America‟s music took center stage on America‟s network when

“The 45th Annual CMA Awards” aired on the ABC Television

Network, Wednesday, Nov. 9. Brad Paisley and Carrie

Underwood returned for a fourth year to co-host the gala event

at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. The Awards featured live

performances from Country Music‟s top talent, noteworthy

collaborations, and highly coveted Awards presented in 12

categories.

The CMA Awards was once again ratings gold for ABC, winning

the night with 16.4 million total viewers, beating its nearest

competition by 5.6 million. The Awards ranked at No. 1 for all six

half-hours of the three-hour live broadcast in total viewers and

adults 18-49. For the week, the Awards came in at No. 4 in total

viewers and No. 5 in adults 18-49. All key demographics saw

increases in viewership for the broadcast, including double-digit

jumps for teens (24%) and men 18-34 (11%).

Recognizing the explosive power of Country, CMA‟s exclusive

broadcast partner for the past six years illustrated its strong

commitment to Country Music and CMA though the next decade.

ABC will be the broadcast home for the CMA Awards – along

with “CMA Music Festival: Country‟s Night to Rock” and “CMA

Country Christmas” – through 2021!

“The 45th ANNUAL CMA AWARDS” OVERVIEW

CMA AWARDS NOMINEE DINNER

This year, CMA hosted its first Nominee Dinner. Invited guests included CMA Award

Nominees, Broadcast Award Winners and CMA Board Members. The event provided

attendees the opportunity to celebrate their accomplishments with industry peers.

CMA AWARDS WEEK EVENTS

CMA Songwriters Series The CMA Songwriters Series – held at Nashville hotspot Limelight – featured the

talents of award-winning Nashville songwriters Deana Carter (a 2011 CMA Song of

the Year nominee), Kelley Lovelace, Eric Paslay and Rivers Rutherford. The capacity

crowd filled the extensive club floor, but the atmosphere was intimate with the

songwriters performing and relating the stories behind some of Country Music‟s

biggest hits.

CMA Marketing Summit CMA Marketing Summit hosted executives from corporate America‟s most sought-after

brands for a comprehensive, exclusive and one-of-a-kind Country Music experience!

CMA treated the brand VIPs to panel discussions, presentations and gave them up-

close-and-personal access to the stars, culminating with tickets to the Awards. The

executives learned more about America‟s music and how their brands can target the

loyal Country Music fan base!

Little Big Town meets

CMA Marketing Summit

Big & Rich meet

CMA Marketing Summit

With 90 shows since 2005 in major markets like New York City, Los Angeles,

Chicago and Boston, the CMA Songwriters Series showcases the best of Nashville's

mega-hit songwriters. Each night of the series features a group of Country

tunesmiths who take turns telling the stories behind their hit songs in an informal

setting and performing in the raw. Audiences hear hit songs made famous by

Country artists Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Rascal

Flatts, George Strait, Keith Urban and many more.

When asked for feedback on the event one attendee replied, “The Summit really

opened up my eyes to the marketing opportunities with the performers, labels and

Association. It was one of the most professional conferences I've been to, with an

itinerary run like clockwork and experiences varied to engage and hold the interest of

all.”

CMA AWARDS WEEK EVENTS

AMC/Hell on Wheels

AMC‟s “Hell on Wheels” Train to the CMA

Awards rolled into Nashville's Riverfront

station on a fully-branded train with Country

Music superstar Jason Aldean to promote the

series premiere of AMC‟s new series, “Hell on

Wheels.” They combined the power and reach

of one of Country Music's biggest stars with

the credibility of CMA to create a unique,

money-can't-buy experience for fans, a huge

platform for the launch of AMC's Hell On

Wheels, with a high-profile free concert in

Nashville.

Over 100 radio winners received a VIP trip to

Nashville including access to Nashville‟s

premiere of “Hell on Wheels,” two seats on

the train with Jason Aldean, a meet and greet

with Jason, access to a VIP viewing area at

the concert, and two tickets to “The 45th

Annual CMA Awards” at Bridgestone Arena.

MACY’S WALK OF STARS RED CARPET & FAN BLEACHERS

The Macy‟s Walk of Stars had plenty of pre-Awards excitement for lucky Country fans, who were able to get up close and

personal and get a few autographs at the site of the Red Carpet. Macy‟s officially launched “Country Music‟s Biggest Night” with

Red Carpet artist arrivals, fan paparazzi bleachers and global media interviews. A group of United States Marines helped

celebrities out of their vehicles as they arrived across the street from the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and made

their way down into the vast Media Tent for interviews and photo ops.

More than 400 journalists from more than 120 domestic and international media outlets were credentialed or ticketed for the

2011 CMA Awards, including Access Hollywood, CMT, CNN, E! News and The Ellen Degeneres Show.

Macy‟s also offered a special shopping event at the Green Hills Mall location, giving shoppers complementary hairstyling by

Macy‟s Premier Salon, and featuring an in-store karaoke contest for a chance to be one of one hundred lucky fans to win tickets

to the Macy‟s Red Carpet Fan bleacher seats and a pair of 2011 CMA Awards tickets. All participants took home a copy of their

recording.

PEOPLE COUNTRY FAN BLEACHERS AT THE CMA AWARDS

Lucky Country Music fans

were given a chance to view

their favorite artists and

celebrities at the end of the

Macy‟s Walk of Stars Red

Carpet. People Country

sponsored the Fan Bleachers.

CHEVROLET INTEGRATION

Chevrolet, the official ride of Country Music, worked with CMA to shine a light on music education by

partnering with Keep the Music Playing (KTMP), which provides funding for music education in public schools.

Chevrolet donated a 2012 Camaro convertible which will be auctioned online to benefit KTMP. The hood of the

Camaro was autographed by the celebrities who walked the Red Carpet prior to “The 45th Annual CMA

Awards.” With the support of the iconic automaker, KTMP will be able to further its reach with awareness of

the program through Chevy‟s social media properties as well as on Chevy.com, instrument drives in various

markets, and inclusion in Chevy‟s owner E-Newsletters.

ABC’S GOOD MORNING AMERICA

Fans were treated to an early CMA Awards

celebration when 2010 CMA Entertainer of the Year

and four-time CMA Awards co-host Brad Paisley

performed a live concert on ABC‟s “Good Morning

America.”

ABC‟s Sam Champion reported live from Nashville

as Paisley became the first artist to sign the hood of

a Chevy-donated 2012 Camaro convertible, which

was positioned at the beginning of the Red Carpet

arrivals, and is being auctioned off to benefit CMA‟s

Keep the Music Playing program.

“COUNTRY MUSIC’S BIGGEST NIGHT”

It was a night of new winners and returning champions at “The 45th Annual CMA Awards.” Taylor

Swift won her second CMA Entertainer of the Year trophy. Newlyweds Miranda Lambert and Blake

Shelton won Female Vocalist and Male Vocalist for the second consecutive year. Jason Aldean

won his first two CMA Awards for Musical Event of the Year with Kelly Clarkson, and Album of the

Year for My Kinda Party. The Band Perry won their first Awards for Single of the Year for “If I Die

Young” and New Artist of the Year. Kimberly Perry claimed an additional trophy for Song of the

Year for penning the hit song. Kenny Chesney and Grace Potter won for Music Video of the Year.

Lady Antebellum picked up their third trophy for Vocal Group of the Year, and Sugarland won

Vocal Duo of the Year for the fifth time.

Presenters for the night included: 2011 “American Idol” runner-up Lauren Alaina; ESPN

sportscaster and "Good Morning America" correspondent Erin Andrews; 2005 CMA Horizon

Award winner Dierks Bentley; Country star Billy Currington; actor Josh Dallas (star of ABC's

"Once Upon a Time"); 2011 World Series MVP and St. Louis Cardinals third baseman David

Freese; actress Ginnifer Goodwin (star of ABC's "Once Upon a Time"); actor Kellan Lutz (star of

the "Twilight" movie series and the upcoming "Immortals"); The Muppets icon Miss Piggy; Country

stars Jake Owen and Kellie Pickler; six-time CMA Award winner and 2011 Country Music Hall of

Fame inductee Reba; 1997 CMA Horizon Award winner LeAnn Rimes; Emmy Award-winning

actor Eric Stonestreet (star of ABC's "Modern Family"); actress Emily VanCamp (star of ABC's

"Revenge"); and Academy Award-winning actress Reese Witherspoon.

LIVE PERFORMANCES AT THE CMA AWARDS

Part of what makes the CMA

Awards “Country Music‟s Biggest

Night” are the stellar

performances by some of the

format‟s brightest stars. This

year‟s performers included Jason

Aldean, The Band Perry, Luke

Bryan, Eric Church, Sara Evans,

Faith Hill, Lady Antebellum,

Miranda Lambert, Martina

McBride, Scotty McCreery, Blake

Shelton, Taylor Swift, Sugarland,

Thompson Square, Keith Urban,

Chris Young; plus Chesney and

Potter singing their hit

collaboration “You and Tequila”;

and Rascal Flatts and Natasha

Bedingfield singing their current

hit duet “Easy.” Icons from the

world of pop music proved that

Country Music is far-reaching,

with Kenny Loggins joining Blake

Shelton to perform his hit

“Footloose,” and Lionel Richie

offering a string of his favorites,

collaborating with Little Big Town,

Rascal Flatts and Darius Rucker.

CMA AWARDS TALENT GIFT LOUNGE

A perk of presenting or performing at the CMA Awards is a

trip to the CMA Awards Gift Lounge, presented by Blue04.

The artists who walked through could pick up a fine-crafted

messenger bag or purse from Cape Cod Leather;

oxygenated water from Blue04; custom jewelry featuring

natural stones from CEEK; swag including guitar strings and

barware from Gibson guitar; sunglasses by Maui Jim;

candles from Yankee Candle; skincare products from Lily.B

Skincare; apparel from Country Boy/Country Girl; a

beverage from Rockin‟ Wellness Nutritional Shakes;

Dearfoam slippers; iPod accessories from Griffin

Technology; custom-cut designer men‟s apparel and scarves

from VOKARE; and fashionable, versatile women‟s apparel

from family-owned and operated Belldini. Each celeb also

walked away with a piece of Sidewinder rolling luggage from

The Container Store filled with a bevy of additional items

including spa gift certificates, beauty products, jewelry,

sunless tanning and so much more.

Sixty-three artists and celebrities received lounge gifts,

including Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker, Blake Shelton,

Carrie Underwood, Jason Aldean, Keith Urban, Kenny

Chesney, Lady Antebellum, Kenny Loggins, Lionel

Richie, Miranda Lambert, Scotty McCreery, Sugarland,

Vince Gill, The Band Perry, Zac Brown Band, Faith Hill,

Reba, Erin Andrews and Reese Witherspoon.

CMA AWARDS POST-PARTY SPONSORED BY PATRÓN SPIRIT COMPANY

After kicking off “The 45th Annual CMA Awards,” Patrón helped usher in the late night celebrations by co-

presenting the Post CMA Awards Party at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Always the place to be

after the annual Awards, the invitation-only exclusive gala boasted a guest list of more than 600, including CMA

Board Members, Award nominees, industry executives and other VIPs who enjoyed food, drinks and live music in

the spacious lobby and elegant Hall of Fame Rotunda. This year‟s after party featured signature Patrón

beverages.

Throughout the night, a silent auction had attendees bidding on tropical getaways, resorts packages, spa

treatments and more, with all proceeds being donated to CMA‟s Keep the Music Playing charity. The most visible

enticement was a 10‟-tall sculpture of a Gibson guitar, offered by Patrón and Ultimat Vodka and covered with artist

signatures collected backstage at during the Awards.

CUPCAKE WARS AT THE POST-PARTY

CMA partnered with the hit

Food Network television show,

“Cupcake Wars,” to tape a

CMA Awards-themed episode

that will air in Spring 2012.

Country star Deana Carter

was the guest judge.

CMA AWARDS RADIO REMOTES PRESENTED BY PREMIERE RADIO NETWORKS

CMA‟s official radio partner, Premiere Radio Networks, held

its official CMA Awards Radio Remote Broadcast leading up

to "The 45th Annual CMA Awards." Premiere welcomed

seventy-five artists and celebrities, including Taylor Swift,

The Band Perry, Rascal Flatts, Vince Gill, Faith Hill, Martina

McBride, Lady Antebellum, Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert,

and more, who visited 50 of the top Country radio stations

from across the nation. Participating stations included top

radio markets from Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Atlanta,

Washington D.C., Phoenix, Tampa, Minneapolis, Miami,

Denver, Cleveland, Orlando, Portland, Charlotte, Pittsburgh,

Raleigh, Baltimore, San Diego and more. Awards

programming reached 28.5 million listeners (sources:

Premiere, Arbitron Nationwide Spring 2011).

CMA AWARDS SILENT AUCTION

The 2nd Annual CMA Awards Silent Auction was held during the CMA Awards at the Bridgestone Arena

and afterwards at the invitation-only Post Awards Party at the Country Music Hall of Fame. Items included

autographed memorabilia, clothing, guitars, artwork, concert tickets, luxury trip packages, outdoorsman

excursions and more.

The auction raised over $80,000, with all proceeds being donated to the CMA „s Keep The Music Playing,

benefitting music education.

OSCARS® 413,964 286,552 58,003 69,409

People’s Choice 291,197 219,615 70,229 1,353

GOLDEN GLOBES® 210,374 158,271 51,310 793

ACM 69,595 38,331 31,209 55

EMMY’S® 38,809 11,633 23,804 3,372

CMA

TOTAL

The CMA online and mobile audience has seen tremendous growth

• Approximately 72,000 entries in the 2011 CMA Awards text-to-win an autographed guitar contest

• Mobile text subscribers up 75% to more than 191,000

• Social network fans, friends and followers up 250% to more than 920,000

• CMA email database up 12% to more than 123,000

•The cumulative CMA online and mobile audience is ranked #1 among all awards for biggest social network

audience, topping the Grammys and the Oscars!

Total Audience (Social, Mobile, Email) is now over 1,230,000 fans!

DIGITAL RECAP

PRINT MEDIA

Additional Print

Outlets:

Entertainment Weekly

OK Weekly

Reuters

Tennessean

TV Guide

Partial list of stories and mentions featured in print publications:

Entertainment

Weekly

TV Guide

TV/ONLINE MEDIA COVERAGE

More than 400 journalists from more than 120 domestic and international media outlets were credentialed

or ticketed for the 2011 CMA Awards. Below is a partial list of media outlets:

Television

Access Hollywood

Associated Press Television

Better

CHCH Canada

CMC Australia

CMT

CNN

E! News

Ellen Degeneres Show

Extra

FOX News Channel

Headline Country (GAC)

Inside Edition

KABC-TV (ABC/Los Angeles)

MSN

Online

AOL/The Boot

CMT.com

Hollywood Life.com

LA Times/The Envelope

People.com

Yahoo!

PROMOTIONS

CMA Awards promotions continued to build awareness and anticipation for this event and had positive impacts on viewership.

National promotions included efforts with retailers including Wal-mart and Amazon. Wal-mart stores featured CMA Awards

branding on endcap displays in 1,225 stores nationwide. Amazon promoted the show and product by nominated artists via the

online music store, the Country Music store and in e-mail marketing.

Premiere Radio Networks welcomed nationally-syndicated shows “After Midnite with Blair Garner” and “The Crook & Chase

Countdown,” as well as 50 top Country stations to Nashville to cover the CMA Awards in three days of remote

broadcasts. Premiere partners included stations from Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Boston, Atlanta, Washington DC,

Houston, Detroit, Tampa, Seattle, Miami, Denver, Sacramento, St. Louis, Portland, Pittsburgh, Charlotte, Indianapolis, Baltimore,

Raleigh, San Diego, Nashville and more. Through Premiere‟s dedication, an audience of 28.5 million listeners was reached.

Building on successful digital activities including tune-in engagement campaigns on Facebook, Twitter, Spotify, Pandora, Live

Nation/Ticketmaster, YouTube, Google, and more, online promotions included the fifth year of “My CMA Awards Picks,” allowing

fans to choose and share socially their choices for CMA Awards wins; live streaming of Macy's Walk of Stars Red Carpet activities,

Pre-Telecast Awards Ceremony and Backstage Press Room feeds; in-show mobile text-in sweepstakes integration; and more.

Local ticket sales promotions helped the CMA Awards sell out for the third consecutive year. Ticket sales promotions ran across an

assortment of regional media partners including local TV (WKRN-TV), radio (regional Country formats, plus AC), print and online

media partners. The Nashville Scene partnered to give away tickets to the PEOPLE Country Fan Section at the Macy's Walk of

Stars, while a Macy's conducted an in-store event in Nashville to give away tickets to its own VIP fan section on the Red Carpet.