KLFM is East’s best for 3rd year in row

UKRD’s KLFM has been named as East Anglia’s best small radio station for the third year running.

The Kings Lynn-based station has picked up the Radio Academy Nations and Regions Award for the East. It’s one of 12 stations with TSAs under 300,000 that have been honoured in the announcement today. Another UKRD station, Sun FM, won in the North East of England. Other groups with winning stations are Quidem for Touch FM and Bauer for Moray Firth Radio.

Each of the 12 goes forward to be considered for the local radio station of the year prize (TSA up to 1million) at the Radio Academy Awards next May. KLFM went on to win the Sony award in both 2012 and 2013.

The full list of Radio Academy Nations and Regions winners is as follows:

East Anglia – KLFM 96.7
East Midlands – Siren FM
London & South East – National Prison Radio
Midlands – 102 Touch FM
North East – Sun FM
North West – Manx Radio
Northern Ireland – Raidió Fáilte 107.1fm
Scotland – Moray Firth Radio
South – Isle of Wight Radio
South West – Somer Valley FM
Wales – Calon FM
Yorkshire – BCB 106.8fm

The awards aim to celebrate programming that caters for the needs of a local audience, recognising the passion, commitment and outstanding content of UK local radio.

Paul Robinson, Chief Executive Officer of The Radio Academy said: ” These awards celebrate the very best in local and regional radio which is at the heart of the communities they serve providing essential information and entertainment and as well as being a vital source of new talent and training for the rest of the industry. I congratulate all the stations nominated for their excellence of achievement and deep understanding of their audiences.”

Jon Kirby, Programme Controller, Real and Smooth Ltd and Chairman of the 2013 Nations and Regions Awards Judging Panel said: “The standard of entries this year was superb right across the board, and in several cases the judges debated long and hard over their final decision. Each region has a worthy winner but there were many other entries that gave those winners a real run for their money. Overall, the judges were hugely impressed with the passion, dedication and expertise displayed in each winning entry and how well each station served its target audience.”

What the judges said about each station
East Anglia – KL.FM 96.7
“A station that is truly in touch with its TSA and broadcasts live in their area any chance they get. They love to put their listeners’ lives and stories live on air and their listeners sound like they really enjoy the role they play too. A superbly creative station which pushes radio features that we think we know that bit further, resulting in really high quality output. The station sounds like a real part of its community, both responding to and creating really relevant talking points. A fun station that demonstrates high production values, knows its audience and manages to galvanise huge community support. Impressive.”

East Midlands – Siren FM
“Siren FM is a really ambitious and creatively interesting station. They’re doing something different but in their own way and are firmly rooted in their community. A mix of local experiences and stories with global themes – relating the world to Lincolnshire and vice versa. This entry displayed a great range of voices and topics on air as well as a great mix of youth, heritage, diversity and local history. A student station that demonstrates good engagement with both students and the wider listener. The schedule was eclectic and the station sounded good and fresh.”

London & South East – National Prison Radio
“This is a station with a clear understanding of its purpose and who it serves, whilst all the while being a force for positive change. Programming is focused, relevant and at times inspirational with some great insight for their audience. This entry demonstrated high quality radio and showcased great skills and natural talent; brilliantly combining real people’s stories with interesting and intellectual debate. A great range of items, hugely informative, honest and a genuinely compulsive listen.”

Midlands – 102 Touch FM
“A station that strives to tell the stories and champion issues in its patch through strong local journalism that demonstrates a real knack for what’s important in its area. It’s great to hear that there’s still room for this sort of local radio in today’s world of networked big-brands. Touch FM offers a great listen, serving its community with relatable topics, good coverage, music and chat.”

North East – Sun FM
“This is a station that loves to capture the humour of its TSA and allows its listeners to be the star. It continues to punch above its weight and lead the market against powerful brands. The audience clearly have real affection for this station which finds original ways to get into the local community and reach their listeners. This is evident in its great audience figures. One of the most energetic entries, Sun FM delivers with plenty of bounce, fun, force and passion. Though entertainment-driven, it doesn’t sway from those really hitting matters that are at the heart of the community. For the number one station in the area, this station sounded fresh and local with great input from its listeners.”

North West – Manx Radio
“A station which works hard to deliver a broad and comprehensive service to its audience. Proudly local, but with a world view, there’s a real depth to Manx Radio and a huge passion and dedication to deliver for their audience, but all the while demonstrating excellence across the board.”

Northern Ireland – Raidió Fáilte 107.1fm
“It was a total joy to listen to this entry and a real treat for the ears. Raidió Fáilte oozes passion for its language, its audience, and for radio itself in everything that it does. It works hard to promote and preserve not just a language, but also creative and authentic radio. It’s refreshing to know that our industry can find a place for bilingual Irish/ Polish/ French programmes! The judges found this region particularly tough to judge, but despite stiff competition from other excellent stations, Raidió Fáilte won out through its ambition and breadth.”

Scotland – Moray Firth Radio
“A great combination of high-quality output and presentation, comprehensive coverage of important local issues, and a real sense of having fun which creates great, entertaining radio. A station unafraid to be ambitious with a broad range of programming strands all delivered with purpose, passion and conviction.”

South – Isle of Wight Radio
“Excellent local journalism, really holding a local decision maker to account with a tenacity that wouldn’t sound out of place on a national level. This entry had one of the strongest attention-grabbing starts. This is a station with a demonstrable ability to reflect the unique interests of the island in an entertaining and informative way. Isle of Wight Radio serves the Island well with some good interaction with its listeners and it has a great broadcast ethos that sounds very professional.”

South West – Somer Valley FM
“Bursting with ideas and ambition, Somer Valley remains true to its ethos of “Popular Local Radio With A Powerful Social Agenda”. Programmed with unashamed variety, it is polished, fun and knows how to tell a great story and engage with its audience. A wide ranging and ambitious station which feels like it’s truly by and for its community with high-quality output from OBs to sport commentary and specialist music. A lovely variety of content, that made you really want to listen and discover more about the area. By offering a service by and for the very local community, this station was a compulsive listen that gave a good flavour of the area and discussed some important issues whilst sounding great.”

Wales – Calon FM
“Calon FM serves its audience well with its clever use of language and colorful story telling. This is a station with a strong and impressive range of bilingual output from arts through to politics, and some really strong presenters. The station is very accessible, stays fun throughout and fulfils one of the best yet simplest straplines – uniting the community. Truly local and interactive, it offers a great service to the area on a budget.”

Yorkshire – BCB 106.6fm
“Capturing the heartache and joy of life in its area, BCB punches well above its weight with passionate programming that handles its subject matter with respect and integrity. It clearly loves broadcasting to Bradford and delivers a product that the city can be proud of. The station sounded celebratory about the people and place that it serves – exactly how community radio should sound. You can clearly hear how this station has taken the time to genuinely integrate itself within the community. It feels totally at one with its audience.”