"THE 41st ANNUAL CMA AWARDS" WILL AIR LIVE NOVEMBER 7 ON ABC

The Country Music Association and ABC Television Network announced today that "The 41st Annual CMA Awards" will air live WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7 (8:00-11:00, ET) on ABC from the Sommet Center, formerly the Nashville Arena, in Nashville, Tennessee.

The industry's elite and biggest stars will gather for Country Music's Biggest Night to recognize and celebrate the best and brightest performers, songwriters, record producers and music video directors.

The 2006 CMA Awards, held in Nashville during the November Sweep (11/6/06), ranked behind only the Academy Awards, the Golden Globes and Grammy Awards during the 2006-2007 season for award shows among Total Viewers. With "The 40th Annual CMA Awards," ABC won Monday evening in both Total Viewers (16.0 million) and Adults 18-49 (5.4/13).

The CMA Awards nominees and winners are determined by the 6,000 industry professional members of CMA, which was the first trade organization formed to promote an individual genre of music in 1958. The first "CMA Awards Banquet and Show" was held in 1967. The following year, the CMA Awards were broadcast for the first time � making it the longest running, annual music awards program on network television.

"The 41st Annual CMA Awards" is a production of the Country Music Association. Walter C. Miller is the Executive Producer and Robert Deaton is the Producer. Paul Miller is the Director. The special will be shot in high definition and broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC's selected HDTV format, with 5.1 channel surround sound.