Nashville-Based Country Music Association Presents Three International CMA Honors

Posted by Lisa L. Rollins Aug 22, 2009

Three respected international media representatives recently were presented awards from the Country Music Assocation during an Irish showcase at the Sommet Center Plaza Stage in Nashville.

Joe Fish and Pio McCann, who served as hosts for the Irish showcase, were each presented with the International Country Broadcaster Award, while Roger Ryan received the Wesley Rose International Media Achievement Award.

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

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

Award-recipient Ryan, too, was honored with his prize, remarking, "I am deeply grateful to CMA for giving me the Wesley Rose International Media Achievement Award. Promoting country music has been a lifelong passion for me, and to be rewarded in this way is really a dream come true."

About the Award Recipients

Fish has presented country programs in the United Kingdom for more than 30 years, and since 2000, he's presented country shows on BBC Radio Lancashire. He also has served as a successful tour operator company that brings groups, which hail from a variety of countries including England, France, Spain, Norway and Italy, to CMA's annual music fest.

A radio broadcaster for almost 30 years, McCann has produced a three-hour radio special, When Nashville Came to Ireland, a program that reportedly reflects the links between America and Ireland musically and culturally. McCann's been a presenter of artist spotlight radio specials, including his last special with guest Dolly Parton, that aired in 2008.

Ryan, meanwhile, founded the Country Music Association of Ireland in 1969 and has spent much of his life promoting the country genre. A country-music correspondent for the Cork Evening Echo for more than 20 years, he's also He is the chief writer for Personalities magazine, as well as a host of a video show on www.ptvireland.com.

Per the CMA, its 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. Similarly, its Wesley Rose International Media Achievement Award recognizes outstanding achievements in the media that contributes to the development of country music beyond the U.S.