Bedecked in various states of finery their enthusiasm and patience never waned, despite the almost six-hour length of the ceremony.
Much as the Loeries recognises creative prowess in the advertising arena, the MTN Radio Awards recognises and encourages excellence in the radio sector and it is now broadly recognised as the Oscars of the local broadcast industry.
One of the strongest aspects of the awards is the sheer size of the judging panel consisting of 52 professionals drawn from a broad range of sectors including media owners, sales houses and various art, culture and education enterprises. The scope of this year's adjudication process was no different and judges poured over more than 2,000 hours' worth of content packages over a period of months, which gave them a deep perspective on what constituted great radio and ultimately, gives extra kudos to the eventual winners in each category.
MTN Radio Awards CEO Lance Rothschild said that the overall quality of the entries was excellent and competition at the top of the categories was extremely close. "One thing that was noticed and commented on by the various adjudicators is the standard of radio in South Africa, which is excellent and most certainly on a par with some of the best radio elsewhere in the world. I certainly believe that the MTN Radio Awards has contributed to an increased focus on excellence and has raised the overall standard of the industry."
To ensure a level playing field each category was broken down into four subsets namely campus, community, PBS and commercial sectors. The highlights package of the winners is as follows (for the full list click here).
1. Afternoon Drive Presenter: 567 CAPETALK - John Maytham - John Maytham Show
2. Afternoon Drive Show: GOOD HOPE FM - Ozone
3. Breakfast Show Presenter: TALK RADIO 702 - John Robbie - The John Robbie Show
4. Breakfast Show: TALK RADIO 702 - The John Robbie Show
5. Business and Finance: KAYA FM 95.9 - KAYA Bizz
6. Community Presenter: RADIO TYGERBERG - Benescke Janse van Rensburg
7. Community Project: PRIMEDIA BROADCASTING - Stop Rape
8. Content Producer: GAGASI FM - Jacinta Ngobese
9. Daytime Show: KAYA FM 95.9 - Georgie in the Afternoon
10. Multi-Channel Promotion: JACARANDA FM 94.2 - Lala Kakuhle Tata
11. Music Show: METRO FM - Metro FM Experience
13. News and Actuality Presenter: 94.7 HIGHVELD STEREO - Jacob Moshokoa
14. News and Actuality Producer: TALK RADIO 702 & 567 CAPE TALK - Cecile Basson - The Money Show
15. News and Actuality Show: METRO FM - Talk with Sakina
16. News Bulletin Reader: TALK RADIO 702 - Lebogang Moeketsi
17. Programme Innovation: JACARANDA FM 94.2 - Martin Bester Drive Let's Give Kili Horns
18. Promotions Stunt / Event: EAST COAST RADIO - Freebie Thursday
19. Radio Advertisement of the Year: Crickley Dairy
20. Sports Reporter: Primedia Broadcasting - Mark Lewis
21. Sports Show: METRO FM - 083Sports@6 with Marawa
22. Traffic Presenter: METRO FM - Rob Byrne
23. Weekend Radio Show: KAYAFM95.9 - Top 40
24. Lifetime Achiever: John Berks
25. Stations of the Year
Campus: TUKS FM 107.2
Community: RADIO TYGERBERG
PBS: UMHLOBO WENENE FM
Commercial: TALK RADIO 702
One of the most interesting categories of this year's awards was the My Station category where stations invited their listeners to vote for them by SMS and were encouraged to promote this via an on-air promotion and throughout their social media channels. The total number of votes exceeded 740,000 - a growth of 85% over last year. This category was described as vital for stations as it demonstrates the affinity that listeners have for a brand
LESEDI FM
LIGWALAGWALA
RSG
THOBELA FM
UMHLOBO WENENE FM
Winner: THOBELA FM
CHAI FM
GROOT FM
MFM 92.6
MIX 93.8FM
RADIO PRETORIA
Winner: GROOT FM
I asked Sedrick Taljaard, General Manager, Radio Tygerberg, "What would you say are the key strategies/ideas/innovations that allowed you to produce such sterling results?"
"Well, I would say that our new record of five awards at this year's MTN Radio Awards can be attributed to four main factors. First and foremost a well-motivated team that seek to work towards a common purpose - namely serving its community in the Cape Metropole by giving hope to the hopeless and a voice to the destitute. Secondly, investment in our staff by providing training opportunities, adding skills and value to the business. Thirdly, during 2013 we set about revamping and revitalizing our program line-up and this has resonated well with our more than 415,000 listeners (AMPS 2013A). Lastly, we reinforced the close relationship with our listeners through various projects and campaigns that reach way beyond broadcasting and meet a multitude of needs within our broader community - including health, well being, education and involving the community in vital initiatives."
"How does this fall in line with your broader vision for the station's growth?"
"We believe that Radio Tygerberg's growth in performance at the MTN Radio Awards from five nominations in 2013 to eleven nominations this year is a confirmation that we are steadily but surely on the right track in upping the quality and excellence of our broadcasting to the advantage of our listeners. But take note that we are not in the first instance focused on winning awards. As a Christian community radio station we are in the business of changing lives. And the better we connect and impact on the lives of our current audience, the more loyal they will become and the stronger the station's growth will be through their word of mouth."
