Classic FM wins Gold at the Arqiva Awards

Global Radio has won seven out of their 15 Arqiva Award nominations, plus a Gold Award for Classic FM.

Global’s newly acquired group GMG Radio (Global Radio Stations LTD) won three, as did Absolute Radio and JACK fm Oxfordshire.


Of the 13 shortlisted entries from Bauer, the group only took home one, plus a Lifetime Achievement Award for Key 103 head of news John Pickford.

The Awards were handed out at London’s Westminster Bridge Park Plaza Hotel, attended by Take That’s Mark Owen and classical star, Katherine Jenkins. The Awards were hosted by Absolute Radio’s Christian O’Connell, with guest presenters including Ronnie Wood, Kay Burley and Lisa Snowdon, with live music from Noisettes, Stooshe and Misha B.

For the full list of winners, click here.

Out of Global Radio’s eight awards, three of those are for advertising, for National Sales Team of the Year, Best Branded Content for the Arla Starbuck’s Frappuccino and Capital FM Summertime Ball, and Most Effective Campaign for the Heart & More Th>n 2011 campaign. XFM’s Danny Wallace picked up Presenter of the Year (over 1 million TSA), Programmer of the Year went to James Brownlow at 95.8 Capital FM and Emma Barnett picked up Newcomer of the Year for her show on LBC 97.3. Station Event of the Year went to 95.8 Capital FM’s Jingle Bell Ball.

Global’s Classic FM received the Gold Award in its 20th anniversary year, with judges citing its ‘creativity, innovation, revenue generation and the constant refreshing of a product which enables it to stay at the top of its game and the front of advertisers’ minds year after year. ‘It’s been run by the same management team for the best part of a decade and many of the presenters who were there on day one are still delighting listeners today, joined by some of UK radio’s biggest stars.’

Absolute Radio won station of the year (over 1 million TSA). Ronnie Wood picked up two awards – Feature of the Year and Specialist Programme of the Year, produced by Somethin’ Else.

The Ali Booker Memorial Journalist of the Year Award was presented by Andrew Chapman (husband to Ali Booker) and Sue Carter from 106 JACKfm Oxfordshire on behalf of the Against Breast Cancer charity, and went to the news team at Bauer’s Radio Aire News. The award remembers former winner, journalist Ali Booker, who died of breast cancer in 2010.

GMG’s Real Radio Breakfast with Ewen & Cat received Breakfast Show of the Year (over 1 million TSA), and GMG’s Real Radio North West picked up the Social Action Initiative for their series on Cocaine Unwrapped.

106 JACKfm Oxfordshire picked up three awards – Station of the Year (300,000 – 1 million TSA), Presenter of the Year (under 1 Million TSA) for Trevor Marshall and the Station Imaging Award.

Station of the Year (under 300,000 TSA) went to Isle of Wight Radio. Quidem’s Touch FM’s Pride of Stratford Awards 2012 won the Marketing Award and Local Sales Team of the Year went to Orion’s Gem 106.

The RadioCentre Chairman’s Award went to GMG’s Jay Crawford at Real Radio Scotland, and Bauer’s John Pickford was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award.

The PPL Most Played award went to Adele, breaking Take That’s run of the previous four years. Jessie J was awarded the PPL Breakthrough award.

Advertiser of the Year went to Unilever, Best Creative Campaign went to Honda for its ‘Do You Believe in the Power of Dreams?’ ads and Media Agency of the Year went to Mediacom.

Andrew Harrison, Chief Executive of RadioCentre commented: “Congratulations to all our winners this evening – the standard of entries this year was particularly high, demonstrating once again, that commercial radio remains in rude health, producing innovative, creative content and compelling radio for our listeners.”

There were a total of 28 categories at this year’s awards, including the new category, Radio Station Event of the Year and seven categories for radio advertising, in what is the biggest annual celebration of UK commercial radio.

The Arqiva Commercial Radio Awards, now in their 17th year, are organised by RadioCentre, the industry body for commercial radio, and recognise excellence and achievement across the whole spectrum of commercial radio output, from presenters and programming to advertising and marketing.

Commercial radio’s 40th anniversary celebrations

The Awards ceremony also saw the launch, by RadioCentre’s Chief Executive Andrew Harrison, of a new Commercial Radio Top 40 to mark the 40th anniversary next year of commercial radio in the UK. The top 40 artists, bands, moguls, power brokers and DJs who have helped shaped commercial radio will be included. Two names were announced tonight with more to be revealed in the coming months.

Mark Owen from Take That accepted the first place on behalf of his group, one of the most successful boybands in UK music history. Classical music singer Katherine Jenkins was the second legend to be inducted. Katherine has helped change the perception of classical music and her nomination coincides with Classic FM’s 20th anniversary year, as classical music reaches a whole new audience.


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Posted on Wednesday, July 4th, 2012 at 9:56 pm by RadioToday Staff

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