Remaking MTV’s Country Cousin

Enthusiastic young fans crowded into the Country Music Hall of Fame to cheer on Brad Paisley as one of the first “CMT Most Wanted Live” shows aired. Slightly apart from the crowd, John Sykes watched, chatting with nervous Country Music Television employees who sidled up to introduce themselves to the new boss from New York.

Sykes, an MTV Networks executive who was there when MTV was created and is the mastermind behind VH1, is remaking CMT, which became part of MTV Networks just over a year ago.

“Walking into the lobby of the Country Music Hall of Fame today and seeing the crowds cheering and seeing Brad Paisley there with these cool, young hosts, it said to me, ‘This could be one of the best businesses we have at MTV Networks,”’ Sykes said.

Despite declining sales and record company layoffs, country music is getting a vote of confidence--and a substantial investment--from media giant Viacom Inc., parent company of MTV Networks. It doubled CMT’s production budget this year from $10 million to $20 million.

“To me, it’s one of the last great opportunities,” Sykes said. “On cable and satellite, there are five news channels fighting for the viewer’s attention. There are constant numbers of movie channels constantly battling for viewership.

“Well, here’s country out there with 40 million radio listeners a week, and we have the only dominant country music channel.”

(CMT’s main competition is Great American Country, but Sykes noted his network will be in 50 million homes by Oct. 1, versus about 12 million for the other guys.)

It wasn’t that long ago when country music had two major television outlets: CMT for videos and TNN (the Nashville Network) with a variety of shows.

TNN, which started in 1983, led the way in programming original shows. The flagship program was “Nashville Now,” a country version of “The Tonight Show” hosted by Ralph Emery.

Gradually, TNN began experimenting with non-country programming and eventually moved to New York and was renamed the National Network, airing little country music.

“I think TNN did a great job, but then ran into the problem of trying to be all things to all people,” Sykes said. “I believe in today’s day and age, the audience is much more demanding. It’s a convenience society, and they want their entertainment when it’s convenient for them, and not the programmer. Maybe 10 years ago you could put a sports show on, a country show on and then a movie. Today, the audience won’t wait around.”

So, Sykes said, the goal is for CMT to be “the destination on television for all things country music.”

“And that means not just video, but concerts, specials, events, interview shows and documentaries,” he added. “The budgets of MTV and VH1 and Comedy Central dwarf the CMT budget. We’ve got to invest and put some good quality programming on the air. CMT is on the same dial right next to all these other networks, so it’s always got to be able to look that good.”

Weekly live telecasts from the Grand Ole Opry are moving from TNN to CMT on Aug. 18. And a new series called “CMT Crossroads” debuts Sept. 16, pairing a country artist with a sometimes unlikely musical friend. The first episode features Hank Williams Jr. and Kid Rock.

Another goal clearly is to get a younger audience. Whereas the old “Nashville Now” featured the veteran Emery, “CMT Most Wanted Live” is hosted by Lance Smith with news announcer Amber Mogg--both in their 20s. And a performer like the young Paisley “doesn’t look like a guy from ‘Hee Haw,”’ as Sykes put it. “He looks like a young cool star that if he were singing a different style of music he could be on VH1.”

Sykes said that talent such as Paisley, Tim McGraw, Jo Dee Messina, the Dixie Chicks, Faith Hill and Shania Twain “are creating the same momentum at CMT that Jewel and Sheryl Crow and Sarah McLachlan, Hootie & the Blowfish and Melissa Etheridge created for VH1 six years ago.”