National Community Radio Awards Winners Announced

Last night, community broadcasters from across Australia gathered in Terrigal NSW for the 2015 CBAA Community Radio Awards.

These national awards are a celebration of community broadcasting excellence and recognise the accomplishments of community radio services and the people behind them across more than 20 categories.

This year the Tony Staley Award for Excellence in Community Broadcasting went to Brisbane community radio station 4ZZZ for the Ability Radio Project. The Ability Radio Project is a co-production by people with an intellectual disability and support workers. Including a 14 week course in radio production skills, the resulting content is intended to give voice to the challenges and triumphs of people with an intellectual disability in their own voices, to address issues important to people with intellectual disability and to provide information about services available in the community. Completed radio packages are broadcast on 4ZZZ, as well as being podcast, and distributed via the Community Radio Network.

The Michael Law Award for a sustained and outstanding contribution to community broadcasting was given to outgoing CBAA President and Melbourne’s PBS 106.7 FM General Manager Adrian Basso. Basso has dedicated almost two decades to community broadcasting and, as well as going above and beyond as a station manager, has been a friend and mentor to many people in the sector. From his beginnings in the 90s as the Business and Development Manager at Melbourne’s 3MBS, Adrian continued to make a vital contribution to the sector. In his role as CBAA President, this included advocating for the sector, fronting numerous Commit To Community Radio campaigns to support a healthy environment for community broadcasting to thrive.

CBAA Chief Executive Officer Jon Bisset had this to say of the Awards:

“Community radio offers so much to so many across Australia and it is so exciting to come together to celebrate and recognise some of the sector’s most outstanding programs, stations and people.

We received a record number of entries for our Awards this year and when you look at this collection of work there can be no doubt that community radio is a key pillar in the Australian media landscape.

I commend all community broadcasters for their contributions throughout the year – our sector is truly unique in its contribution to, and reflection of our open society, strong democracy and vibrant culture, and is something of which we should all be very proud.”

See below for the full list of winners.

Michael Law Award: Adrian Basso, PBS 106.7 FM (VIC)

Tony Staley Award: Ability Radio Project, 4ZZZ (QLD)

The Outstanding Small Station Award: Lower Clarence Community Radio Inc, TLC FM 100.3 (NSW)

Excellence in Community Participation: Joint winners – SYN Media (VIC) & 2WAR FM Gilgandra (NSW) Community Radio

Outstanding Volunteer Contribution: Susan ‘Del’ Gordon – 2WAR FM Gilgandra Community Radio (NSW)\

Outstanding Youth Contribution: Lachlan James Hickey - Goldfields FM (VIC)

Excellence in Digital Media: Represent – Federal Budget Night, SYN Media (VIC)

Excellence in Training: Collaborative Radio Project, PBS 106.7 FM (VIC)

Best New Radio Program – Talks: Pinarru Aku, 8CCC 102.1 FM Community Radio (NT)

Best New Radio Program – Music: Babble POP!, JOY 94.9 (VIC)

Best Station Production: JOY Radiothon, JOY 94.9 (VIC)

Contribution to Australian Music: National Contemporary Landscapes, 3MBS Fine Music Melbourne (VIC)

Excellence in Indigenous Broadcasting: Waringarri Radio (WA)

Excellence in Ethnic and Multicultural Broadcasting: Radio 4EB (QLD)

Excellence in Music Programming: Babylon Burning, PBS 106.7 FM (VIC)

Excellence in Spoken Word, News and Current Affairs Programming: Wavelength, Fresh 92.7 (SA)

Best Station Promotion, Sponsorship or Fundraising Campaign: Watts Up! Fundraising Campaign, Bay FM  99.9 (NSW)

Most Innovative Outside Broadcast or Special Event Broadcast: Rebuild Nepal: Live Concert, Bay FM 99.9 (NSW)             

Troy Garner Excellence in Sports Programming: The CAAMA Sports Show, CAAMA Radio (NT)

Excellence in Technical Services: 6SEN Capital Community Radio (WA)

National Documentary and Features Competition: Sue Reece, Radio Adelaide (SA)

The 2015 CBAA Awards were presented with the support of OnAir Solutions, Community Sector Banking, AVC Group, Deutsche Welle, APRA AMCOS, PPCA and the Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance (MEAA).

Community broadcasting is a vital part of the Australian media landscape. More than 350 permanently licensed community radio stations across the country provide a diverse range of viewpoints that enrich the social and cultural fabric of Australian society and contribute to public interest outcomes, foster social inclusion, generate a high level of local content and contribute to media diversity.

The Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA) champions community broadcasting by building stations’ capability and creating a healthy environment for the sector to thrive.