The biggest night for the country’s agricultural marketers and communicators just got bigger. For the first time, the Best of NAMA (National Agri-Marketing Association) Awards ceremony will be nationally televised to more than 29 million viewers on RFD-TV.

“Best of NAMA is the industry’s premier event, recognizing the most outstanding work in agricultural advertising, marketing and public relations,” explains Eldon White, executive vice president and CEO of NAMA. “RFD-TV’s televised broadcast of the ceremony provides rural America with a front-row seat to see the entries that are awarded the highest honors within our industry.”

RFD-TV reaches 29 million households in all 50 states and is the nation’s first 24-hour television network dedicated to serving the needs and interests of rural America.

“This is the night when agri-marketers across the country salute the best of the best, and where rural and ag customers can see if their favorite advertising and marketing campaigns are among the winning entries,” says Mike Hansen, executive vice-president, RFD-TV. “RFD-TV applauds everyone in agricultural marketing communications who worked so hard to inform, educate and sometimes entertain the agricultural industry about products and issues that matter the most, and we are excited to share the winning work with viewers across the country.”

RFD-TV and AgriMarketing, the official publication of NAMA, will collaborate to provide official media coverage of the Best of NAMA awards ceremony.

“This joint effort between RFD-TV and AgriMarketing enables NAMA news to be shared not only with agricultural communicators, but with the agriculture and rural America audiences,” says Lynn Henderson, publisher, AgriMarketing. “We are excited to work with RFD-TV to elevate the prestige of the Best of NAMA awards by bringing it to the national networks.”

The Best of NAMA Awards ceremony takes place April 19 in Kansas City, Mo., and will be aired on RFD-TV at a soon-to-be-announced date. Programming from the Best of NAMA awards will include footage from the awards ceremony, interviews with winners and highlights of the winning entries. RFD-TV is featured on DIRECTV® (channel 379), DISH Network™ (channel 9409) and Mediacom® (channel 78).

RFD Communications Inc. was launched in December 2000. RFD-TV is the nation’s first 24-hour television network dedicated to serving the needs and interests of rural America and agriculture. The network is produced and uplinked via satellite to all 50 states from Northstar Studios in Nashville, Tenn. RFD-TV is proudly distributed nationwide and carried by DISH Network, DIRECTV, Mediacom and NCTC cable systems, with cable systems regularly adding the network. The corporate and national sales office is based in Omaha, Neb. Due to popular demand, the company started publishing its bimonthly RFD-TV The Magazine in July 2003 to support its program schedule. RFD Communications can be contacted via phone at 402-614-1436 or at www.RFDTV.com.