SCOTS broadcaster, Eddie Mair, is again among the winners at the UK’s most prestigious radio awards ceremony, the Sony Radio Academy Awards.
Mair – who was also among the winning team in the Best Breaking News Coverage category – took the Best Interview gold medal.
While former footballer, Andy Gray, was also a winner – in the Best Sports Programme category – it was the minor places for the other Scots nominations.
Arguably, the story of the evening was the prize won by two pensioners, insodoing beating comedian, Frank Skinner, and Scots nomination, Bauer Media Scotland’s Boogie and Dingo.
Radio Humberside’s Beryl and Betty took the top prize in the Best Entertainment Programme category, with Skinner taking bronze, behind silver medal winners, Adam and Joe, on BBC Radio 6 Music.
Another of the big headlines was the Station of the Year award going to BBC Radio 6 Music, which faced closure just a couple of years ago.
Elsewhere, Scots musician, Ricky Ross, was awarded a bronze medal, behind winner, David Rodigan, and silver medal winner, Ronnie Wood, in the Best Specialist Music Programme. The Deacon Blue frontman had been nominated for Another Country with Ricky Ross on BBC Radio Scotland.
And in Best Music Programme category, In: Demand Scotland – also from Bauer Media Scotland – took silver.
In the ‘Small Station of the Year’ category, more formally known as Station of the Year (under 300,000), Inverness-based Moray Firth Radio lost out to Norfolk-based KL.FM, as did Garrison FM, which has stations throughout the UK, including Edinburgh.
This is the 30th year of the awards. The ceremony was hosted by broadcaster, Chris Evans – named Music Radio Personality of the Year – with the event reported live by radiotoday.co.uk
The pick of other winners included Danny Baker who took, for a second year in a row, the Speech Radio Personality of the Year prize. It was a good night too for KISS.
In total, the BBC won 53 awards (across gold, silver and bronze), 22 of them gold. Commercial radio, meanwhile, took 35 awards, 13 of them gold.
The judges’ Special Award went to Classic FM – celebrating its 20th birthday this year – and the host of Just a Minute, Nicholas Parsons, was accorded the Academy’s highest honour: the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Helping provide the entertainment were Alexandra Burke, Gary Barlow and Jessie J.
The winners list reads:
Rising Star
Winner: Luke Franks, Fun Kids
Station of the Year (Under 300,000)
Winner: KL.FM
Nominated: Garrison FM
Moray Firth Radio
Best Breaking News Coverage
Winner: PM – BBC Radio 4
Silver: August Riots – BBC Radio 5 live
Bronze: Gary Speed’s Death – BBC Radio 5 live
Nominated: Birmingham Riots – brmb
The Riots – GMG Radio North West News Team for Real Radio North West
Best Community Programming
Winner: Face to Face – Prison Radio Associations for National Prison Radio
Silver: Handle With Care – BBC Radio Berkshire and Company Paradiso for BBC Radio Berkshire
Bronze: Behind Bars – Prison Radio Association for National Prison Radio
Nominated: Cocaine Unwrapped – Real Radio – GMG Radio North West News Team for Real Radio North West
Lonely at Christmas – BBC Radio Oxford
Best News and Current Affairs Programme
Winner: 5 live Drive – BBC Radio News for BBC Radio 5 live
Silver: SITREP – BFBS
Bronze: The Sunday Roast with Caroline – 106 JACK fm Oxfordshire
Nominated: Radio 1 Newsbeat – BBC Radio 1
The World At One – BBC Radio 4
Best Sports Programme
Winner: Keys & Gray – talkSPORT
Silver: Rock ‘N’ Roll Football – Survival Sunday – USP Content for Absolute Radio
Bronze: Kicking Off with Colin Murray – BBC Radio Sport for BBC Radio 5 live
Nominated: Gerr’um On Side – UTV Media for 102.4 Wish FM and 107.2 Wire FM
My Sporting Life – talkSPORT
Best Music Feature/Documentary/Special
Winner: Feeling Good – The Nina Simone Story Part 1 – Sue Clark Productions for BBC Radio 2
Silver: Pete Townshend – Before I Get Old – Just Radio for BBC Radio 2
Bronze: Killing Bono – A Life in the Shadow of Superstardom – GMG for Real Radio and Real Radio XS
Nominated: Radio 1 Stories – The Amen Break – BBC Radio 1
The Music That Melted – BBC Radio 4
Best News Feature/Documentary/Special
Winner: Child of Ardoyne – Falling Tree Productions for BBC Radio 3
Silver: Assignment: Blasphemy – A Matter of Life and Death – BBC World Service News & Current Affairs for BBC World Service
Bronze: The Kill Factor – BBC Radio Current Affairs for BBC World Service
Nominated: Filesharing Special – BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat
Lives in a Landscape: The Hackney Riots – BBC Radio Documentaries for BBC Radio 4
Best Feature/Documentary
Winner: Walking with the Wounded – GMG Radio North West News Team for Smooth Radio
Spike: Spike Milligan – The Serious Poet – White Pebble Media for BBC Radio 4
Bronze: The Mousetrap and Me – BBC Radio Wales
Nominated: The Five Ages of Brandreth – BBC Political Programmes for BBC Radio 4
The Underwater Gendarme – BBC Wales for BBC Radio 4
Best Comedy
Winner: Mark Steel’s in Town – BBC Radio Comedy for BBC Radio 4
Silver: Another Case of Milton Jones – Pozzitive Television for BBC Radio 4
Bronze: Down the Line – Down The Line Productions for BBC Radio 4
Nominated: Adam & Joe – BBC Radio 6 Music
The National Theatre of Brent’s Iconic Icons – CPL Productions for BBC Radio 4
Best Drama
Winner: On It – Woolyback Productions for BBC Radio 4
Silver: Use It or Lose It – Falling Tree Productions for BBC Radio 3
Bronze: A Tale of Two Cities – BBC Radio Drama London for BBC Radio 4
Nominated: A Time to Dance – Sweet Talk Productions for BBC Radio 4
North by Northamptonshire – BBC Radio Comedy for BBC Radio 4
Best Use of Multiplatform/Social Media
Winner: Now Playing @6Music – Somethin’ Else for BBC Radio 6 Music
Silver: The Classic FM Hall of Fame – Classic FM
Bronze: BBC Radio 1 & 1Xtra homepages – BBC Audio & Music Interactive for BBC Radio 1
Nominated: Absolute 80s – Absolute Radio
Heart Breakfast with James & Charlie – Heart Kent
Best Live Event Coverage
Winner: The Royal Wedding – BBC World Service News Programme for BBC World Service
Silver: Danny Wallace’s Naked Breakfast – Xfm
Bronze: Real Radio Live @ Take That – Real Radio North East
Nominated: Choice at The Notting Hill Carnival – Choice FM
England No. 1 Test Side – BBC Radio Sport for 5 live sports extra and BBC Radio 4
Best Single Promo/Commercial
Winner: Geoff Lloyds’s Hometime Show – The Complaints – Absolute Radio
Silver: The Day Before 9/11 – BBC Radio 4 Presentation for BBC Radio 4
Bronze: Campese on Sunday Morning – talkSPORT Creative for talkSPORT
Nominated: Beat The Star – Global Radio for Heart West Midlands
Sherlock Returns – BBC Radio Cross Trails for BBC Radio 2, 5 live and 6 Music
Best Specialist Music Programme
Winner: David Rodigan – Somethin’ Else for BBC Radio 2
Silver: The Ronnie Wood Show – Somethin’ Else for Absolute Radio
Bronze: Another Country with Ricky Ross – BBC Radio Scotland
Nominated: Friday Night is Music Night – BBC Radio 2
Music: Response – Xfm
Best Station Imaging
Winner: BBC Radio 1Xtra
Silver: Capital Network
Bronze: BBC Radio 2
Nominated: JACK fm Oxfordshire
KISS & Pure Tonic for KISS
Best Competition
Winner: Two Strangers and a Wedding – 106 JACK fm Oxfordshire & glide FM 107.9 Oxfordshire
Silver: Christian O’Connell’s Early Morning Game – Absolute Radio
Bronze: QuizFace – Xfm
Nominated: Christmas is Cancelled – Pirate FM
Superstar DJ – BBC Radio 1
Best Entertainment Programme
Winner: Beryl and Betty – BBC Radio Humberside
Silver: Adam and Joe – BBC Radio 6 Music
Bronze: Frank Skinner – Avalon for Absolute Radio
Nominated: Boogie and Dingo’s Big Saturday Show – Bauer Radio Scotland
Real Radio Breakfast with Dixie & Gayle – Real Radio Yorkshire
Best Music Programme
Winner: Fearne Cotton – BBC Radio 1
Silver: In: Demand Scotland – Bauer Radio Scotland
Bronze: In Tune – BBC Radio 3
Nominated: Michael Bublé – Magic 105.4
Steve Lamacq – BBC Radio 6 Music
Best Internet Programme
Winner: Science Weekly: Sounds of the Space Shuttle – An Acoustic Tribute – The Guardian
Silver: Days in the Life – Guardian News & Media for The Guardian
Bronze: Do the Right Thing – Fuzz Productions Ltd for British Comedy Guide
Nominated: Front Room Fringe – Forth One
Mindcast: Bipolar – Wise Buddah for Mind
Best Speech Programme
Winner: Stephen Nolan – BBC Radio News for BBC Radio 5 live
Silver: Gardeners’ Question Time – Somethin’ Else for BBC Radio 4
Bronze: World Have Your Say – BBC World Service News Programme for BBC World Service
Nominated: Ken Livingstone and David Mellor – LBC 97.3
Kermode and Mayo’s Film Review – Somethin’ Else for BBC Radio 5 live
Music Radio Personality of the Year
Winner: Chris Evans – BBC Radio 2
Silver: Lauren Laverne – BBC Radio 6 Music
Bronze: Christian O’Connell – Absolute Radio
Nominated: Gemma Cairney – BBC Radio 1Xtra
Huey Morgan – Wise Buddah Creative for BBC Radio 6 Music
Best Use of Branded Content
Winner: Xfm Naked Breakfast – Global Radio for Xfm
Silver: The KISS Chosen One with Blackberry – KISS
Bronze: Car Wars – Real Radio Yorkshire
Nominated: Rock ‘N’ Roll Football with Sky Sports – Absolute Radio
The Power of Dreams on Classic FM with Honda – Classic FM
Music Broadcaster of the Year
Winner: Jools Holland – BBC Radio 2
Silver: Sean Rowley – BBC Radio Kent
Bronze: Mistajam – BBC Radio 1Xtra
Nominated: Mark Radcliffe – Smooth Operations (Productions Ltd) for BBC 6 Music and BBC Radio 2
Tom Service – BBC Radio 3 for BBC Radio 3, 4 and 6 Music
Speech Radio Personality of the Year
Winner: Danny Baker – Campbell Davison Media for BBC Radio 5 live
Silver: Alan Brazil – TalkSPORT
Bronze: Alan Robson – Metro Radio
Nominated: Richard Bacon – BBC Radio 5 live
Toby Foster – BBC Radio Sheffield
Breakfast Show of the Year (under 10 million)
Winner: Real Radio Breakfast with Gary and Lisa – Real Radio North East
Silver: BBC Essex Breakfast – BBC Essex
Bronze: Adam Tomlinson at Breakfast – BBC Radio York
Nominated: Juice FM Breakfast with Adam and Leanne – 107.6 Juice FM
Porridge – Prison Radio Association for National Prison Radio
Best Promotional/Advertising Campaign
Winner: Wimbledon 2011 – Fresh Air Production for BBC Radio Cross Trails for BBC Radio 2, 5 live and Local Radio
Silver: The Rugby World Cup 2011 – talkSPORT Creative for talkSPORT
Bronze: Britain Loves Radio – Radio Advertising Bureau for Commercial Radio
Nominated: In The Mind of a Car Thief – Eagle Radio for Eagle Radio and County Sound Radio
Red Nose Day – Fresh Air Production for BBC Cross Trails for BBC Radio 1, 2 and Local Radio
Speech Broadcaster of the Year
Winner: Victoria Derbyshire – BBC Radio 5 live
Silver: Jeremy Vine – BBC Radio 2
Bronze: Evan Davis – BBC News for BBC Radio 4
Nominated: Jenni Murray – BBC General Factual for BBC Radio 4
Nick Ferrari – LBC 97.3
Breakfast Show of the Year (10 million plus)
Winner: KISS Breakfast with Rickie, Melvin and Charlie – KISS
Silver: The Christian O’Connell Breakfast Show – Absolute Radio
Bronze: The Chris Evans Breakfast Show – BBC Radio 2
Nominated: 5 live Breakfast – BBC Radio News for BBC 5 live
Heart Breakfast (London) – London’s Heart
News Journalist of the Year
Winner: Mike Thomson – BBC News for BBC Radio 4
Silver: Metro Radio News Team – Metro Radio
Bronze: JACK fm News Team – JACK fm Hertfordshire
Nominated: GMG Radio North West News Team – Smooth Radio, Real Radio and Real XS
John Sudworth – BBC Radio 4
Station Programmer of the Year
Winner: Andy Roberts – KISS
Nominated: Clive Dickens – Absolute Radio
Moz Dee – talkSPORT
Best Interview
Winner: Eddie Mair interviews Julie Nicholson – BBC Radio 4
Silver: Jeremy Vine interviews Helena Tym – BBC Radio 2
Bronze: Victoria Derbyshire interviews Ken Clarke – BBC Radio 5 live
Nominated: Andrew Peach interviews Anne Diamond – BBC Radio Berkshire
Mark Lawson interviews Ricky Gervais – BBC Radio Arts for BBC Radio 4
Station of the Year (300,000 – 1 million)
Winner: 107.6 Juice FM
Nominated: BBC Radio Berkshire
Mercia
Station of the Year (1 Million plus)
Winner: Radio City 96.7
Nominated: BBC Radio 4 Extra
BBC World Service
UK Station of the Year
Winner: BBC Radio 6 Music
Nominated: BBC Radio 2
Kerrang! Radio
Special Award
Classic FM
Lifetime Achievement
Nicholas Parsons
