First-Ever Live Telecast of Dove Awards Airs Tonight
Gospel Music Channel reaches a milestone Wednesday night when it features the first-ever live telecast of the Dove Awards, a ceremony honoring the best in Gospel and Christian music.
In past years, the awards were syndicated and shown later on tape.
But on Wednesday, audiences tuning in to Gospel Music Channel will see winners claim their coveted Dove Awards – which have been likened to the Christian Grammys – in real time. This will be the awards' 39th year running.
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GMC will take a trip down memory lane with day-long presentations of "The Best of The Doves Marathon," which will feature highlights from the past 38 years of the awards. The program will culminate with the live telecast of the show at the Grand Old Opry in Nashville, starting at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Already reaching a unique market as the only 24/7 television network dedicated to Gospel and Christian music, GMC recently sealed a deal with DirecTV that made the network available in 16 million more homes last month. That puts the potential reach of the network to more than 40 million – more than one-third of the nation.
That extra audience made the Dove Awards interested in moving to the network, said John Styll, president of the Gospel Music Association, which organizes the awards, reported The Associated Press.
"They have actually surprised me in that it's better than I expected it would be," Styll told AP, which recently ran an article reporting GMC as the fastest growing cable TV network. "Their on-air look is as professional as anything I've seen on television."
The Dove Awards are held at the end of GMA's annual Music Week, a five-day event consisting of seminars, showcases, workshops, networking and worship opportunities for veterans and newbies to the Christian music industry. The Music Week kicked off on Sat., April 19.
Former Christian contenders on the popular talent show "American Idol" will reunite on Wednesday night to perform for the Dove Awards. Music veterans Michael W. Smith and Amy Grant will also perform. Jordin Sparks, winner of the show's last season, was scheduled to perform but it is not certain whether recent announcements of her ailing vocal condition will affect her appearance.
The awards event will also feature the first live performance of "So Great," a song co-written by many of the Christian music greats to benefit Compassionart, a charity dedicated to generating income from music to benefit the poorest of the poor. The group – which includes Chris Tomlin, Steven Curtis Chapman, Israel Houghton, Michael W. Smith, Paul Baloche and Christy Nockels – is part of a movement in which Christian music artists are using their music to do more than testify their faith but also raise awareness to global issues such as poverty.
To celebrate the Dove Awards, American Bible Society, sponsor of the live telecast, has published "Scriptures From the Heart, Music for the Soul," a Bible journal featuring a collection of scriptures, reflections and inspirational stories from popular Gospel music artists such as Take 6, Jeni Varnadeau and Joel Engle.
