3KND has pride in their 2020 CBAA Community Radio Awards

The CBAA Community Radio Awards allow stations and members of the community radio sector the opportunity to highlight the incredible achievements of their stations and those who work tirelessly to put programs on air.

This year, the CBAA highlights previous winners to showcase what it means to be part of the Awards and what winning an Award can mean for your station. 

We asked Gerry Lyons, General Manager of 3KND, a few questions about the station's involvement in the Awards. In 2020, 3KND received the awards for Excellence in Indigenous Engagement and Excellence in Technical Innovation. 

Please introduce yourself and 3KND

I was appointed as the General Manager of 3KND in March 2017. I have been in the broadcasting sector for over 30 years including 11 years at Radio 8CCC followed by 16 years at CAAMA Radio in Alice Springs.

The CBAA Awards are recognised within the industry as a yardstick of where you stand as a broadcaster within the 450 community stations. We enter for a variety of reasons which are the opportunity to highlight the great work our broadcasters / volunteers provide to our listeners. By nominating the individual or broadcaster it shows we are proud of the program and presenter and feel that they deserve recognition. It also instils pride in our team, station, board and community to know that we are achieving at such a level deserving of such accolades.

The other side of the coin is what we do with such recognition. We use the winning station templates on all our signatures…sending out to all stakeholders our achievements and placing in all funding applications or other community, state or national award applications. This lets our stakeholders know that we are proactive, engaging and inclusive within our broadcast footprint and one that deserves their attention. It has helped 3KND KoolNDeadly to be successful across many platforms.

You were the winner of two Awards in 2020, what did receiving these mean to you and your station? 

As a winner in Excellence in Indigenous Engagement and Excellence in Technical Innovation, 2020 showed the team at 3KND the importance of community engagement. This is who we are with a major part of our work practice is Indigenous engagement, which is a 24hrs a day/7 days a week commitment and to be recognised for this brought instant pride to us all. Technical innovation is what allows us the ability to do what we do. It is not just keeping the wheels turning but have the right technical support person who is as committed to the station interests as the rest of the team. The nomination from our station showed the level of appreciation that this award has brought our technical support team they are appreciated.

Since winning the award what new opportunities have opened up for your station?

As I mentioned above…these awards strengthen any application or venture that 3KND embarks on and I feel places us at the top of the pile of applications. Who doesn’t want recognition and when it’s the CBAA Awards this is national and others notice.

What advice would you have for stations thinking of entering the 2021 awards?

To all community broadcast stations around the country please “ENTER” these awards. It shows you have pride, resilience and belief in your team and station. It will showcase the hard work you have done and how important your station is within your community by providing a platform that demonstrates your value and worth within the community. So take the time and “SHINE”.

Will you be participating in the 2021 awards, and if so in which categories?

Radio 3KND will once again be online filling out each section and like you hoping with fingers crossed that those accessing your application can see the magic, commitment and how much of a difference your station provides within your footprint.

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Want to celebrate your station? Enter the 2021 CBAA Awards now! 

Entries open until August 15.