FIRST PERFORMERS AND PRESENTERS ANNOUNCED FOR "CMT ARTISTS OF THE YEAR" AIRING LIVE TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3 AT 8 P.M. ET

Appearances by Alabama, Dierks Bentley, Lady Antebellum, Pat Monahan of Train, Cassadee Pope, Lionel Richie, Travis Tritt and Dwight Yoakam

Comedian Ron White to Host 90-Minute Special from Nashville

NASHVILLE - November 21, 2013 - CMT ARTISTS OF THE YEAR is guaranteed to be a night full of celebration with the recent addition of presenters and performers including Alabama, Dierks Bentley, Lady Antebellum, Train's Pat Monahan, Cassadee Pope, Lionel Richie, Travis Tritt and Dwight Yoakam. Hosted by Ron White, the 90-minute special will air LIVE from Nashville on Tuesday, December 3 at 8:00 p.m., ET.

For the fourth year in a row, CMT is honoring the top artists in country music with an evening filled with incredible performances and collaborations, surprise guests and salutes to each CMT ARTIST OF THE YEAR. This year's honorees are Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line, Hunter Hayes and Tim McGraw.

Past artists named as CMT ARTISTS OF THE YEAR include Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, Toby Keith, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Brad Paisley, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood and Zac Brown Band.

Join the conversation on CMT.com/AOTY/ and the official Facebook page, or follow @CMT on Twitter using official hashtag #CMTAOTY.

CMT ARTISTS OF THE YEAR is executive produced by Michael Dempsey. 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.