To see it
CMA Awards finalists will be announced during the 8:30 a.m. segment of “Good Morning America” on Monday on ABC (Comcast channel 10, EPBFI channel 9 in Chattanooga).
There'll be no sleeping in for country singer Lauren Alaina on Labor Day, but the early wake-up call could be worth it.
The Rossville native will join Dustin Lynch and Brothers Osborne on "Good Morning America" Monday morning to announce the nominees for the 51st annual CMA Awards.
With any luck, Alaina could be in line for a nod from the Country Music Association. It doesn't always happen, but the CMA has been known to choose artists to announce the finalists who will learn the news of their own nomination live on air.
"There's definitely not a guarantee that these artists will get it," says Melissa "Mo" Turner, half of WUSY-US101's afternoon "Dex & Mo Show" with Bill "Dex" Poindexter. "But Lauren has the potential to be nominated in the CMA Best New Artist category and Best Female Vocalist."
This would be Alaina's first recognition from the CMA, but she is racking up plenty of other accolades. Country Music Television has branded her one of its Next Women of Country, and she recently scored her first CMT Music Award for Breakthrough Video of the Year. She earned her first Academy of Country Music nomination for New Female Vocalist of the Year this spring.
Her increasing exposure has been fueled by the success of her second album, "Road Less Traveled," a collection of 12 deeply personal songs all written by the young star. The title track, about having the courage to be fearless, became her first No. 1 single.
The project was selected as one of Rolling Stone's Most Anticipated Albums of 2017 and praised as "full of life lessons and uplift" by People magazine. Parade magazine has described the 22-year-old as a "sassy Southerner with killer pipes." Her current single, "Doin' Fine," has drawn praise from Rolling Stone for her signature "powerhouse, honey-toned vocals."
Since finishing as runner-up to Scotty McCreery in Season 10 of "American Idol," the Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School grad has shared the stage with superstars including Alan Jackson, Carrie Underwood, Jason Aldean, Martina McBride and, most recently, Luke Bryan on this summer's Huntin', Fishin' and Lovin' Every Day Tour.
The CMA Awards nominees and winners are determined by more than 7,800 professional members of CMA. Turner says there are three rounds of voting to winnow down to five finalists in 12 categories, recognizing rising and established male and female artists, single and song of the year and the year's top entertainer, among others.
Alaina and Lynch, both rising stars, and Brothers Osborne, the reigning CMA Vocal Duo of the Year, will announce nominees in select categories during the 8:30 a.m. EDT half-hour segment of "Good Morning America." Brothers Osborne will then close out the show with a performance of "It Ain't My Fault" live from New York's Times Square.
Immediately following the show, the remaining categories, as well as the CMA Broadcast Awards nominees, will be revealed on GoodMorningAmerica.com.
WUSY is the reigning Medium Market Station of the Year and cannot be in contention for the honor this year.
"You can only win every other year. That's known as the US101 rule," says Turner, referencing a CMA policy change after the Chattanooga station dominated the awards for seven consecutive years from 1995 to 2001.
The station's "Gator and Styckman Program," featuring Gator Harrison, Greg "Styckman" Owens and "Cowboy" Kyle Croft, is the reigning Medium Market Personality of the Year for 2016, besting, among others, their station cohorts Ken Hicks, Kelley Bradshaw and Daniel Wyatt. The "Dex & Mo Show" could be back in awards contention this year after winning in 2015.
The awards show will air live from Nashville on Wednesday, Nov. 8, with Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood as hosts.
Contact Lisa Denton at ldenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6281.