CMT Most Wanted Live
| CMT Most Wanted Live | |
|---|---|
Logo, 2003-2004
|
|
| Starring |
Lance Smith (2001) Amber Mogg (2001) Katie Cook (2002-2004) Greg Martin (2002) Cledus T. Judd (2002-2004) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | ±500 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | CMT |
| Original release | May 28, 2001 – April 3, 2004 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows |
Total Request Live CMT Stacked |
| External links | |
| Website | |
CMT Most Wanted Live, or MWL, is a country music video countdown show airing on CMT from 2001 to 2004.
Most Wanted Live was a country music spin-off of sister network MTV's Total Request Live, which features mostly pop, rap, and R&B videos. The original format of MWL was nearly identical to TRL, but it was altered several times and encountered two host changes throughout its three-year run. Much like TRL, viewers cast their votes online at CMT's website or via a toll-free telephone number. A total of ten videos were counted down daily, but not all ten would be aired in their entirety due to time constraints.
MWL debuted May 28, 2001, broadcasting live with a small studio audience from the lobby of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in downtown Nashville, Tennessee. The show initially aired in afternoons Tuesday through Friday. Co-hosting the show were Lance Smith and Amber Mogg, both in their early twenties at the time. During this era, the show was targeted at the youth demographic, featuring many baby blue and pink colors on-screen and a graphics scheme modeled after the periodic table of elements. Insets of studio audience members commenting on the current video as well as internet messages from across the country were included into the show, much like TRL. Often, country music stars would appear for live, acoustic performances. Smith and Mogg would together present the videos and interact with the audience, and Mogg alone would periodically deliver country music news and artist updates.
On January 5, 2002, after a holiday hiatus, the show's broadcast location was moved across town to the Gibson Bluegrass Showcase at Opry Mills mall. Though the format remained mostly the same, the show was retooled, aiming for a more mature audience. The periodic table scheme remained, but the show was given a darker, more rustic color scheme. The number of videos shown was reduced from ten to eight. The audience insets were also eliminated, but the internet messages remained. It was at this time, also, that MWL experienced its first host change. Amber Mogg left CMT and Lance Smith was moved to the network's Top Twenty Countdown show. Katie Cook and Greg Martin replaced Smith and Mogg. As part of the move to Opry Mills, the show added a Saturday airing, to act as a lead-in to Opry Backstage, which itself was a lead-in to CMT's live coverage of the Grand Ole Opry. Another host change occurred with less fanfare in October 2002, when Greg Martin was released. He was quickly replaced by Cledus T. Judd, a face with which many country music fans were already familiar.
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