CMA HOSTS SECOND ANNUAL LIVE “TWEET ‘N’ GREET” DURING “CMA MUSIC FESTIVAL: COUNTRY’S NIGHT TO ROCK,” SEPT. 1

Join Artists Julianne Hough, Lady Antebellum, Reba McEntire, Tim McGraw,
Blake Shelton, Keith Urban and Zac Brown Band as They Tweet on ABC.com
CMA will host its second live Twitter feed on ABC.com, Wednesday, Sept. 1 (8:00-11:00 p.m. ET), during the broadcast of “CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock,” on the ABC Television Network.

Fans can log on to ABC.com to see Tweets from artists including Julianne Hough (@JulianneHough), Lady Antebellum (@ladyantebellum), Reba McEntire (@Reba), Tim McGraw (@TimMcGrawArtist), Blake Shelton (@BlakeShelton), Keith Urban (@KeithUrban) and Zac Brown Band (@ZacBrownBand). Fans can also visit CMAfest.com to follow along with the show using their Facebook account. The artists will be posting their observations about the three-hour concert special as well as behind-the-scenes tidbits, anecdotes about other artists’ performances, as well as memories from past CMA Music Festivals.

The “Tweet ‘N’ Greet” will create an interactive feed between the fans and artists. Fans will have a direct connection to some of their favorite performers, not only allowing them the opportunity to ask questions, but also providing them with behind-the-scenes access. In addition, CMA (@CountryMusic) will be updating fans with information on the participating artists’ upcoming album releases, tour dates and appearances. The official hashtag for the event is #cmatv. Fans using the hashtag will be entered to win prizes during the show. For more information, visit: CMAfest.com/tweet.

“As an event, CMA Music Festival is about these unique interaction opportunities between the artist community and the fans,” said Ben Bennett, CMA Digital Marketing Manager. “The Tweet ‘N’ Greet is a fun, inventive way of translating that artist/fan connection to the ABC broadcast. The artists and fans get to communicate while they share the common experience of watching the television show.”

CMA’s first “Tweet ‘N’ Greet” occurred during the 2009 airing of “CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock.” The chatter created in the social media space helped keep CMA Music Festival as a Top 10 trending topic on Twitter for the entire broadcast.

“CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock” is hosted by McGraw and features Taylor Swift in the first network television performance of her new single, “Mine.” Also performing are Trace Adkins, Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Billy Currington, Alan Jackson, Jamey Johnson, Kid Rock, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride, McEntire, McGraw, Justin Moore, Brad Paisley, Kellie Pickler, Rascal Flatts, Darius Rucker, Shelton, Taylor Swift, Josh Turner, Uncle Kracker, Carrie Underwood, Urban and Zac Brown Band.

“CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock” is executive produced by Robert Deaton and directed by Gary Halvorson. The 2010 CMA Music Festival is organized and produced by the Country Music Association. “CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock” is filmed in high definition and broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC’s selected HDTV format, with 5.1 channel surround sound.