On Tuesday (Jan. 21), CMT announced plans to to institute 50/50 video airplay for female artists on both CMT and CMT music channels. The decision will be effective immediately. The platform's previous ratio of female/male artists was 40/60.

News of the company's pledge emerged just days after TV show Full Frontal With Samantha Bee aired a segment on sexism in country music, which featured show correspondents coming to Nashville to speak with artists and industry members, including CMT SVP of Music & Talent Leslie Fram. In the clip, Fram served as tour guide to the genre's recent history of inequality at country radio, including "TomatoGate" and the ever-diminishing presence of women on the airwaves.

After the decision to enact equal airplay for male and female artists, Fram expressed excitement that the conversation surrounding gender parity in country music is beginning to translate into action.

"Time is really up in 2020! All the talk around what can be done to support females in country music needs to transform into action, once and for all," she noted in a press release. "At CMT, we are stepping up our own commitments, in addition to our work through the CMT Next Women of Country Music franchise, and will be announcing a new initiative in the coming weeks that will spark this much-needed change in our industry."

CMT already supports women in country music through a number of initiatives, including its annual CMT Next Women of Country Program, which highlights and supports a new crop of rising artists each year. Corresponding to that platform is the annual CMT Next Women of Country Tour; this year's lineup features headliner Tanya Tucker along with artists (all of whom are current or former NWoC class members) Aubrie Sellers, Brandy Clark, Erin Enderlin, Hailey Whitters, Madison Kozak and Walker County.

7 Women We Want to Hear on Country Radio

More From TheBoot