 NEW YORK (CMA) - "The 39th Annual CMA Awards" will be held at Madison Square Garden in New York City, marking the first time "Country Music's Biggest Night" has been held outside its traditional home of Nashville, Tenn. The highly-anticipated event will be broadcast live on Tuesday, Nov. 15 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the CBS Television Network. But on Sept. 17, the CMA Awards will achieve another first by selling tickets to the general public via Ticketmaster. "For nearly four decades, the only way to get a ticket to the CMA Awards was to be a CMA member, guest or nominee," said CMA Executive Director Ed Benson. "Since we announced the 2005 CMA Awards in New York City, we have been inundated with calls and e-mails from fans wanting to know if they can purchase tickets to attend this historic event. Having the CMA Awards in a venue the size of Madison Square Garden allows us to offer the public a chance to attend this very exclusive event." Tickets for the CMA Awards, which is hosted by superduo Brooks & Dunn, will go on sale to the public on Saturday, Sept. 17, at 12:00 PM/ET, and can be purchased by logging on to https://www.ticketmaster.com; calling (212) 307-7171 (or any local Ticketmaster outlet phone number); or in-person at the Madison Square Garden box office. They can also be purchased at all Ticketmaster outlets across the nation. The ticket price is $250 (not including tax and service charges). The 2004 CMA Awards posted an 11.5 rating with an 18 share. CBS estimates that more than 37 million viewers watched all or part of the gala event. The CMA Awards were first broadcast on network television in 1968 - making it the longest running music awards program on network television.
The CMA Awards are produced by Walter C. Miller and directed by Paul Miller. MJI Programming is the official radio packager of the CMA Awards, which includes Red Carpet coverage and a stereo-radio simulcast of the gala event. Chevy, an American Revolution, is the official automotive sponsor of the 2005 CMA Awards. American Airlines is the official airline of the 2005 CMA Awards. Additional promotional sponsors include Prilosec OTC and Creme Savers.
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