#LibertyRadioAwards: Lance Rothschild on what makes radio excellent in 2018

Lance Rothschild

Comment on the number of entries received and how this compares to previous years.

We received 1864 entries, which is an increase of 18% over the 2017 entries and is a new record for the total number of entries for the awards.

During the roadshow, you mentioned a few changes to this year’s Awards. Please refresh our memory.

So, one of the primary changes has been the combining of PBS and Commercial Radio into one category. Another change has been to open the door to submissions from online-only stations for one category. We introduced a Podcast category this year.

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What has been the general response to these?

There has been a mixed response to the combining of PBS and Commercial Stations with some really being positive about this and some people not so happy. We will review this position with SABC Radio Management after the 2018 Liberty Radio Awards programme.

We had a great response to both the Internet Radio Show category and the Podcast category and we will look to grow this in the 2019 programme.

Has this affected the entries at all, or anything else for that matter?

There has been no discernible impact with regards to the combination of PBS and Commercial.

Has the quality of the entries improved?

In general, the quality of entries has improved. The entries that have reached the finalist stage have been really good and the scores have been really close. I am confident that the best of the entries will scoop the awards on 14 April.

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19 Mar 2018

Comment on the judging process.

The judging process has been developed and refined over the last seven iterations of the Radio Awards. It has been reviewed by three auditing companies – all of whom deem it to be fair and reasonable. The adjudicators listen to the entries individually and then submit their scores on the online system. We preclude judges from scoring entries in the categories within which they operate and we attempt to share the workload to ensure best-fit in terms of knowledge and language. The scores are averaged to ensure fairness in the way the scores are treated.

Internally, what has the response been to this year’s submissions.

There are always entries that make you listen to the point that you want to hear more. The craft of sound mixing and the use of sound effects has been excellent, and there are a few entries that tug at one’s emotions. I am exceptionally proud of the overall standard of the submissions that we received.

Judges have been positive in their feedback. A personal favourite comment was: “Thanks for an opportunity, judging Liberty Radio Awards is a great honour knowing the fact that these awards are well-recognised throughout the country.”

Comment on the current state of radio and where it’s headed.

South Africa has always made very good radio and continues to do so. There is a lot of enthusiasm for radio across the board and there is some exciting young talent baying at the heels of well-established personalities.

There are technological advancements in the field of audience analysis that are going to revolutionise the way radio is planned and bought and marketers will be able to measure ROI far more accurately.

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Jessica Tennant  5 Mar 2018

In your opinion, what makes radio excellent?

There are many factors that make radio excellent. It’s the way the medium transports the listener to an imagined reality that is really exciting. With radio, you can take a lot of people on a journey inside their own minds and everyone who goes on the journey will enjoy the experience because the journey takes place in the comfort of their own mind. Successful radio practitioners know just how to make radio take their listeners along for an enjoyable journey.

What are you most looking forward to in terms of this year’s Awards?

The Awards (and the conference) are a celebration of radio and it is always enjoyable to catch up with people whom one knows in the industry and to share one’s love for the medium. I enjoy seeing the radio industry come together on one night where competition is forgotten and those who make truly great radio are acknowledged for raising the bar in radio excellence.

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Leigh Andrews  15 Mar 2017

The Awards take place at the Sandton Convention Centre on Saturday, 14 April. For more info, visit the LibertyRadioAwards.co.za or follow #LibertyRadioAwards on Twitter or Facebook.