Exclusive Half-Hour Radio Special Hosted by Ryan Seacrest to Air Ahead of Season Premiere of Renowned Singing Competition on Sunday, March 3 on The ABC Television Network 

New York, NY – February 28, 2019 – iHeartMedia announced today it will celebrate the highly anticipated March 3 season premiere of The ABC Television Network’s beloved singing competition series “American Idol” with a radio special hosted by Ryan Seacrest and broadcast across more than 90 iHeartMedia AC and Hot AC radio stations nationwide.

The thirty-minute special will air Sunday, March 3 (between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. local time depending the station and market) and will feature songs from current “American Idol” judges and past contestants, exclusive content and information about the iconic series, providing unparalleled access ahead of the show’s two-hour season premiere that night at 8:00 p.m. EST on ABC. 

As part of the promotion, local iHeartMedia stations in key markets will feature a commercial free “American Idol” PM drive takeover on March 6 to build excitement for the show’s second premiere week episode, airing that night at 8:00 p.m. EST. In addition to playing today’s biggest hits, the hour-long broadcast will include special audio content from the show. The “American Idol” promotion will also feature content from the hit show on iHeartMedia’s array of national and local brand social platforms.

“‘American Idol’ continues to be one of America’s favorite singing competition shows,” Adrienne Pabst EVP, Connections & Agency Partnerships. “We can’t wait to help ABC celebrate its return with a week of amazing content across iHeartMedia’s extensive network of media platforms that will make music fans across the country even more excited for the premiere.”

“Fans of ‘American Idol’ are always in search of more access to music and personal stories, and we are thrilled to work with iHeartMedia to give our audiences what they want via this exclusive show airing across America,” said Gary Shanas, Vice President, Media Strategy & Planning, Disney-ABC Television.

“American Idol” returns to The ABC Television Network on Sunday, March 3 (8:00–10:01 p.m. EST), streaming and on demand, after first making its return to the airwaves as the No. 1 reality show launch for its inaugural season on the network during the 2017-2018 season. Returning this season to discover an all-new crop of inspiring singers are music industry legends and all-star judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie, as well as Emmy^® Award-winning host and producer Seacrest as host. Famed iHeartMedia multimedia personality Bobby Bones will take on the role of in-house mentor.

In the highly anticipated premiere episode, viewers will embark on a nation-wide journey starting with the shows’ famed judge auditions in Louisville, Kentucky; Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; Los Angeles, California; New York, New York; and Denver, Colorado, where aspiring singers will see if they have what it takes to earn a coveted golden ticket to Hollywood.

“American Idol” is produced by Fremantle and Industrial Media’s 19 Entertainment. Executive producers include Fremantle’s Trish Kinane, also serving as showrunner, Jennifer Mullin, Megan Wolflick and Industrial Media’s Chris Anokute. Fremantle distributes the series worldwide. 

About ABC Entertainment

ABC Entertainment airs compelling programming across all day parts, including the new dramas “A Million Little Things” and “The Rookie,” starring Nathan Fillion; and new comedies “The Conners,” “The Kids Are Alright” and “Single Parents.” The ABC Television Network is also home to the groundbreaking dramas “The Good Doctor,” “How to Get Away with Murder” and “Grey’s Anatomy”; the Emmy® Award-winning “Modern Family” and trailblazing comedy favorites “black-ish,” “American Housewife,” “Fresh Off the Boat,” “The Goldbergs,” “Speechless” and “Splitting Up Together”; hit game shows “The $100,000 Pyramid,” “Celebrity Family Feud,” “Match Game” and “To Tell the Truth”; star-making sensation “American Idol”; reality phenomenon “Shark Tank,” iconic “The Bachelor” franchise, long-running hits “Dancing with the Stars” and “America’s Funniest Home Videos”; “General Hospital,” which has aired for over 50 years on the network; and late-night talk show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” The network also boasts some of television’s most prestigious awards shows, including “The Oscars®,” “The CMA Awards” and “The American Music Awards.”

ABC’s multiplatform business initiative also allows viewers to watch current episodes of their favorite ABC shows anytime, anywhere on ABC.com and the ABC app for desktop, smartphone, tablet or connected TV devices.

About Ryan Seacrest

Ryan Seacrest is a creative entrepreneur and holds preeminent positions in broadcast and cable television, as well as nationally syndicated and local radio. Seacrest is host of the iconic music competitions series “American Idol” on ABC and executive producer of the annual live ABC broadcast of “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest.” He is co-host and executive producer of the Disney/ABC nationally syndicated entertainment talk show “Live with Kelly and Ryan.” Seacrest also serves as host and executive producer of “E! Live from the Red Carpet” award season shows. On radio, Seacrest is host of "On Air with Ryan Seacrest," his market-topping #1 nationally syndicated LA morning drive-time show for iHeartMedia's 102.7 KIIS-FM, as well as a nationally-syndicated Top 40 radio show. Seacrest helms Ryan Seacrest Productions (RSP) an Emmy-winning entertainment production company. RSP produces the E! hit cable series “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” and its spin-offs, “E! Live from the Red Carpet” award shows, as well as Bravo’s “Shahs of Sunset.” Additionally, RSP produces “Insatiable” for Netflix. The company also produced the Emmy Award-winning reality series "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution.”