RADIO NEWS

2nd MTN Radio Awards launched

Thu, 11 Nov 2010 14:49

Radio stations all around South Africa are urged to enter the 2nd Annual MTN Radio Awards, which will be presented at Johannesburg’s Sandton Convention Centre in April 2011. Entries open on 1 December and close on 31 January.

Unlike the inaugural awards which took place in May this year and were only open to English radio stations, the 2011 MTN Radio Awards are open to all radio stations – public service, commercial, community and vernacular stations. In addition, the number of categories has been expanded.

The awards were created by the Future Group together with sponsor MTN to recognise excellence in radio while simultaneously recognising the country’s diversity. This is South Africa’s only dedicated radio awards event.

At the official launch of the awards held at the Westcliff Hotel on 11 November, former radio presenter Jeremy Maggs said that a number of changes had been implemented to make the 2011 awards inclusive of all radio stations in the country.

“The 2011 event welcomes vernacular radio stations. Another key difference is the expanded number of categories, many of which place fresh emphasis on community stations. For instance, one category judges the impact of radio stations on their community as community stations are mandated to have a positive effect on the lives of their listeners. Other new categories include Best Performing Station in terms of fulfilling the community mandate and Best Traffic Reporter,” explained Maggs.

In a first, a Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented at the 2011 event. Awards will also be given to the Best News and Actuality Show. Other new awards are: Best Sports Commentator and Presenter; Best Radio Producer of Content (Commercial, Community and Public Broadcasting); Best Drama Programme (Community and Public Broadcasting Sector); Best On-Air Packaging; and Best Community Presenter.

At the launch MTN Senior Manager Brand Strategy & Media Planning Natasha Basson said that MTN was proud to partner the Future Group in recognising radio as a significant part of the broadcast spectrum in South Africa. “Radio has proved to be the most accessible medium in the country. There are five million radios in circulation in South Africa. We are excited about the prospect of receiving entries from all corners of the country, in all our official languages.”

Steering Committee member David Mashabela said that the promotion and motivation of excellence in radio was the goal of the awards. “The judges are looking for programming that draws people in and is intimate. We hope that the changes we have made to the categories will inspire radio stations to enter. The challenges facing radio licensees is extreme so the onus is on radio stations and presenters to come up with compelling content to retain listeners. I’m happy to report that the business side of radio is doing well despite the recession. Advertisers still see radio as a viable medium”

Among the judges for the 2011 event are Loerie Awards CEO Andrew Human; Chairman of Yellowwood Brand Architects Andy Rice; Dan Moyane (Momentum Group); David Mashabela; Donald Liphoko; e.tv’s Lara Kantor; Lawrence Dube; Rob McLennan (Net#work BBDO) and industry veteran Stan Katz.

The Steering Committee comprises Human, Rice, Mashabela, John Culverwell and Lance Rothschild.

Last year’s event attracted 199 submissions, amounting to more than 24 hours of audio time.

The MTN Radio Awards have the full support of the country’s major commercials and public seervice radio plaers including the SABC, Primedia Broadcasting, Kagiso Broadcasting, African Media Entertainment (AME), and the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB).

For more information log on to www.mtnradioawards.co.za

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