CBS to reair 'The Christmas Shoes'
CBS will rebroadcast its No. 1 rated 2002 made-for-television holiday movie, "The Christmas Shoes," Dec. 21, 8 pm EST/ 7 pm CST. The film, based onNewSong’s No. 1 hit, "The Christmas Shoes," will impact Top 40, Adult Top 40 and Christian radio formats this season as well.
"The Christmas Shoes" song, followed by a New York Times best-selling novella, garnered attention of CBS executives who, touched by its universal message of hope, created a made-for-TV movie. "The Christmas Shoes," which first aired in 2002, drew 17 million viewers making it the most watched and highest-rated original movie of the season.
"We’re ecstatic to see how this song has touched so many lives," noted Eddie Carswell, co-founder of NewSong. "We’re thrilled to see the movie rebroadcast on CBS and we’re reminded daily that this is completely a ‘God thing;’ that a simple story of giving would amount to this high-profile attention. We’re very excited to be a part of bringing a message of hope this holiday season."
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The CBS made-for-television film tells the story of a workaholic attorney (Rob Lowe) who crosses paths with a young boy on Christmas Eve and rediscovers the true meaning of love, life and the holiday season. Kimberly Williams-Paisley (Father of the Bride) plays an elementary music teacher fighting a congenital heart disease.
NewSong, no strangers to the road, will kick off its "The Christmas Shoes" tour, with special guest Nicole C. Mullen, on Nov. 30 in its hometown of Atlanta. Visiting a scheduled 8 markets this winter, the run will be making stops in Cincinnati, Grand Rapids, Mich., and closing in Myrtle Beach, SC in mid Dec.
Chris Lutts, promoter for both the Cincinnati and Grand Rapids dates said, "We’re excited about this tour because NewSong has an amazing live show and it will be all the more special because of the additional Christmas material they’ll be performing. ‘The Christmas Shoes,’ of course, is still a powerful song and people are eager to experience it live. I have no doubt that it will be a great night of music!"
At retail, The Christmas Shoes will be featured at a suggested sales price of $10.99 running from Nov. 4 through Dec. 31, along with several other Christmas favorites from the Provident Music Distribution family. The band’s newest project, More Life, is involved in several campaigns until the end of the year including PMD’s BLUR and Now Playing promotions. The album is also featured in retails stores as part of the Min-Vid and Viewscan audio and visual promotions.
In addition to promotions through Provident Music Distribution, The Christmas Shoes will be featured on an endcap partnership with Integrity, CBA distributor for St. Martin’s "The Christmas Shoes" title. The endcap will include "The Christmas Blessing," Donna VanLiere’s second book in her Christmas Hope series, along with "The Christmas Shoes" book and CD.
With the rebroadcast of "The Christmas Shoes," a targeted promotion will be launched in 25 Adult Contemporary and Inspirational markets during the 5 day period prior to the movie. The promotion will feature I>The Christmas Shoes CD, "The Christmas Shoes" and "The Christmas Blessing" books, along with the More Life CD. Stations will be promoting the NewSong Prize pack exclusively during morning shows and afternoon drives.
The GRAMMY nominated group recently claimed the No. 10 position on Billboard’s Contemporary Christian SoundScan chart its first week out with More Life, which released Sept. 9. The album more than tripled first-week scans of its previous studio album, Sheltering Tree, released in 2000. More Life was No. 2 on the Top Christian Albums charts and the band’s highest debut for first week sales in its career.
NewSong founded and has hosted the popular multi-artist Summer and Winter Jams for the past eight years featuring artists like Rebecca St. James, Newsboys and Audio Adrenaline among others, in major venues nationwide. Last year’s Winter and Summer Jams drew more than 150,000 people overall.
In addition to the Jams, NewSong founded and hosts the winter and summer Xtreme Youth Conference. Each year, the group sings in the new-year with three, three-day Xtreme events in Gatlinburg, Tenn., as well as a winter Xtreme event in Branson, Mo.
During the span of their career, NewSong has released 15 albums and scored 17 No. 1 songs. Among numerous other accolades for the band, NewSong has garnered a GRAMMY nomination and six Gospel Music Association Dove Award nominations throughout its tenure. NewSong was recently featured in a Christian music special on NBC’s "The Today Show."
