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Granger Smith
Jeremy CowartPremiere Networks will conclude a seven-year affiliation with CMT after Dec. 31, 2021, a rep tells Billboard. Premiere Networks will end its syndication of the nightly radio program CMT Radio Live after Dec. 31, a move that coincides with the upcoming departure of media personality Cody Alan from CMT After MidNite With Cody Alan at the end of 2021 (After MidNite will also drop its CMT branding after Dec. 31, 2021).
Billboard has also learned that CMT Radio Live will be put on hiatus, pending a rebranding of the show.
Beginning in January, Premiere’s After MidNite will welcome BBR Music Group artist Granger Smith as the new host and will rebrand as After MidNite With Granger Smith.
“I’m incredibly honored to take the reins of After MidNite!” Smith said in a statement. “The unique opportunity to bring great music and speak to such a wide variety of listeners from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m. can have a profound impact on people’s lives and that responsibility is not lost on me. I’m so excited to get started!”
In addition to his new role on After MidNite, Smith will continue to host and produce his Granger Smith podcast and his family YouTube show The Smiths. He also oversees the apparel/lifestyle brand Yee Yee Apparel that he launched with his brothers Parker and Tyler.
“We couldn’t be happier to welcome a multi-platform talent of Granger’s caliber to our Premiere family,” said Julie Talbott, president of Premiere Networks. “His unique point of view as a country music artist will undoubtedly resonate with our loyal listeners, and we’re confident he’ll bring a new level of energy and excitement, and a connection with people that will really shine on After MidNite.”
Alan announced his upcoming departure from After MidNite via Instagram on Tuesday, stating, “I’ll be hosting my last After MidNite Show for iHeartRadio on New Years Eve—excited to bring you something new in 2022!”
After MidNite, which has 200 affiliates, launched in 1993 and was hosted by Blair Garner through 2013. The show then rebranded as CMT After MidNite With Cody Alan following a partnership between Premiere parent company iHeartMedia and CMT.
As part of that agreement, Premiere also began syndicating CMT Radio Live With Cody Alan. After MidNite airs Monday through Sunday, from midnight to 6 a.m., as well as on the American Forces Network and the iHeartRadio app.
A rep for CMT stated, “Cody Alan is a valuable member of the CMT family, most notably remaining as host of the top-rated weekend show CMT Hot 20 Countdown, with a just-announced contract renewal into 2022. We look forward to continuing our relationship with Cody into the new year and beyond on a variety of projects.”
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in London, joined by IDLES and Kojey Radical. He later collaborated with Fred Again.. on the electronic track “Lights Burn Dimmer,” which incorporates and reshapes elements from Jamie’s 2023 song “Hippodrome.”
During a conversation with Radio 1 presenter Jack Saunders on Wednesday, Aug. 19, Jamie called the collaboration a “big deal” for him. “That song, when I wrote it, I hadn’t realised until I heard Fred’s version how much hope was in the lyrics. I felt quite emotional when I heard Fred’s version, and his spin on it. That was really helpful for me, as I wrote that song at quite a difficult time in my life. To see it turned into a more euphoric thing was really quite lovely.”
Jamie will offer an early taste of the new album during a small, exclusive performance at Scala in London on Thursday, Aug. 20. The concert will be his first headline appearance since playing to 40,000 people at Finsbury Park, although he made a short guest appearance with Fred Again.. in February during the producer’s USB002 tour run at Alexandra Palace.
After breaking through in 2007 with the Mercury Prize nominated Panic Prevention, Jamie went on to release another four studio records, with each reaching the top 10 of the Official U.K. Albums Chart. He has also appeared at Glastonbury Festival on several occasions, including his widely praised headline performance on the Woodsies Stage in 2022.
Check out “3310” below.
