Miss America Goes Multiplatform with CMT

Miss America will be available on multiple cable networks and platforms as CMT announced an expanded programming strategy to support the 2007 Miss America Pageant, officials said Tuesday

Beginning in January, CMT and sister networks VH1, MTV and Logo will air a newly produced, two-hour special featuring all 52 contestants as they meet in Los Angeles and prepare for their odyssey to become Miss America. CMT remains the exclusive home of the pageant.

“With largely unduplicated viewership from CMT, our sister Viacom networks will greatly expand Miss America’s reach and expose the organization to a phenomenally large set of new viewers,” CMT vice president of programming and development Paul Villadolid said in a prepared statement.

“We’ll also utilize our new broadband channel, CMT Loaded, and other properties with additional programming that will fully maximize the strength of the Miss America property,” he added.

Beginning in December, CMT will devote nine hours to Miss America programming that will repeat on the network leading up to the Miss America Pageant in January. Additional programming will be available exclusively on CMT Loaded, on-demand, CMT.com (www.cmt.com), CMT Radio and CMT Mobile.

Miss America-related programming will include:

Contestant Special, a two-hour special featuring the 52 state finalists as they meet in Los Angeles and prepare for their quest to become the new Miss America. In addition, viewers will be able to cast their vote via phone and online at CMT.com for “Miss Congeniality,” which will be announced live during the pageant. This program takes the place of previously announced documentary series Finding Miss America. The special is to air on CMT, VH1, MTV, Logo and be available on CMT Loaded.

Total Access: JenniferBerry, a one-hour special following Berry on her yearlong journey as Miss America 2006, which will air on CMT and be available on CMT Loaded.

Greatest Miss America Moments, a one-hour special documenting the evolution of Miss America over the past 85 years, which will air on CMT and be available on CMT Loaded.

CMT Top 20 Countdown, a two-and-a-half-hour show counting down the week’s top videos with host Lance Smith reporting on-site at the 2007 Miss America Pageant. This special edition will feature interviews with pageant contestants that will premiere on CMT and be available on CMT Loaded.

CMT Insider, a half-hour magazine show with host Katie Cook going behind-the-scenes at the upcoming pageant, which will premiere on CMT and be available on CMT Loaded and CMT Mobile.

2007 MissAmericaPageant, a two-hour pageant final that includes the swimsuit, talent and evening-wear competitions and the crowning of Miss America 2007, premiering exclusively on CMT.

Talent Preliminaries, cameras will document each contestant’s talent performance from the preliminaries leading up to the pageant, and they will be available exclusively on CMT Loaded.

Contestant Profiles, one-minute profiles on each state finalist, available on CMT Loaded and on-demand, CMT.com, CMT Mobile and CMT Radio.

The 2006 Miss America Pageant, hosted by James Denton, premiered on CMT last January and ranks as the most-watched telecast in the network’s history in terms of total viewers.

For the first time in its 85-year history, the Miss America Pageant took place outside of Atlantic City, N.J., debuting in Las Vegas. Berry, of Oklahoma, is the current Miss America.