner.

"GAC is honored to be part of this fan-focused selection process particularly because so many of these top new artists get their first exposure to TV on GAC," said Sarah Trahern, senior vice president of programming for GAC. "Country Music fans everywhere will get the rare opportunity to show their support for the many talented new artists in our country format."

"The Academy has been at the forefront of supporting new artists and introducing them to new audiences. This alliance felt like a natural fit and extension of that support," said Bob Romeo, executive director of the Academy of Country Music.

Orly Adelson, president of dcp said, "dick clark productions has always celebrated the instrumental role music fans play in the popularity of new and emerging artists. The ability for country artists to vote directly online will provide them with an even greater opportunity to make their voices heard."

The first GAC special, hosted by reigning Top New Male Vocalist Jack Ingram, will feature the nine nominees, three from each newcomer category, and will premiere on Friday, February 20. This special will re-air through March 5, when voting closes.

On March 10, GAC will tape a special hosted by Sara Evans, wherein the winner in each category will be named and presented with the award for Top New Female Vocalist, Top New Male Vocalist, and Top New Vocal Duo or Group. Each winning act will perform on this special, which will air March 19 with multiple re-airs scheduled.

The winner of the new Top New Artist category will be awarded on the 44th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards broadcast LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Sunday, April 5, 2009 at 8:00 PM live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network.

Nominees for the Academy of Country Music Awards will be announced on Wednesday, February 11, in Nashville.

About the Academy of Country Music Awards

The 44th Academy of Country Music Awards is dedicated to honoring and showcasing the biggest names and emerging talent in the country music industry. The show is produced for television by dick clark productions and will be broadcast LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Sunday, April 5, 2009 at 8:00 PM live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network. Orly Adelson and R.A. Clark are executive producers, Barry Adelman is producer and Bob Bardo is executive in charge of production.

About Great American Country (GAC)

Great American Country is the leader in country music entertainment. GAC delivers to viewers the widest variety of country music, its artists and the lifestyles they influence. GAC broadcasts original country music programming, country music performance specials, live concerts, music videos, and is the exclusive television home of the Grand Ole Opry. GAC is available in more than 55 million households and online at http://www.gactv.com/. GAC is owned by Scripps Networks, the leading developer of lifestyle-oriented content for television and the Internet, including HGTV, Food Network, DIY Network and Fine Living Network. Scripps Networks is based in Knoxville, Tenn., with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta and Nashville, and is a unit of Scripps Networks Interactive (NYSE:SNI).

Media Contacts:

Julie Smith/Enjoli Duval
BNC PR
310.854.4800
jsmith@bncpr.com/eduval@bncpr.com

Lee Hall
Great American Country (GAC)
865.560.3853
LHall@scrippsnetworks.com

Source: dick clark productions; Academy of Country Music

CONTACT: Julie Smith, jsmith@bncpr.com, or Enjoli Duval,
eduval@bncpr.com, both of BNC PR, +1-310-854-4800; or Lee Hall of Great
American Country (GAC), +1-865-560-3853, LHall@scrippsnetworks.com

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