New On Air Programming Feature to Support CMT’s Next Women of Country Initiative

LOS ANGELES AND NASHVILLE – January 6, 2020 – CMT and iHeartMedia today announced their renewed partnership and multi-year extension that keeps intact one of the world’s largest country music platforms spanning radio, television, digital and social. In addition to the content partnership renewal, iHeartMedia and Premiere Networks will support CMT’s Next Women of Country artists with a new syndicated programming element airing weekly.

Under the renewed agreement, Premiere Networks and CMT will continue their exclusive distribution and production partnership for two syndicated radio programs, “CMT After MidNite with Cody Alan”and “CMT Radio Live with Cody Alan,” broadcasting weeknights from midnight to 6 a.m., and 7 p.m. to midnight., respectively. The popular programs are distributed across nearly 230 stations nationally, in addition to dedicated digital stations on iHeartRadio.

Additionally, award-winning country radio host, producer and CMT personality Cody Alan has signed on to continue as host of both programs. The deal also extends Alan’s hosting duties for CMT’s weekly flagship series, “CMT Hot 20 Countdown.” Ashlee McDonald, Executive Producer of CMT Radio Content and Programming Partnerships, has also extended her agreement.

“We’ve had an incredible long-standing alliance with iHeartMedia and Premiere Networks, and we are thrilled to continue our partnership, further strengthening our combined position as the top country music platform across all mediums,” sharesMcDonald. “Cody Alan is a first-class talent and one of the most recognizable names in radio, and we’re excited to have him continue to bring together a nationwide audience directly from the heart of Nashville.”

“Extending and expanding our partnership with CMT and Cody Alan was a no-brainer,” said Julie Talbott, President of Premiere Networks. “The combination of our broadcast, digital, social and event platforms provides country fans with unparalleled access to their favorite music and artists, while delivering incredible reach and results for our partners. We look forward to sharing many more years of success.”

The deal extension includes a new on air feature devoted to CMT’s Next Women of Country initiative, and will spotlight music from a different female artist each month. CMT’s Next Women of Country: Artist of the Month debuted on January 1, 2020 with CMT Breakout Artist of the Year, Ashley McBryde. The feature includes new music, and a dedicated interview with Alan that will play each Wednesday throughout the month on “CMT After MidNite” and “CMT Radio Live,” plus weekly social media promotion. To watch Ashley McBryde’s interview with Cody Alan, listen HERE.

“The expansion of our radio partnership to include the Next Women of Country programming feature illustrates our joint commitment to breaking new female artists,” said McDonald. “Broadcast radio gives an artist the opportunity to impact the country with new music and projects, and we take great pride in giving these up-and-coming artists’ songs the chance to be heard.”

About CMT:
CMT is the leading authority on country music and lifestyle, offering a mix of original series, music events and specials. CMT is everywhere its fans are including two cable channels (CMT and the 24-hour music channel, CMT Music), radio (CMT Radio), digital (CMT.com) and social (CMT on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube). CMT is a unit of ViacomCBS Inc. (Nasdaq: VIACA, VIAC) (“ViacomCBS”). For more information, please visit cmtpress.com.

About “CMT’s Next Women of Country”:
A staunch advocate for country music’s female artists, CMT launched its “Next Women of Country” campaign in 2013 in an effort to support and expose developing female talent, both signed and unsigned, in a male-dominated format. The campaign showcases emerging female artists across all CMT screens throughout the year and in the six years since launch, the initiative now includes big headlining tours, a CMT.com digital series, and more. Country icon Tanya Tucker will headline the “CMT Next Women of Country: Bring My Flowers Now Tour” kicking off February 2020 with NWOC members Aubrie Sellers, Brandy Clark, Erin Enderlin, Hailey Whitters, Madison Kozak and Walker County. For announcements and more information on how CMT is furthering its commitment to female artists with the Next Women of Country franchise in 2020, please visit NextWomen.CMT.com and use #CMTNextWomen to join the conversation.

About Premiere Networks:

Premiere Networks, a subsidiary of iHeartMedia, syndicates more than 100 radio programs and services to more than 7,100 radio affiliations and reaches a quarter billion listeners monthly. Premiere offers the best in talk, entertainment and sports programming featuring the following personalities: Rush Limbaugh, Ryan Seacrest, Glenn Beck, Delilah, Steve Harvey, George Noory, John Boy and Billy, Sean Hannity, Elvis Duran, Dan Patrick, Kane, Mario Lopez, Bobby Bones, Cody Alan, Colin Cowherd, Johnjay and Rich, Rich Eisen, Big Boy, Brooke & Jubal, Buck Sexton, Doug Gottlieb, Enrique Santos, Nancy Grace, Jason Lee and others. For more information, please visit www.PremiereNetworks.com.

About iHeartMedia:
iHeartMedia is the number one audio company in the United States, reaching nine out of 10 Americans every month – and with its quarter of a billion monthly listeners, has a greater reach than any other media company in the U.S. The company’s leadership position in audio extends across multiple platforms including more than 850 live broadcast stations; streaming music, radio and on demand via its iHeartRadio digital service available across more than 250 platforms and 2,000 devices including smart speakers, digital auto dashes, tablets, wearables, smartphones, virtual assistants, TVs and gaming consoles; through its influencers; social; branded iconic live music events; and podcasts as the #1 commercial podcast publisher globally. iHeartMedia also leads the audio industry in analytics and attribution technology for its marketing partners, using data from its massive consumer base. iHeartMedia is a division of iHeartMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: IHRT). Visit iHeartMedia.com for more company information.

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