Gospel Music Channel Makes Way for Stellar Awards

By Josh Kimball, Christian Post Reporter Sunday, March 01, 2009

Gospel Music Channel (GMC) will telecast the 2009 Stellar Awards for the first time on Sunday and re-air the show throughout the month of March.

In April, the fast-growing television network will also premiere a new series, "The Best of the Stellars," which will spotlight the most memorable moments, performances and interviews from the first 23 years of The Stellar Awards.

The Stellar Awards and The Best of The Stellars on GMC are part of a new multi-year licensing agreement between GMC, Central City Productions (CCP) and Don Jackson, CEO of CCP and Stellar Awards executive producer.

"Gospel Music Channel has become the number-one television destination for gospel music fans so it is fitting that The Stellars will now be seen on GMC," says Jackson. "Gospel Music Channel's amazing growth will help make The Stellar Awards more accessible to more viewers around the country. We look forward to the Stellars' presence on GMC year round."

The 24th Annual Stellar Awards was held Saturday, Jan. 17, at the historic Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tenn., and featured Sinbad, Dorinda Clark Cole and Donnie McClurkin as its co-hosts.

The Gospel music event included a special tribute to President Barack Obama, whose inauguration was only days before the Awards, as well as a moving musical tribute to the Rev. Timothy Wright, who was critically injured last year in a car crash that killed his wife and grandson.

The Stellar Gospel Music Awards is produced each year by Chicago-based Central City Productions, Inc. (CCP) and has come to become the premier Gospel music event recognizing and honoring African American artists.

This year's sponsors included Chevrolet, American Airlines, Allstate, Walgreens, McDonalds, Johnson & Johnson, and Wal-Mart, among others.

On the Web:
Complete listings at www.gospelmusicchannel.com/schedule