Clear Channel’s iHeartRadio Music Awards set for May 1

Clear Channel Media and Entertainment is getting into the awards business. The radio conglomerate announced Wednesday that it is teaming with NBC to air its first iHeartRadio Music Awards in May.

The three-hour, fan-voted show will set up at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, Clear Channel said.

No performers or a host have been revealed, but Clear Channel’s telecast will “showcase this year’s biggest artists and songs and feature live performances, never-before-done duets and collaborations, celebrity guest appearances and live award presentations,” according to a news release announcing the awards.

The iHeartRadio Music Awards will also broadcast and stream the audio from the telecast across the many Clear Channel radio stations across the nation and their websites, and on iHeartRadio.

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But with a slew of telecasts already handing out trophies to music stars based off sales, fan votes, radio data and peer recognition, it’s difficult not to wonder what purpose the iHeartRadio Music Awards fill? The telecast will face some sturdy competition. The Billboard Music Awards also air in May, and a month later comes BET’s annual music-heavy ceremony.

Nominations will be based on results from the newly minted iHeartRadio Chart, which pulls listener feedback and performance data, digital streaming data from the iHeartRadio platform (including custom station creations) and tags from Shazam and BigChampagne. The data will be compiled by Mediabase from the last 12 months.

“With a reach of more than 240 million people every month, Clear Channel has an unparalleled ability to identify and track the biggest artists and songs in the country,” John Sykes, Clear Channel’s president of entertainment enterprises, said in a statement. “The iHeartRadio Music Awards will be the first awards show in history to reflect America’s favorite music, and which is truly powered by the people.”

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The show will feature 13 award categories across multiple genres. Each category will initially feature 10 nominees, and listeners will narrow the field down to five during a four-week period.

The iHeartRadio Awards will be executive produced by Sykes and Tom Poleman of Clear Channel Media and Entertainment, Ryan Seacrest Productions and Ian Stewart and Hamish Hamilton of Done and Dusted Inc., who will produce the show for NBC Studios. Hamilton will also direct.

Nominees will be announced during a one-hour live event on March 26 at the iHeartRadio Theater in Los Angeles. Fans will vote using custom #hashtags as the primary voting mechanism.

The iHeartRadio Music Awards are scheduled to air May 1 on NBC at 8 p.m. ET/PT.