Commercial radio took a haul of a record 14 gold awards at tonight’s Sony Radio Academy Awards, with the BBC getting 23.
Radio 2’s Jeremy Vine was the only presenter to pick up two golds, while 5 Live bagged a total of six. talkSPORT was the surprise winner of UK Station of the Year.
Annie Nightingale and Jenni Murray picked up the Special and Gold Awards. The judges said Annie”s award was “in recognition of more than 40 years of exceptional broadcasting including her breakthrough achievements, her championship of the new, and the inspiration she has given to music makers and broadcasters alike. Jenni Murray was lauded: For a career of exemplary broadcasting, for her incisive yet sensitive interviewing skills, her championship of the woman’s perspective and the inspiration she has given to others.
talkSPORT not only got their first ever Station of the Year award, but also two further golds – Moz Dee for Programmer of the Year and the last year’s World Cup promos were named for Best Promotional/Advertising campaign.
Sporting rivals BBC Radio Five live also had lots to cheer about winning a total of six golds, the highest number for any BBC station. Star strikers for Five live, were Nicky Campbell and Shelagh Fogarty carrying off the hotly contested Breakfast Show of the Year (10 million plus) with the judges commenting: “This is truly populist radio, created by Gold standard journalists”, Colin Murray’s ‘Fighting Talk’ making him number one for Best Sports Programme and triple nominee, Victoria Derbyshire, taking the honours in Best News and Current Affairs Programme.
Radio 2’s Jeremy Vine picked up Speech Broadcaster of the Year and Best Interview of the Year, which was for the chat with Gordon Brown right after the infamous “Shes a bigoted woman” tape.
Ronnie Wood missed out on the Sony Rising Star Award to Robbie Savage, but made up for it with Music Radio Personality of the Year, while his Absolute colleague Frank Skinner beat Moyles and Westwood to Best Entertainment Programme, two of three Golds , three Silvers and a Bronze for a beaming Absolute Radio.
One of the most popular winners on the night was BBC London 94.9″s and 5 live”s Danny Baker, who became Speech Radio Personality of the Year just weeks after returning to the air after treatment for cancer.
Around the UK, the Station of the Year awards for non-national TSAs went to Central FM, BBC Radio Derby and Real Radio North West.
Commercial radio”s 14 awards saw each of Global, UTV and Absolute Radio pick up 3 golds, while GMG won two and Bauer just one (Kiss for Station Imaging).
Tim Blackmore, Chairman of the Sony Radio Academy Awards said: “In spite of the continuing emergence of new platforms and of video ubiquity, the creative use of sound continues to attract massive and regular support from the vast majority of the British public. This is entirely down to the skills and talents of radio professionals in all sectors of the audio business and it is these awards that continue to highlight their ever impressive levels of achievement.”
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Posted on Monday, May 9th, 2011 at 10:37 pm by RadioToday UK