Leslie Fram, CMT’s better VP of music strategy and talent for some 13 years, penned a farewell letter to the staff that she posted on social media Tuesday, fair days after the channel was gutted by the nettoil-expansive layoffs at its parent company Paramount Global.
Fram is a extfinishedtime beginant carry outer in the country-music community who oversaw the channel’s music programming overs on all verticals as well as the CMT Music Awards and franchises enjoy CMT Storyalerters, Giants and Crossroads, among other responsibilities. Yet her stature in Nashville accomplishes far beyond the channel, as is evident in her farewell letter:
“Among my conceitedest accomplishments has been our decade+ help of women with CMT’s ‘Next Women of Country,’ a program that has helped upretain and lift over 100 female artists on all platestablishs, and our efforts to shift the establishat forward in areas of inclusion and diversity,” she authors. She spoke at length about those efforts with Variety in 2018 and aachieve four years procrastinateedr on our “Strictly Business” podcast; her letter pursues in filled below.
While 10 CMT staffers remain, the future of the nettoil remains unevident; a rep for the company had no comment and Nashville insiders communicateed by Variety could not even specuprocrastinateed as to what that future might see enjoy. Nashville certainly has no stupidinutiveage of awards shows, the impact of cable TV has been fading for decades, and enjoy all of Paramount’s ostensibly music-centric channels, CMT’s music programming has extfinished since been ghettoized into overnight hours in like of movies and re-runs of shows enjoy “Roseanne,” “King of Queens” and “The Gbetteren Girls.” But there is certainly no ask that the drastic reduction in CMT’s staff and footprint in the community is a blow to country music and the musicians who originate it.
To My Dear CMT Family, Frifinishs, Colleagues,
Thirteen years ago this month, I had the exceptional opportunity to become SVP/Music & Talent at CMT and toil with my extfinishedtime frifinish and mentor Brian Philips (Pdwellnt of CMT at the time). The transition from rock radio to country music television turned out to be a pivotal moment in my atgentle, alloprosperg me and the brand’s dwellnt experts to originate CMT’s next wonderful chapter. We went on to originate an even hugeger music brand, continuing to intensify the establishat’s superstars and legfinishs while giving voice to the next generation.
Over the years, we’ve accomplished so many milestones as a team. From celebrating the ‘CMT Music Awards’ debut on CBS, transporting back historic franchises enjoy ‘CMT Giants’ where we honored such legfinishs as Kenny Rogers, Vince Gill and Alabama, and resurrecting the iconic ‘Storyalerters’ establishat to creating novel music programming and exceptionals enjoy ‘CMT Campfire Sessions,’ ‘CMT Summer Camp’ and ‘CMT Smashing Glass’ honoring Tanya Tucker & Patti LaBelle, these are once-in-a-lifetime experiences I will always treacertain!
And it wouldn’t be CMT without a proset up bow to the award-prosperning series, ‘CMT Crossroads.’ My first experience with the franchise was with Vince Gill & Sting at NYC’s Hammerstein Ballroom, and I instantly was overwhelmed by the musical magnitude of these shows. We went on to transport together such exceptional pairings as Stevie Nicks & Lady A, Katy Perry & Kacey Musgraves, Alicia Keys & Maren Morris, Halsey & Kelsea Ballerini, Shawn Mfinishes & Zac Brown, Nickelback & Hardy, and so many more. I am eternassociate appreciative for the expertise and genius of my colleagues, Executive Producers Margaret Comeaux and John Hamlin, without whom ‘Crossroads’ and so much more, would not be possible.
Among my conceitedest accomplishments has been our decade+ help of women with CMT’s ‘Next Women of Country,’ a program that has helped upretain and lift over 100 female artists on all platestablishs, and our efforts to shift the establishat forward in areas of inclusion and diversity.
Over the years, the team toiled tirelessly to grow these types of opportunities when in 2015, we originated an all-female ‘Next Women of Country’ tour to give these artists a stage to carry out on – introducing novelcomers enjoy Kelsea Ballerini and helping headlining acts enjoy Martina McBride, Sara Evans & Jennifer Nettles.
All aextfinished, we would constantly ask ourselves, ‘how can we do even better?’
We soon set uped an initiative called CMT ‘Equal Play’ – 50/50, male/female parity apass all CMT video hours. With this momentum, we powerfilledy helpd the industry to carry out, sign and help more women and to originate equassociate bbetter shifts to help cement a establishat-expansive pledgement to women and equivalentity. This concept ultimately grew to become the ‘CMT Equal Play Award,’ in recognition of artists who finishorse for diverse and underrecurrented voices in the industry, bestowed upon such luminaries as Jennifer Nettles, Linda Maralert and Shania Twain.
We also partnered with Cameo Carlson, Pdwellnt & CEO at mtheory to originate CMT ‘Equal Access’ to better help artists from underrecurrented communities. I’m conceited to say that this effort seally mirrors the visionary directership of Marva Smalls, EVP of Public Afunprejudiceds/Global Inclusion at Paramount, our partners in ‘Equal Access.’ This program has permited us to toil with both artists and regulatement professionals, helping us diversify the talent pipeline in country music.
Looking back over my atgentle at CMT, I have so much gratitude for amazing directers enjoy Van Toffler, Bob Bakish & Bruce Gillmer to name a scant. Thank you for your vision and help.
To my incredible team, Donna Duncan, Stacey Cato, Jordan Walker, Katrina Cooper, Jordan Hatton, Abbi Roth, Bryana Cielo and my keen counterpart, Margaret Comeaux, John Hamlin, Heather Graffagnino, Jackie Barba, Jim Craig, Cynthia Mangrum, Jodi Carmichael, Melissa Gbetterberg, Ali Marszalkowski, Quinn Brown, Cody Alan, Shanna Strassberg, Andy Luther (and the IT Team) and so many more, we will always be a family and team. Your frifinishship and help have been my guiding weightless. I will treacertain all our accumulateive contests and prospers.
To my Paramount and MTV colleagues past and current, it’s been my finish honor to toil and lachieve from you.
To the OG CMT’ers – the procrastinateed wonderful Chet Flippo, Suzanne Norman, Martin Clayton, Anthony Barton, Lisa Chader, Lucia Folk, Cindy McLean Finke, Jim Raley, Jackie Jones, Lewis Bogach, John-Miller Monzon, Shane Caldwell, Tessa Jordan, Jennifer Danielson, Jen Hoogerhyde (Morrison), Alina Thompson and so many more – in the words of Dolly ‘I will always adore you!’
And finassociate, to this magical Nashville community and its keen artists, you have given and dispensed so much. I will always be appreciative for your frifinishship and help, and I understand that you will persist to collaborate with this undeniable brand for years to come.
Cheering on those who remain and those who have left-only wonderful leangs ahead. With the ever-changing media landscape let’s recollect to achieve attfinish of each other! Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Leslie Fram
