CMA International Awards Given at CMA Music Festival

Posted by Sarah Norton on 06/16/2009
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Three respected international media representatives received CMA Awards during an Irish showcase at the Sommet Center Plaza Stage Friday during CMA Music Fest.

Joe Fish and Pio McCann, hosts of the Irish showcase, received the International Country Broadcaster Award for 2008.

"I would like to thank CMA," said Fish. "It's an honor to receive an Award for something that I still enjoy after 30 years."

"I'm hugely honored to receive such a prestigious award from CMA - one of the best days of my life," said McCann. "It makes me proud to be a part of the musical bridge between Nashville and Ireland."

Fish has presented Country programs in the United Kingdom for more than 30 years. And since 2000, he has presented the Country shows on BBC Radio Lancashire. He is also responsible for bringing groups from across Europe to the CMA Music Festival each year.

McCann has been a radio broadcaster for almost 30 years. He has produced a three-hour radio special "When Nashville Came to Ireland," a program which strongly reflects the links between America and Ireland musically and culturally.

The CMA International Broadcaster Award recognizes outstanding achievement by radio broadcasters outside the United States who have made important contributions toward the development of Country Music in their country.

Roger Ryan was presented the 2008 Wesley Rose International Media Achievement Award. He founded the Country Music Association of Ireland in 1969 and he has spent most of his life promoting Country Music.

"I am deeply grateful to CMA for giving me the Wesley Rose International Media Achievement Award," said Ryan. "Promoting Country Music has been a lifelong passion for me, and to be rewarded in this way is really a dream come true."

The Wesley Rose International Media Achievement Award recognizes outstanding achievements in the media, which contribute to the development of Country Music outside the United States.