CMT (Country Music Television)
Founded: March, 1983
Parent Company: Viacom
Tagline: "Country. Admit it. You love it."
Website: CMT.com
With its rich and eventful history alongside the '80s breakout of MTV, Country Music TV (CMT) has cemented itself in popular culture and plays the right tune to over 92 million households. Known for its country music video library, it's recently expanded into more original and reality programming, of course always sticking to the country genre. Now owned by Viacom (who also owns MTV and VH1), expect all the channels to evolve in similar ways, only with CMT likely keeping a more loyal following, especially in the south (does guitar-strummin' love ever really go away? :). They've also spun off a few different networks over the years, mostly abroad and with mixed success. CMT Europe lasted a few years, while CMT Canada is still going strong after 24 years.
Back to CMT's programming, it features music videos but they're mostly relegated to the very early mornings, usually in 3-5 hour blocks. During the rest of the day, original shows like Music City and Nashville Squares and syndicated classics like Roseanne and Home Improvement take center stage. They've also recently expanded into online streaming with highly-targeted channels such as CMT Western (western movies) and CMT Cheer (cheerleader competitions). Available on both DIRECTV and DISH (and every other major carrier), CMT remains an influential player in the music world and that's just honky-tonk fine with most of the country.
CMT Programming & Shows
Original Series: Music City, Racing Wives, Nashville Squares, Bachelorette Weekend, Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team, CMT Crossroads, CMT Music Awards, etc.
Reruns: Last Man Standing, Roseanne, Walker, Texas Ranger, Home Improvement, Reba, etc.
