New York, NY (Top40 Charts) New York: NY media magnate, Robert "
Bobby" Clarke, founder and CEO of NY based Irie Jam Radio, WVIP, 93.5FM was recently honored by the government of
Jamaica at
Kings House. Clarke, was conferred with the Order of Distinction, (OD) Officer class for 20 years of dedicated media services to Jamaican nationals of the New York tri-state area.
To celebrate the life changing moment with Clarke, were his wife Syntyche and business partner; kids Amber, Christian & Jayde-Madison; business partners Louie Grant & Michael Williams; Irie Jam radio jocks Dubb Master Chris, DJ Roy, Irwine Clarke, Jabba, Irie Dale plus other friends and well-wishers.
"It feels tremendously humbling to receive this award which is reserved for distinguished citizens of Jamaica" Clarke said moments after the
Kings House presentation.
"The years of service to the NY tri-state community is one I take very serious. This award is not only for me but for my entire Irie Jam team that I have worked with diligently for the past 24 years. This is also for the tri-state area community - the listeners of Irie Jam whom we work for. My team feel privileged to be able to keep them informed with news, sports, music and their Jamaican culture on a daily basis" he said.
Hours after the
Kings House formalities, Clarke extended the celebration to a private reception in his honor at Kingsley Cooper's Villa Ronai in Stony Hill.
Bobby's passion has always been to "make it big in America" which motivated his migration to New York City 30 years ago, a place bustling with young immigrants seeking to achieve a piece of the American dream. He obtained an Associates Degree in Computer Science at Monroe College and pursued a B.A. in Business Administration at Iona.
His first attempt at being the connoisseur businessman he now is, was with Bronx Travel Express, which he started with a high school friend. The venture was fairly successful but after 3 years, he yearned for something more challenging. Armed with encouragement from his friends, he took the three-hour trek to Ocho Rios,
Jamaica and met with the top brass of IRIE FM. He outlined a strategic plan of how a radio link could be successfully accomplished and how it would open the floodgates of opportunities for both companies. Within months Irie Jam radio was on air and Clarke had successfully masterminded the very first Caribbean radio simulcast between
Jamaica and New York.
Irie Jam has come a long way since. With over 40 hours of weekly programs, the station is now the loudest voice to the Caribbean Diaspora community in the tri-state.
Aside from his exploits in media,
Bobby has served as co-produced of Irie Jamboree, North America's premier reggae festival in Queens, NY. Other signature events his Media Group has pioneered include Irie Fashion Rave, Orcabessa Bliss and the recently launched Irie Butterfly Foundation Summer camp in Queens.
For almost a decade, Clarke and his team partnered with Reebok/adidas to market and promote the annual adidas Grand Prix where Olympic
Champion Usain Bolt first broke the100m world record in 2008.
"I could not have achieved any measure of success without the help and support of my partners, my staff, family, friends and of course, our listeners. We continue to build and maintain relationships with several individuals and organizations at various levels in the business and entertainment industries. These synergies we feel will enable us to further enhance our vision to offer quality programs and to compete with mainstream media entities" he noted.
