IT’S BALLOTING SEASON AT CMA!


Ballot Schedule for “The 49th Annual CMA Awards” Announced; CMA Now Accepting Submissions for the 2015 CMA Broadcast Awards

NASHVILLE – CMA balloting season is here! The Country Music Association is now accepting online submissions for the 2015 CMA Broadcast Awards for Broadcast Personality, Station, and National Broadcast Personality of the Year at Broadcast.CMAawards.com.

“It is central to CMA’s mission as a trade association to recognize and honor excellence in the format,” said Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “We take pride in setting the bar for awards presentation and we constantly strive to maintain the highest standards in balloting and voting for the many honors presented by CMA.”

Categories for submission include Broadcast Personality in four different market sizes (major, large, medium, and small) as well as CMA National Broadcast Personality of the Year. To submit an entry, CMA member radio stations and broadcast personalities in the U.S. and Canada should log on to Broadcast.CMAawards.com, where guidelines and instructions for entries are posted. The site will continue to accept submissions until Saturday, June 27 (6:00 PM/CT).

All entries must reflect performances and events between June 1, 2014 and May 31, 2015. CMA’s panel of judges, which includes distinguished radio and industry professionals, will be able to view and evaluate each entry online.

CMA Broadcast Award winners will be notified in early October and recognized at “The 49th Annual CMA Awards,” which will be held later this year in Nashville. The annual gala, which is known as “Country Music’s Biggest Night™,” will be broadcast live on the ABC Television Network. For more information about CMA Broadcast Award entries please contact Brandi Simms, CMA Senior Director of Membership and Balloting, at BSimms@CMAworld.com.

The 2015 CMA Awards nominees and winners are determined by more than 7,400 professional members of CMA, which was the first trade organization formed to promote an individual genre of music in 1958. The eligibility period for the 2015 CMA Awards is July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2015. All voting for “The 49th Annual CMA Awards” will be conducted online.

The first ballot and instructions will be emailed Monday, July 6 to CMA members in good standing who are eligible to vote. Voting for the first ballot closes Thursday, July 16 (6:00 PM/CT).

The second ballot will be emailed to CMA members Tuesday, Aug. 11. Voting for the second ballot closes Thursday, Aug. 20 (6:00 PM/CT). The final nominees in each of the 12 categories will be announced in early September.

Winners of “The 49th Annual CMA Awards” will be determined in a final round of voting by eligible voting CMA members. The third and final ballot will be emailed to CMA members Thursday, Oct. 8. Voting for the CMA Awards final ballot ends Tuesday, Oct. 27 (6:00 PM/CT). All balloting is officiated by the international accounting firm of Deloitte & Touche LLP.

The first “CMA Awards Banquet and Show” was held in 1967. The following year, the CMA Awards was broadcast on television for the first time – making it the longest running, annual music awards program on network TV. The CMA Awards have aired on ABC since 2006. ABC will be the network home of the CMA Awards and CMA’s other two television properties, “CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock” and “CMA Country Christmas,” through 2021.

Country Music Association: More than 7,400 music industry professionals and companies around the globe are members of CMA. Formed in 1958 as the first trade association for a single genre of music, the organization’s objectives are to serve as an educational and professional resource for the industry while advancing the growth of Country Music around the world. This is accomplished through CMA’s numerous  initiatives including  CMA Music Festival and the companion CMA Music Festival television special; the CMA Awards, recognized as Country Music’s Biggest Night™; and “CMA Country Christmas,” which airs during the holidays. All of CMA’s TV properties air on the ABC Television Network through 2021. For information about CMA visit CMAworld.com.