This year saw a record number of entries (more than 2000) received from a record number of stations (more than 160). The entries were adjudicated by a team of 54 judges, for whom we are extremely grateful, and reviewed by BDO South Africa, the newly appointed auditors for the Radio Awards.
Says Taryn Westoby, head of Arena Events which manages the Radio Awards:
We’re thrilled by the enthusiasm the radio industry has once again shown for acknowledging and celebrating outstanding talent and achievement. We would like to congratulate all finalists for giving the South African listening audience quality content to savour every day.Station of the Year finalists in each of the licence categories – Commercial, PBS, Community and Campus - were determined by the number of times they appear as a finalist across all general categories of The Radio Awards.
To stay in contention for the prestigious Station of the Year Award, finalists will need to submit a further motivation to be scored by the Radio Awards advisory panel - which includes a representative from the National Association of Broadcasters.
The motivation needs to speak to the station’s innovation, audience growth, community outreach, general achievements, as well as their “x-factor” or unique selling point. This score will account for the first half of a station’s final score. The second half of the final score will be determined by a station’s success in the other categories.
More than 80 awards will be made this year, covering: 25 general categories; Station of The Year; as well as four special categories which include the new Station Manager’s Choice, the Bursary Award, Bright Stars and Hall of Fame inductees. Finalists in the special categories will be announced on 25 March 2020.
In light of the Government's declared state of disaster and the collective national efforts to combat the spread of coronavirus Covid-19, the Radio Awards gala dinner which was initially scheduled to take place in Sandton on 18 April will be replaced with an online winners announcement to be aired via digital channels on Friday, 17 April at 14h00. Further information regarding access to the announcement will be shared in due course.
To view the full list of Station of The Year finalists, as well as general category finalists, please click here.
