CMT AND MISS AMERICA GO HOLLYWOOD WHEN
THE NEW DOCUMENTARY SERIES
�FINDING MISS AMERICA� FILMS IN LOS ANGELES IN SEPTEMBER

SERIES TO SHOWCASE THE PAGEANT PRELIMINARIES
 

NASHVILLE, TN and ATLANTIC CITY, NJ â�� June 12, 2006 â�� Miss America contestants are Hollywood bound as CMT and the Miss America Organization announce that FINDING MISS AMERICA, the documentary series that follows each contestant through the pageant preliminaries, will take place in the Los Angeles area September 5-13, 2006.  The location for the 2007 MISS AMERICA PAGEANT FINALS will be announced at a later date. 

â��Weâ��re looking forward to shooting the series in the LA area, which gives us access to great locations and will provide some real excitement for all of the contestants,â�� said Paul Villadolid, vice president, programming and development, CMT.  â��We plan to produce the pageant preliminaries like never before, with a keen eye towards showcasing the hard work and dedication of these accomplished young women.â�� 

â��Bringing the Miss America pageant preliminaries to Los Angeles is a first for our organization and an extraordinary opportunity to expose the entertainment industry to one of the most exciting competitions in the country,â�� said Sam Haskell III, chairman of the board for Miss America Organization.  â��We are thrilled to conduct the preliminaries in LA, so that our contestants can be a part of this multi-cultural city with wonderful landmarks and incredible scenery as the backdrop for this new series.â��  

FINDING MISS AMERICA, the seven episode CMT documentary series, follows the 52 Miss America finalists through the preliminary competitions prior to the 2007 MISS AMERICA PAGEANT.  The series will air in the days leading up to the two hour Pageant Finals, which are scheduled to premiere live in first quarter 2007 on CMT.

FINDING MISS AMERICA is produced by Julie Pizzi and Patty Ivins at PB&J Television, with Paul Villadolid and Nicole Zien serving as executive producers for CMT. 

The 2006 MISS AMERICA PAGEANT, hosted by James Denton, premiered on CMT last January and ranks as the most-watched telecast in CMTâ��s history with total viewers*.  Since its premiere, re-airings of the Pageant have been seen by over 22 million different viewers. 

For the first time in its 85 year history, THE MISS AMERICA PAGEANT took place outside of Atlantic City and debuted in Las Vegas.  Jennifer Berry, of Oklahoma, is the current reigning Miss America. 

CMT, Americaâ��s No. 1 country music network, carries original programming, specials, and live concerts and events, as well as a mix of videos by established country music artists and new cutting-edge acts, including world premiere exclusive videos.  Founded March 6, 1983, CMT, owned and operated by MTV Networks, reaches 82.6 million households in the United States. Go to country musicâ��s biggest web site at www.CMT.com.

Tune in to Access Hollywood tonight for this exclusive announcement.

The Miss America Organization is one of the nationâ��s leading achievement programs and the worldâ��s largest provider of scholarship assistance for young women.  Last year, the Miss America Organization and its state and local organizations made available more than $45 million in cash and scholarship assistance.  For more information, go to www.missamerica.org.

*Nielsen Media Research

PRESS CONTACTS:                 

CMT                                                                 Miss America Organization
Lisa Chader                                                       Sharon Pearce
615-335-8405                                                     609-345-7571
lisa.chader@cmt.com                                        sharon@missamerica.org

                                                                CMT                                                                 Wolf-Kasteler-Van Iden
Chris Delhomme                                                Lisa Kasteler
310-752-8635                                                     310-205-0618
chris.delhomme@cmt.com                                 LisaK@wkvia.com