RON WHITE BRINGS A NIGHT OF LAUGHS TO CMT WHEN "RON WHITE'S COMEDY SALUTE TO THE TROOPS 2012" PREMIERES JULY 1

NASHVILLE - June 18, 2012 - Funnyman and longtime supporter of the Armed Forces, Ron White, returns to CMT hosting an all-new comedy special in support of the troops when RON WHITE'S COMEDY SALUTE TO THE TROOPS 2012, premieres Sunday, July 1 at 9:00 p.m., ET/PT on CMT. In addition to White, the show features comedians Kathleen Madigan, Jake Johannsen, John Pinette and Mike Wilmot, as they salute those serving in the armed forces with a night full of laughs.

White kicks-off the 90-minute special by giving his current thoughts on a variety of topics ranging from the apocalypse, to hybrid cars and what he thinks about other men hitting on his wife. The special also includes footage from White's visit with the troops stationed at Fort Benning in Georgia. The benefit was filmed at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville earlier this year, with the proceeds of the show aiding the Armed Forces Foundation.

Ron White is a huge supporter of the Armed Forces, and has performed for the Troops at military bases in the U.S. and around the world. He has been a touring comedian since 1986 and gained national fame in 2000 when he joined the Blue Collar Comedy Tour. Since then, he has gone on to tour solo, selling out venues across North America and has been ranked in the Top 5 in tour revenue for the past five years. White is a multi-Grammy nominated comedy artist and all of his albums have been certified gold or platinum.

RON WHITE'S COMEDY SALUTE TO THE TROOPS 2012 is directed and produced by Tom Forrest and Taillight TV. John Hamlin and Margaret Comeaux serve as executive producers for CMT.

CMT, a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), is the leading television and digital authority on country music and entertainment, reaching more than 92 million homes in the U.S. CMT and its website, CMT.com, offer an unparalleled mix of music, news, live concerts and series and is the top resource for country music on demand. The network's digital platforms include the 24-hour music channel, CMT Pure Country, CMT Mobile and CMT VOD.