'Grand Ole Opry' leaving CMT for smaller network

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The live telecast of the Grand Ole Opry is moving from Country Music Television to its smaller competitor, Great American Country.

The hour-long country music show, "Grand Ole Opry Live," has appeared on CMT every Saturday night since 2001. It draws 1.5 million to 2 million viewers and was CMT's highest-rated weekly series.

The move means the TV broadcast will reach fewer viewers. Great American Country, started in 1996, reaches only 25.2 million U.S. households, compared to the more than 70 million households reached by CMT.

"There isn't a bigger, longer-running music show on TV today," said Jeff Wayne, president of Great American Country, whose parent company is Jones Media Networks of Englewood, Colo. "It really puts us on the map."

CMT and Gaylord Entertainment, which owns the Opry, tried but failed to negotiate a new agreement with the Opry.

GAC will air the show at 7 p.m. Saturdays.

The Opry's TV show has been on the air for 18 years. Before CMT, it appeared on TNN.