CMT'S 'THE SINGING BEE' STOPS IN NASHVILLE TO CAST FOR SECOND SEASON

Auditions to Take Place Saturday, October 24 and Sunday, October 25

NASHVILLE � October 12, 2009 � CMT's hit series THE SINGING BEE will be conducting open casting calls in Nashville for contestants for its second season. The local casting call will take place at the Loews Vanderbilt Hotel at 2100 West End Ave. on Saturday, October 24 and Sunday, October 25 with auditions beginning at 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. each day. Interested applicants can email casting@thesingingbee.com for additional questions and information regarding the casting calls.

The 20-episode second season, returning with host Melissa Peterman, will begin taping in November and premiere in January 2010 on CMT. THE SINGING BEE recently ended its original run on CMT and ranks as the network's highest-rated series of the year.

THE SINGING BEE is produced by The Gurin Company and JUMA Entertainment. Executive Producers are Bob Horowitz and Phil Gurin. Co-Executive Producers are Lewis Fenton and Brennan Huntington. Claire McCabe along with Bob Kusbit and John Hamlin serve as executive producers for CMT.

CMT, a unit of Viacom's MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B), is the leading television and digital authority on country music and entertainment, reaching more than 88 million homes in the U.S. CMT and its website, CMT.com, offer an unparalleled mix of music, news, live concerts and series and is the top resource for country music on demand. The network's digital platforms include the 24-hour music channel, CMT Pure Country, CMT Mobile and CMT VOD.