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ACMs play to a loyal country audience to shore up ratings

By The Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — As the television industry deals with overall declines in total viewership, organizers behind the Academy of Country Music Awards are focused on keeping the core country music audience coming back each year to watch the genre’s biggest stars party in Las Vegas.

The ACM Awards, airing live Sunday on CBS (8 p.m. Eastern), are relying on two likable co-hosts, tried and true stars of the format, cross-genre collaborations, a party vibe and new music to keep fans tuned in.

“The audience that CBS draws to it on a weekly basis is right dead smack in the wheel of country music,” said Jack Sussman, the network’s executive vice president of special, music and live events. “Our audience is that audience and our job is to grow that above and beyond the core whenever we can.”

After decades of hosting the show in Los Angeles, the ACM Awards moved to Las Vegas in 2003 and several days of concerts, pool parties and songwriter showcases lead up to the televised show, which gives it a loose, fun atmosphere that artists enjoy, said R.A. Clark, an executive producer at dick clark productions. “We are the away game,” he said. “It feels more like a party than an awards show.”

The awards show has had positive ratings swings in recent years. In 2013, the show was watched by 15.5 million people, according to the Nielsen company, outdrawing the rival Country Music Association Awards show held the previous November for the first time. During a special 50th anniversary show in 2015 held at a football stadium in Arlington, Texas, just under 16 million people tuned in and gave the show its best viewership in 17 years.

But viewership took a steep drop last year to 11.2 million when the awards show went up against “The Walking Dead” season finale and the iHeartRadio Music Awards.

Marc Berman, editor-in-chief of the website Programming Insider, said ratings for all television, whether its awards shows or scripted series and even some sports, have been declining. The CMA Awards, the American Music Awards and the MTV Video Music Awards have been losing viewers over the past three years as viewership becomes more fragmented.

But Berman said he has little concern for country music awards shows. “There is a very strong base of country fans, I think, that are just very dedicated to country music,” he said. “They are always going to watch.”

This year’s ACM lineup includes reigning entertainer of the year Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Chris Stapleton, Little Big Town, Sam Hunt, Lady Antebellum, Rascal Flatts and Kelsea Ballerini. Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley return as co-hosts.

The announced collaborations stay pretty squarely within the genre, such as the Backstreet Boys performing with Florida Georgia Line on a song that already has a lot of country airplay. Power couple Faith Hill and Tim McGraw will debut “Speak to a Girl” from their forthcoming duets album; Maren Morris and Thomas Rhett will debut “Craving You,” a duet from two of the genre’s hottest young stars; Reba McEntire will sing a song from her new gospel album with popular Christian singer Lauren Daigle; and Cole Swindell will perform with Bentley on their song “Flatliner.”

“We do everything we can to keep it spontaneous, keep it exciting, keep it surprising so that people will be motivated to tell their friends about it as it’s going on,” said Barry Adelman, another executive producer with dick clark productions.

“You don’t know what’s going to happen, you don’t know what somebody might say, you don’t know what might go wrong, or happen unexpectedly. And that’s what gives the show the edge.”

The 52nd annual ACM Awards will air from the T-Mobile Arena. Keith Urban is the top nominee with seven, including a bid for entertainer of the year, pitting him against Aldean, Underwood, Bryan and Florida Georgia Line.

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Online:

http://www.acmcountry.com

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Follow Kristin M. Hall at twitter.com/kmhall

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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