CMT Music Awards

The CMT Music Awards is an annual, fan-voted awards show that focuses on country music videos and televised performances. The event started out in 1967, when it was known as the Music City News Awards after the now-defunct Music City News magazine, and featured categories that focused on artists themselves instead of performances. Early on, a panel of judges voted to determine the winners, but the show's now-beloved format of fan voting was instated in 1988, allowing listeners to vote for their favorite artists by phone or mail. In 2001, the show began broadcasting on CMT, where it became first the CMT Flameworthy Video Music Awards and then, finally, the CMT Music Awards in 2005. By 2002, the show had fully shifted to represent a focus on music videos and televised country music performances.