TLC To Give Miss America Vote To Viewers
Web Surfers Can Select 16th Pageant Finalist
By R. Thomas Umstead -- Multichannel News, 1/2/2008 8:19:00 AM
TLC will allow viewers to choose one of the finalists for the Miss America pageant in the 87-year old show’s first ever online competition leading up to Jan. 26 Miss America Live! finale.
Beginning Jan. 4, Web surfers that visit tlc.com/missamerica will be able to log votes for a 16th pageant finalist who will join 15 other finalists selected by the Miss America judges, according to TLC, which will televise the Las Vegas-based pageant live. The online voting will commence after the Jan. 4 premiere episode of TLC’s new series, and will continue through the show’s final episode on Jan. 26.
“As viewers watch Miss America: Reality Check they’ll get to know the contestants in a way that they never have before,” said Angela Shapiro-Mathes, president and general manager for TLC. “The entire competition becomes more relevant to today’s audience as they vote and root for their favorites at the live finale.”
Discovery Networks-owned TLC last August reached a multi-year agreement with The Miss America Organization to distribute the beauty pageant through 2010, after the show aired for two years on CMT.
Viacom-owned CMT decided not to renew the pageant after the show’s viewership fell to 2.4 million last year from a network record 3.1 million viewers in 2006.

























