1. Media @ work
The MTN Radio Awards
gears up to celebrate the best
in radio once again
T
he 2011 MTN Radio Awards culminated in a stellar banquet at the and Station Awards for Programme Innovation – which will
Sandton Convention Centre on 9 April 2011, attended by many of look at people who are working towards new and exciting
the stars and leading lights of the radio industry, celebrating and ideas in radio programming. There is also an award for The
acknowledging not only the winners, but also the entire radio industry. Best Radio Programming Concept – where programming and
As the brainchild of Jeremy Maggs and based on similar awards elements of programming that make radio listening compelling
programmes for radio in other countries, the MTN Radio Awards aims to and that strengthen the bond between the listener and the
present a credible, well-judged transparent programme that promotes radio station/programme will be the key evaluation criteria.
and recognises excellence in radio, with the objective of ensuring that The 2012 MTN Radio Awards programme will also feature
radio remains one of South Africa’s foremost media choices. specific awards for Campus Radio as a sub-category of
Initially launched on a limited basis in 2010, the 2011 MTN Radio Awards Community Radio. Campus Radio has been a proven breeding
was substantially expanded in scope and in reach. Entries in 2011 ground for several radio stars, including on-air personality,
increased by 100% over the 2010 awards, largely due to the scope of Gareth Cliff, as well as Grant and Anele, the news staff at
the awards having been broadened to encompass all languages and several stations and even some people within the echelons of
certain new awards categories having been added for 2011. “When management within stations and organisations.
we launched the awards in 2010, we restricted the entries to English For the 2012 MTN Radio Awards, Public Broadcasting Service
language submissions only – largely due to logistical constraints at the (PBS) radio will be awarded separately, in recognition of the
time,” says Jeremy Maggs, founder of the MTN Radio Awards. “It was fact that it has a specific mandate with different programming
always our intention to make these awards fully inclusive to cater for the requirements, separating it from Community- and Commercial-
entire broadcast radio industry. We want anyone who works in radio to radio. In certain categories, PBS stations will also have the option
be able to participate in the MTN Radio Awards programme and we are of having their entries judged against commercial competitors, or
thrilled to see people quoting their nominations and citations for MTN within the PBS categories.
Radio Awards on their résumés.” “The Annual Radio Awards would not be possible without the
The entire running of the 2011 awards programme and event was a sponsorship and commitment of MTN,” says Maggs. “We have
substantial improvement over 2010 and with the continued commitment enjoyed excellent support from MTN, still one of the foremost
of MTN, the awards programme will continue to grow and establish itself advertisers on radio in South Africa. Their commitment to the
as the premier radio awards programme on the African continent. The medium and their enthusiasm for the Radio Awards is extremely
aim for 2012 is to further increase the number of entries received and to encouraging and their management is to be applauded for their
broaden the appeal and reinforce the credibility of the awards. foresight in sponsoring these awards.”
Lessons learned over the first two years of the MTN Radio Awards
will be applied to the 2012 programme. “For 2012, we are simplifying For details on the MTN Radio Awards past and present,
the entry process, eradicating onerous aspects of submitting award visit www.mtnradioawards.com.
entries,” says Lance Rothschild, newly appointed CEO of the MTN
Radio Awards. “Submissions can be entered online via the MTN
Radio Awards website (www.mtnradioawards.com); simplified entry
forms will all be available online, making them easier to work with.
In addition, entries that are submitted on disc will only require one
copy of the disc to be submitted. We believe that we need to ensure
that submitting radio awards entries should not be a full-time job for
station management and personnel.”
There are some new categories being included in the 2012 MTN
Radio Awards programme and these include: The Best Afternoon Drive
Presenter; The Best Afternoon Drive Show; The Best Weekend Show
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