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TV Media Weekly | August 1 - 7, 2015 "It's so different from what we normally do," Schlapman said in an interview with "People" maga- zine. "We can sing and put on a show all day long, but when we have to interview someone, that's a different skill set. It really gives you an appreciation for that job!" The band — which has a Gram- my to its name, is the reigning CMA Award Vocal Group of the Year and holds a lot of other acco- lades — puts in a lot of work to get ready for the gig, but as Sweet ad- mitted to "People," sometimes all the prep work in the world can be for naught when you get right down to it. "We prepare as much as we can, but it's different every year," he said. "You never know what's going to happen, but that's what makes it fun. We love the sponta- neity of it. We just roll with it and try not to mess up." Some of country's biggest names gathered in Nashville last month for the four-day CMA Music Festival. Setting attendance re- cords, the festival reached unprec- edented levels of success this year as the likes of Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban and Florida Georgia Line hit the stages to perform some of their greatest hits. If you missed out on the festival, though, don't fret. Catch the highlights when Lit- tle Big Town hosts the "CMA Music Festival: Country's Night to Rock" airing Tuesday, Aug. 4, on ABC. By Jacqui Wiens TV Media N ashville has certainly earned its nickname of "Music City" over the years, producing a breathtaking number of (primarily country music) artists and hosting numerous festivals and conven- tions throughout the year. At the start of June, Nashville residents were treated to a jam-packed few days of music, including the CMT Awards on June 10, the Concert for Love and Acceptance — organized by gay singer Ty Herndon and GLAAD — on June 12 and, serving as the backdrop to it all, the CMA Music Festival which ran from June 11 to 14. The CMA Music Festival had an unprecedented level of success this year, setting attendance records with more than 87,000 fans at- tending both paid and free shows each day across the festival's 11 stages. Tickets to the event sold out seven months ahead of time, but country music fans who weren't able to score a seat will have a chance to experience the excite- ment from their own living rooms when the condensed "CMA Music Festival: Country's Night to Rock" special airs Tuesday, Aug. 4, on ABC. Launched as Fan Fair in 1972, the first event attracted just 5,000 people, but saw increased success at the second annual Fan Fair when it doubled attendance numbers. A decade later, the fair relocated to the Tennessee State Fairgrounds, and, in 2001, it changed from having a single lo- cation to several stages through- out downtown Nashville. The fes- tival was rebranded three years later, dropping the familiar Fan Fair in favor of a more brand- friendly title. With approximately 500 acts performing over the course of four days, capturing the entire festival experience would have been im- possible, but producers have gath- ered and edited the footage down to bring the best of the best acts to the small screen. Among the fea- tured artists are Carrie Under- wood, Sam Hunt, Dierks Bentley, Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum, Eric Church, Florida Georgia Line and hosts Little Big Town. This year marks the third time that Little Big Town has hosted the "CMA Music Festival" TV special. Band members Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Jimi West- brook and Phillip Sweet have got- ten pretty adept at handling what is definitely a challenging task for people who don't host a special on a regular basis. Karen Fairchild and Kimberly Schlapman of Little Big Town perform at the 2015 CMA Music Festival A little bit country Little Big Town returns to host annual CMA Music Festival special 2 | Cover story Tipton Ford 3 x 10" A/Grindstone Charlie's B/Norris Insurance 1 x 4" 455-2700 3833 S. LaFountain • Kokomo, IN 46902 www.norrisinsurance.com • Home • Auto • Business • Life Call for a FREE Quote! Serving You For Over 50 Years Bill Neher Sales Team Derek Baxter • Ron Boyland Doug Shepherd • Jon Thomas Alex Garza TOLL FREE 765-675-8777 | 888-675-8778 965 East Jefferson St. Tipton • IN 2016 Ford Escape S 2015 Ford Focus S FWD 2015 Ford F150 Extended Cab 4x4 2015 Ford Fiesta SE FWD 2016 Ford Fusion SE FWD 2015 Ford F150 Crewcab 4x4 plus tax plus tax plus tax plus tax *Payments As Low As *Payments As Low As *Payments As Low As *Payments As Low As *Payments As Low As *Payments As Low As plus tax plus tax $359/mo $222/mo $479/mo $219/mo $288/mo $539/mo stk# 5f286 stk# 5f376 stk# 5T295 stk# 5f368 stk# 6F14 stk# 5T326 www.tiptonfordin.com 10,500 miles per year lease with $1000 down, plus fi rst payment and tax WAC

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