This is the date of the 2024 American Music Awards, now on CBS

The American Music Awards, a program on ABC from 1974 to 2022, is moving to CBS. The first show on its new network is set for Sunday, October 6, live on both coasts at 8:00 p.m. ET and 5:00 p.m. PT and broadcast on Paramount+.

The official announcement was made Friday (April 26) by CBS and Dick Clark Productions (DCP), which produces the 2024 AMAs. The nominees are based on key fan interactions as reflected in Advertising sign charts – including streaming, album sales, song sales and radio.

The AMAs are the third major show CBS has picked up in recent years, following the CMT Music Awards (in 2022) and the Golden Globes (earlier this year, having previously aired the show in 1981-82). CBS is also the longtime home of the Grammy Awards (since 1973), the Tony Awards (since 1978), and the Kennedy Center Honors (also since 1978).

With the departure of the AMAs from ABC, the Oscars are ABC's longest-running awards show. The Oscars moved from NBC to ABC in 1976.

The AMAs were created as an alternative for fans of the Grammys. The first two live Grammy telecasts in March 1971 and March 1972 aired on ABC. When the Grammys moved to CBS for the March 1973 telecast, ABC looked for a show to fill that void and went with the fan-based Dick Clark Show.

In December 1973, Clark was working the first AMAs, which would begin on February 19, 1974. The veteran producer knew a little publicity couldn't hurt, so he made time for an interview with Advertising signby Bob Kirsch which ran on the front page of the December 15, 1973 issue under the headline “ABC-TV Slates Favorite Acts' Awards Feb. 19.”

At the end of the piece, Clark tried to take a long view of his fledgling show and said, “If this is done right, we might have a show that lasts 20 years and finally gets the general public involved in the popular music awards. . “

Clark underestimated the longevity of his own creation. This year's AMAs will be the 51st (there were two shows in 2003).

The first show was only 90 minutes. It is now three o'clock. The show for its first five years had a narrow focus on three broad genres – pop/rock, soul/R&B and country. It now recognizes many more genres, including hip-hop, Latin, inspirational, gospel, Afrobeats and K-pop.

But, for the most part, the vision Clark outlined to Kirsch 50 years ago still guides the show.

“This is perhaps the first time that a major effort has been made to test the public musical taste of the US through popular vote. … To date, we have received an extremely favorable response from those in the music industry we have spoken to about the show. They seem delighted at the opportunity to be honored by the music-buying public.”

Helen Reddy, Smokey Robinson and Roger Miller were on the first show – each representing one of the three main genres. Reddy, who was hot at the time, was also the inaugural winner of Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist. Clark was an executive producer of that first show. Bill Lee was the producer. Directed by John Moffitt.

A master showman, Clarke was a legend in both music and television. He received a Trustees Award from the Recording Academy in 1990 and was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1992. He died in 2012 at the age of 82.

DCP is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a subsidiary of Penske Media Corporation (PMC) and a joint venture between PMC and Eldridge. PMC is its parent company Advertising sign.