CMT Slashes Key Writing Staff, Adds Billy Ray Cyrus Impersonating Elvis
Things just keep getting more comical for CMT and its parent company Viacom, unless you’re one of the many who’ve been shown the door. As first reported in early March, CMT and Viacom are in the midst of a massive restructuring that has seen the company shed 264 employees just in their New York office alone, including many who worked for the CMT affiliate.
The moves are being made in an effort to combine various Viacom properties from three domestic network groups into two network organizations. CMT is being shuffled into the “Kids & Family” group, but apparently that won’t affect the amount of filth CMT serves up with reality shows such as Party Down South and their series of “Redneck” shows. These appear to be just about the only properties under the CMT umbrella being spared the axe.
Last week the Nashville offices of CMT were also hit hard with layoffs. An undisclosed amount of employees received pink slips, including some of the company’s most noted journalists and content contributors. Craig Shelburne, a 13-year CMT veteran, senior editor of CMT.com, editor of CMT Edge and producer for Live @ CMT and Concrete Country was shown the door, as was writer and producer Chris Parton who had been with the company since 2007. The dismissals continue CMT’s shift from a country music media apparatus to a low brow entertainment mecca for country-oriented corporate consumers.
No word on if the layoffs will mean the rolling up of CMT’s more independently-oriented CMT Edge, but the loss of Shelburne and Parton comes at a time when voices in country journalism at major outlets continue to contract.
During the first round of layoffs, a CMT spokesperson told The Wrap, “We are not shifting CMT’s programming direction. This will be clear next month when we unveil an ambitious and diverse programming slate that includes new original series and returning favorites.”
Well today saw the unveiling of some of those new shows, and at least one leaves viewers in stitches even before the first jokes fall flat. Starring none other than the country music punch line himself, Billy Ray Cyrus, CMT’s latest epiphany for solving their ratings and revenue tailspin is to cast Billy Ray as an Elvis impersonator named Vernon Brown, who appropriately, was a previous country music one hit wonder who then becomes the minister of a church outside of Nashville. The series is called Still The King.
No word on if a mostly naked Miley Cyrus or Billy Ray’s new bestie Shooter Jennings, or Billy’s famous mullet will make any cameos. If you need any further assurance about the show, rest easy knowing Billy Ray came up with the concept himself.
“Vernon has a great heart and really means to do good, but sometimes he just can’t help himself,” Cyrus told the AP. “Once you’ve pretended to be the King, where do you go from there?”
That’s a very good question Billy Ray.
Other shows slated to underwhelm the mind-numbed CMT viewer is a coming-of-age documentary involving a group of friends in small-town Florida, a series starring “YouTube prankster” Ed Bassmaster, and a late-night talk show with E! Entertainment extra Josh Wolf. Also as part of the announcement, a new show following Kellie Pickler and her husband around was unveiled.
Net earnings dropped 9% for Viacom in the last quarter, while revenue was down 6%. For some Viacom properties like TV Land, the news was even worse with losses reported around 24%. Many top executives across Viacom properties have been let go as part of the restructuring, yet the president and CEO of Viacom Philippe Dauman made a total of $44.3 million last year in salary and incentives.
April 2, 2015 @ 6:53 pm
sounds good to me. hafta sine up for the cabal tv tho.
April 2, 2015 @ 7:06 pm
Speaking of Shooter I noticed you have chosen to not review anything he has released recently, or any of the other releases coming from his label. Any particular reason for that?
April 2, 2015 @ 8:03 pm
I cannot review any of Shooter’s music because there is an element of his fan base that is not mature enough to handle objective music coverage, and regardless if I have positive or negative things to say, it will only result in death threats and other threats of physical harm or public ruin toward me and this website.
Of all the nasty things I have said over the years about Florida Georgia Line, Blake Shelton, Jason Aldean, and Luke Bryan, I have never received a single threat of any sort from anyone from those fan bases or anyone elses. However when it comes to Shooter fans, I have received multiple death threats in the form of comments, emails, calls to my personal unlisted cell phone, and physical mail to my house. I have also received other threats of physical harm and other forms of attempted blackmail and intimidation though all of those means.
Also appreciate that I am not the only outlet or individual who has been confronted by these issues. There are multiple outlets and individuals who do not and will not cover Shooter for these reasons.
However, I will mention Shooter if he is relevant to another topic, and I have not counted out covering music from him in the future. Furthermore, if he was doing anything that I felt was relevant to music beyond his own fan base, I probably would report or cover it, but at this point that is rarely, if ever the case.
April 2, 2015 @ 7:16 pm
You’re a day late with this, Trig.
April 2, 2015 @ 7:52 pm
The Billy Ray Cyrus information was released today, so I’m not sure that is possible. Or if you’re inferring something else, it flew over my head.
April 2, 2015 @ 8:08 pm
I’m saying this is so comical it should be an April Fool’s joke.
April 2, 2015 @ 8:09 pm
Ah! See it was me being dense! 🙂
April 3, 2015 @ 8:58 am
I had the same reaction. I have not been on the site in a few days, and when I saw the headline, I immediately checked to see if it was posted on the 1st.
April 4, 2015 @ 11:57 am
My first thought, as well.
April 2, 2015 @ 8:08 pm
This will actually be good for Kellie. Finally.
April 3, 2015 @ 9:14 am
Not so sure I agree. I think her association with a failing outfit may affect her credibility …although in all honesty and as much as I love what she records , I’m not sure there was ever enough interest in her by labels or radio . Firstly , she’s up against the ” no females need apply ” issue: secondly andSADLY, she is probably past her expiry date where radio is concerned . If any kinda career is going to happen for Kellie , she will likely have to do all the work any indie artist has to do in terms of promoting and exposing her music and talents to the masses . Radio was just never interested in her and unless she cranks up the EDM side , has a successful turn on a duet with a young hunk or gets involved in some sort of fluff- mag scandal or something , she may be a country music footnote already . ( Lorrie Morgan , Jo Dee Messina , Suzy Bogguss come to mind as having suffered similar fates where labels and radio are concerned . VERY sad …both GREAT singers .
April 4, 2015 @ 8:13 pm
I guess Kellie Pickler is happy where she’s at, right now. She’s got a good amount of money, has survived tough times as a strong woman. Pickler’s also in a lovely relationship and just caring to make music no matter how or where she does it.
She’s a huge personality and people like her. TV gold. She’s multi-talented.
An amazing singer, an outstanding entertainer with a great personality, an impressive DANCER and even a decent ACTRESS. Also, a humanitarian. She’s got it all.
April 6, 2015 @ 4:31 pm
I think Keller just wasn’t confortable with herself in her radio heyday. Had you seen her in concert during that time? She cried a lot whenever she performed. Had some issues with her personal life over the years obviously. Add that to her not making the music she truly wanted to make in retrospect. I think that had something to do with it anyways. Now she will be in a happy place in life hopefully and making the music she wants to make. Regardless if she wants to put it on radio or not. I’ll atleast give it a watch a few times. Kyle Jacobs her husband has had some cuts for other artists. Have to see what direction they go with it though.
April 3, 2015 @ 6:40 am
I honestly thought that was George Michael when I saw the picture…
April 3, 2015 @ 7:25 am
Sucks to see the CMT Edge crew was let go, they had some nice videos and interviews with independent and Alt-Country artists. Sadly it quickly seemed to fade in terms of the amount of content they were producing, which hurt the sub-site a lot I think.
Hopefully they land on their feet somewhere as Shelburne and Parton are both good writers, especially Shelburne.
The rest of the stuff is uninteresting to me, I honestly havent watched CMT in years. I think the last thing I tuned in for was the Shooter Jennings/Jamey Johnson Crossroads. Once they did away with all their focus on Country music and tried to become “redneck MTV” I just tuned out and never paid attention to any of it.
April 3, 2015 @ 8:33 am
If this was on another network like AMC I could see it being a good series. If played right with a lot of black humor and commentary about Nashville and the music business, it would work.
However, based on CMT’s track record I expect it will be awful.
April 3, 2015 @ 2:11 pm
I agree. The concept has some potential, and Billy Ray is a better sitcom actor than most people who didn’t have pre-pubescent daughters in the house while Hannah Montana was on the air will ever realize.
But I don’t expect CMT to handle it worth a damn.
April 5, 2015 @ 1:44 pm
Jesus, this guy has no shame, does he? Pathetic