City Talk wins two news awards

City Talk is one of over a dozen UK stations to take home a prize in the New York Festivals Radio Programming and Promotions Awards.

City Talk 105.9, which recently dropped its all speech format, won the the Gold World Medal awards for the Best Newscast, and a Finalist Certificate for Best Talk Format.
In Belfast, Citybeat took home the Gold World Medal for “Citybeat Young Star Search” and two Silver World Medals for “Belfast Tonight” and “Stuart and WEB”. Commenting on the wins, Citybeat Station Director, Richard Collett said: “These awards mark a mark a major achievement, not just for our own station, but for the Northern Ireland radio industry as a whole."
The BBC managed to bag two Gold awards, for Best Music Special (“The White Album' 40th Anniversary”) made by Ten Alps Radio, and in the Profiles/Community Portraits category (“Elegy for the Tech”) produced by Whistledown Productions for the BBC World Service.
In all, the BBC were involved with nine awards, ranging from BBC Radio 2 to BBC 7.
Elsewhere in commercial radio, 106.4 Andover Sound took home the Bronze World Medal for “Remembering Jamie” in the Best News Documentary/Special category, an award which wner and Managing Director Ian Axton is very proud of: "Winning a New York Award is a huge accolade for any radio station, but for an independent station which is one of the smallest in the UK this is a huge achievement. It’s a tribute to the great work of our News Editor Ben McGrail and to the entire team that make Andover Sound what it is - passionate, professional local radio."
Meanwhile, 106 JACK fm continues its winning with a bronze in the Best Comedy Special for “Around the World in 80 Phone Calls”, which wound up radio presenters around the world. JACKfm breakfast presenter Trevor Marshall told RadioToday.co.uk: "It’s amazing what radio hosts will fall for.. my accents were horrendous, the stories were completely unbelievable, yet station after station fell for our fake caller Jack."
In Scotland, Bauer Media cleaned up with no less than six awards for Forth 1, Forth 2, Northsound and Clyde 1.
Production company Blue Revolution also picked up a Finalist Certificate for “Christmas Day With Santa” in the Best Childrens/Young Adults category. The two hour programme was broadcast by over 40 radio stations at Christmastime 2008. Nick Pitts, Blue Revolution’s Head Of Content, commented: “We’re absolutely delighted that ‘Christmas Day With Santa’ has proved to be such a huge success. To be recognised by the New York Radio Festival is amazing and we’re already locked in negotiations with Santa to bring his award-winning show back this Christmas.”
The full list of winners is below:
[b]Blue Revolution Ltd[/b]
Finalist Certificate
“Christmas Day With Santa”
Best Childrens/Young Adults Program
[b]Brook Lapping Productions / BBC Radio 4[/b]
Gold World Medal
“The New York 77 Blackout”
History
[b]City Talk 105.9[/b]
Gold World Medal
“City Talk 105.9 News”
Best Newscast
[b]Cliftondiocese.com[/b]
Gold World Medal
“Let Us Pod: The Budgerigar and the Prisoner – an advent reflection”
Religion
[b]Crosslab Productions / BBC [/b]
Gold World Medal
“NINA BLACK”
Best Drama Special
[b]FM107.9 and JACKfm - Oxfordshire[/b]
Bronze World Medal
“Around the World in 80 Phone Calls”
Best Comedy Special
[b]Fresh Air Production / CBeebies Radio / BBC 7[/b]
Bronze World Medal
“The Mudds”
Best Childrens/Young Adults Program
[b]Manx Radio[/b]
Finalist Certificate
“Stu Peters Rock Show Trail 1”
Programs/Series Promotion
[b]Moving Theatre / European Culture 2000, Arts Council England[/b]
Bronze World Medal
“The Works”
Entertainment
[b]Premier Media Group[/b]
Finalist Certificate
“Unbelievable? - Misquoting Jesus - The Debate”
Talk Program: Panel Discussion/Debate
[b]Radio City 96.7[/b]
Finalist Certificate
“Citytalk 105.9 Liverpool”
Best Talk Format
[b]Ruth Evans Productions for BBC World Service[/b]
Silver World Medal
“The 66 Club”
Health/Medical
Finalist Certificate
“Like Confessing A Murder”
Best Drama Special
[b]Scantlebury Productions / Goldsmiths College[/b]
Silver World Medal
“And Then She Was Gone”
Best Drama Special
[b]TBI Media / Yamha[/b]
Bronze World Medal
“The Yamaha Download”
General
[b]Ten Alps Radio / BBC Radio 2[/b]
Gold World Medal
“TheWhite Album' 40th Anniversary”
Best Music Special
Finalist Certificate
“Che Lives!”
History
Finalist Certificate
“The Album as Art”
Best Music Special
[b]Unique[/b]
Bronze World Medal
“Robbie Williams and Jon Ronson Journey to the Other Side”
Human Relations
[b]Whistledown Productions / BBC World Service[/b]
Gold World Medal
“Elegy for the Tech”
Profiles/Community Portraits
[b]Whistledown Productions/Goldsmiths College[/b]
Finalist Certificate
“The Sounds of Flanders”
History
[b]97.3 Forth One[/b]
Gold World Medal
“BOOGIE AND DINGO”
Best Comedy/Humor Personality: Local
Silver World Medal
"FRIDAY NIGHT FLOORFILLERS WITH KRYSTLE”
Best Regularly Scheduled Music Program
[b]102.5FM Clyde 1[/b]
Silver World Medal
“Bowie @ Breakfast”
Best Music/Personality Show
[b]1548 Forth 2[/b]
Finalist Certificate
"DARREN ADAM”
Best Personality: Local Market
[b]Northsound Radio[/b]
Silver World Medal
“Northsound 1”
Best Top 40 Format
Silver World Medal
“Piper Alpha 20 – Lest We Forget”
Community Service
[b]Square Dog Radio LLP for BBC Radio 4[/b]
Bronze World Medal
“Clair Patterson – Scourge of the Lead
Industry"
Environmental Program
Finalist Certificate
“Textbook Diplomacy"
Best News Documentary/Special
The competition aims to recognise the World's Best Work in radio broadcasting, and has been doing so for 52 years, with entries from over 30 countries.