The Radio Awards winners have been announced for 2020!
Johannesburg, 17 April 2020: Winners of The Radio Awards 2020 were celebrated in an online awards ceremony hosted by popular comedian Loyiso Madinga on Friday 17 April 2020. The Radio Awards, now in its tenth year, is the leading recognition platform for celebrating outstanding talent in the South African radio industry.
This year’s Station of the Year Awards went to Kaya 95.9 FM (Commercial), Hot 91.9 FM (Community), Radio 2000 (PBS), and Tuks 107.2 FM (Campus). Winners were determined by the number of times they appeared as a finalist across all general categories of The Radio Awards. Each of the finalists submitted a further motivation which spoke to the station’s innovation, audience growth, community outreach, general achievements, as well as their “x-factor”. This motivation was then scored by The Radio Awards advisory panel. This score accounted for the first half of a station’s final score, and the second half of the final score was determined by a station’s success in the other categories.
“Congratulations to all of the finalists, and especially the winners for producing dynamic, captivating radio for the South African listening audience,” says Taryn Westoby, Head of Arena Events which manages The Radio Awards. “It’s been a challenging period in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, and making The Radio Awards happen this year – albeit on an online platform – has meant that the tireless work of radio stations around the country can be highlighted at a time when good news is really welcomed.”
A record number of entries (more than 2 000) were received from a record number of stations (more than 160) in this year’s edition of The Radio Awards. Entries were adjudicated by a team of 54 judges, and reviewed by BDO South Africa, the newly appointed auditors for The Radio Awards.
More than 80 award winners were celebrated across 25 categories. Seven Bright Stars were announced, and five industry stalwarts were inducted into the Hall of Fame, including Brian Oxley, Gabriel Urgoiti, Neil Johnson, Peter Wise and Rev. Prince Zulu.
In the two listener’s choice categories, the My Station Most Votes Award went to Ligwalagwala FM, which received the most online votes from the listening public. The My Station Loyal Listeners Award went to Hot 91.9 FM for receiving the most public votes as a ratio against its RAMS figures.
This was also the first year for the Station Manager’s Choice Award – an award recognising the contributions made by behind-the-scenes station employees. The inaugural award was presented to two individuals: Marika de Jongh of OFM, and Linda van Schalkwyk of Pretoria FM.
The recipient of The Radio Awards Bursary Award is Nthapeleng “Tsholo” Moteka
“This year’s awards would not have happened as successfully without the firm commitment from numerous individuals. We’d like to thank the members of our advisory board, the adjudication panel, BDO South Africa and members of the NAB for giving of their time to ensure The Radio Awards remain relevant, credible and independent. A high bar has been set for 2021, and we look forward to the year ahead,” concludes Westoby.
To view the complete list of 2020 winners, please visit www.radioawards.co.za
For those who may have missed the online announcement, Business Day TV (DStv 412) will re-broadcast the announcement on television on Saturday 18 April (16h00 and 21h00), and Sunday 19 April (16h00 and 21h00).
The Media magazine is the proud publication partner for The Radio Awards 2020. To book advertising space in this exciting edition that will be distributed to a broad audience of brand owners and marketers – contact fagank@themediaonline.co.za or tiddyv@themediaonline.co.za for more information.
The Radio Awards supports the initiative by the NAB and its commercial radio members to tackle gender-based violence in South Africa with their “Turn Down Your Radio” campaign. If you are a whistle-blower or victim of gender-based violence, please visit the Department of Social Development’s official GBV information and contact portal for help
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About Arena Events
Arena Events draws on the editorial expertise and media-powerhouse advantage of Arena Holdings to deliver stimulating and engaging encounters that encourage excellence across South Africa’s various industries. Aligned to the thought-leadership of Arena’s prominent platforms like the Sunday Times, Financial Mail, Business Day, Sowetan, Business Day TV, The Home Channel and Ignition TV, we are committed to facilitating events that nurture the socio-economic success of our country. Our leading industry events include the Sunday Times Top 100 Companies, Sunday Times The Directors Event, Business Day TV SME Summit, Absa Business Day Supplier Development Awards, The Radio Awards, Sunday Times Generation Next, Sunday Times Top Brands, MOST Awards, the Future of Media Conference, and a host of bespoke events for our clients. www.arenaevents.africa
Issued by: Samantha Pugh, Pugh Public Relations & Corporate Communications
e: sam@pughpr.co.za c: 071 874 5460
On behalf of: Taryn Westoby, Head of Arena Events