KENNY CHESNEY TAKES ABC �SOMEWHERE IN THE SUN�

ABC Will Debut Country Music Superstar�s First Network TV Special That Offers Stage, Sea, Sand & Songs, November 23

With both the prestigious Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year Awards on his mantle and his current �Somewhere in the Sun� concert tour breaking records -- including three stadium shows in Washington, DC, Boston and Pittsburgh � Kenny Chesney sets his eye on a new horizon: an ABC network TV special. The one-hour special will juxtapose his high-energy sold-out stage shows with the behind-the-scenes-camaraderie which defines his career and with his lifestyle in the islands of the Caribbean. �Kenny Chesney: Somewhere in the Sun� (working title) will air WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) on ABC.

�The folks at ABC bring such great big-picture thinking to this,� says Chesney. �They�re looking at a way to bring my fans into our world -- even more than they already have been, and they understand the role music plays in that relationship. It�s a strange balance, really, the idea of the music coming from such a private place, then it becoming something that�s big enough to rock a stadium.�

�We rarely do music specials centered around a single artist because so few have the necessary broad appeal,� said Andrea Wong, executive vice president, Alternative Programming, Specials and Late-Night. �But Kenny is so enormously popular, he can sell millions of records, sell out stadiums across the country and bring in a large television audience. We�re thrilled he�s part of the ABC family.�

The special will be anchored by Chesney�s sold-out show at Pittsburgh�s Heinz Stadium. In addition, the man who�s sold 17 million albums -- including 4 million copies of �Greatest Hits,� �No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems� and the CMA Album of the Year, �When the Sun Goes Down� -- will strive to give viewers a sense of what truly makes him �the superstar next door.� With an emphasis on music, the special will include his hits �When the Sun Goes Down,� �There Goes My Life,� �Old Blue Chair,� �Young� and many of the songs his fans know by heart, all to be given high-impact treatment and with insight into the revved up performances people have come to expect from Chesney.

Cameras will fly to the Caribbean island where Chesney takes retreat from his life on the road. There, they will reveal the private side of Chesney, as he gets away from the spotlight and shows us the beauty of his tropical island life and the activities which he enjoys for kicking back and relaxing. Some of his fellow country music stars and close friends (to be announced) will also make appearances.

�They�re letting me be very involved,� says Chesney, �and respecting that this friendship I�ve had with my fans has been one of the most enduring in Country Music. There are those folks who think our show starts at 9:15, but they�re people who don�t really understand� To me and my crew, it all gets started about 2:30, when the fans roll into the parking lot with their grills and their cold drinks to get the party started. That�s what we�re about, forgetting everything that�s bugging you and having a few hours of fun. And that�s a lot of what this special�s gonna be: how we have fun on the road� and off.�

The special is executive produced by Robert Deaton and directed by Gary Halvorson.