Countdown to Country Music's Biggest Night on abc.com

DISNEY-ABC TELEVISION GROUP'S ABC.COM PRESENTS "THE COUNTDOWN TO COUNTRY MUSIC'S BIGGEST NIGHT" -- EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE LEADING UP TO "THE 41st ANNUAL CMA AWARDS"

Monday, October 29, 2007 -- Dedicated to expanding its network and channel brands across multiple platforms and connecting viewers with their favorite shows anytime and anywhere, Disney-ABC Television Group announced today that it is offering daily coverage leading up to "The 41st Annual CMA Awards" with "The Countdown to Country Music's Biggest Night" on ABC.com.

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The coverage will include nine daily shows and one live event which will also be available at CMAAwards.com and will be distributed to our mobile partners and ABC affiliates.

ABC Digital Media will be producing a daily five-minute show for the nine days prior to the CMA Awards, hosted by former Miss Tennessee Ashley Eicher and CMA presenter and Capitol Records recording artist Luke Bryan. In an entertainment/news format, "Countdown to Country Music's Biggest Night" will cover the events that take place during the week leading up to the CMA Awards. It will also feature interviews with Country Music artists, coverage of the "Nashville Celebrates Country" events surrounding the Awards and much more. The first show will go live on Wednesday October 31, and a new show will premiere every day through Wednesday, November 7. On November 7, ABC.com will stream a three-hour, hosted, live red carpet show from 5:00-8:00 p.m., ET, leading up to the premiere of "The 41st Annual CMA Awards" on ABC from 8:00-11:00 p.m., ET. The live red carpet show will also be simulcast live on ABC Mobile -- a network first. The final and 9th daily show is a post-event/party wrap-up show that will be available online Thursday, November 8. The daily and live red carpet shows are produced in full by the ABC.com Digital Media Group.

This summer, ABC.com and CMA teamed to provide Country Music fans with a behind-the-scenes look at the 2007 CMA Music Festival. Online users were able to follow various Country Music stars through the assorted events and activities that made up CMA Music Festival.

About the CMA Awards
Performers for this year's CMA Awards include Jason Aldean, Rodney Atkins, Big & Rich, Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney, Alison Krauss, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride, Brad Paisley, Kellie Picker, Rascal Flatts, George Strait, Sugarland, Taylor Swift, Josh Turner, Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban. Reba McEntire will perform a duet with LeAnn Rimes. Also, Academy Award-winning actor Jamie Foxx will join reigning CMA Awards Vocal Group of the Year Rascal Flatts for a duet performance, and the Eagles will perform in their first-ever awards show performance. Sara Evans and Rimes will host segments of the three-hour broadcast with other hosts to be announced. CMA Awards presenters announced include Luke Bryan, Jason Michael Carroll, Bucky Covington, Sheryl Crow, Jewel with Ty Murray, Kid Rock, Montgomery Gentry, Blake Shelton, Gretchen Wilson and Dwight Yoakam. Additional artists and presenters will be added to the lineup and announced at a later date. "The 41st Annual CMA Awards" airs live from the Sommet Center in Nashville and 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. David Wild is the writer.

About Disney-ABC Television Group
Disney-ABC Television Group is home to all of The Walt Disney Company's worldwide entertainment and news television properties. The Group includes the ABC Television Network, Disney Channel's worldwide portfolio of kids' channels, ABC Family and SOAPnet; as well as television production and syndication divisions ABC Studios, Walt Disney Television Animation, Disney-ABC Domestic Television and Disney-ABC International Television. Disney-ABC Television Group also manages the Radio Disney Network in addition to the Company's equity interest in Lifetime Entertainment Services and A&E Television Networks

Source: Disney-ABC Television Group