Case Studies

Media Research
Concept Testing
Country Music Television operated in the shadows of its older siblings MTV and VH1 since its inception. When CMT hired a highly-successful radio programmer and long-time Paragon client to be its new VP/General Manager in 2002, the channel was set on a course for change.

Paragon conducted a series of Focus Groups around the nation to find out what CMT meant in the heartland. Everything on the channel was probed…music, programs, sets, hosts, the news, etc. New concepts were created and tested.

In short order, CMT was completely re-made. The music strategy was honed, new sets were built to reflect a more authentically Country look and feel, hosts who really knew and reflected the Country lifestyle were added, and highly-successful new programs were created. CMT’s growth skyrocketed. Ratings increases for CMT remain the envy of its older siblings down the hall.

Media Research
Marketing Research
Country Music Television operated in the shadows of its older siblings MTV and VH1 since its inception. When CMT hired a highly-successful radio programmer and long-time Paragon client to be its new VP/General Manager in 2002, the channel was set on a course for change.

Paragon conducted a series of Focus Groups around the nation to find out what CMT meant in the heartland. Everything on the channel was probed…music, programs, sets, hosts, the news, etc. New concepts were created and tested.

In short order, CMT was completely re-made. The music strategy was honed, new sets were built to reflect a more authentically Country look and feel, hosts who really knew and reflected the Country lifestyle were added, and highly-successful new programs were created. CMT’s growth skyrocketed. Ratings increases for CMT remain the envy of its older siblings down the hall.

Media Consulting
Media & Content Strategy
Beginning in 2002, Mike consulted the new VP/General Manager at CMT who had transitioned to TV from radio where he had been a Paragon client and very successful programmer. The dilemma facing CMT was that it lacked credibility and ratings, particularly from the Country core audience.

Over the course of the next few years, CMT was completely re-made. The music strategy evolved to a more appealing mix of videos, new sets were built to be authentically Country, credible Country hosts were added, and very successful new programs were created. CMT’s growth skyrocketed and CMT remains one of the darlings of the MTV network channels.

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