702 wins regional BBC Africa Radio Awards

“We’re delighted with our wins in this regional round of the BBC Africa Radio Awards,” says Talk Radio 702 station manager Pheladi Gwangwa. “We’re holding thumbs for the awards’ pan-African finals, taking place in May this year.”

Talk Radio 702 was selected for its live coverage of the first African film to win an Oscar, Tsotsi; the FIFA World Cup trophy’s first unveiling on African soil following the live launch of the 2010 Soccer World Cup; Jacob Zuma’s first press conference following his acquittal on rape charges; and the hosting of an election road show, showcasing democracy in action, just ahead of the 2006 municipal elections.

The station’s breakfast show host, John Robbie, won in the category best Local On-Air Campaign for his role in spearheading the Tax Break campaign, which sought to mobilise the community to support tax relief for South African police officers killed in the line of duty.

The wins were announced earlier this week, following two days of intensive judging by the awards’ southern Africa judging panel, which included Mail & Guardian editor Ferial Haffajee and Zambian-born BBC presenter Maureen Nkandu-Mundea.

BBC Africa Radio Awards project manager, Vera Kwakofi, says the judges were happy with the first round of the competition. “They were really impressed with the stories that were told. We were disappointed not to select regional winners in the category New Radio Station of the Year and Sports Journalist of the Year, but I’m confident that next year we will receive more entries [in these categories].”

The BBC Africa Radio Awards seek to celebrate excellence in English language radio journalism on the continent. All regional winners from the southern, eastern and western African rounds go into the final round of the competition, with the overall winners being announced in Nairobi, Kenya, in May.