New York Festivals® International Radio Program Awards honoring the World’s Best Radio Programs™ announced the 2014 competition’s award-winners on Monday, June 23rd at their annual Gala held at Manhattan Penthouse in New York City. The GrandJury® honored two prominent companies with the coveted Grand Award: Swedish Radio and TBI Media with Snappin’ Turtle Productions. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation earned the title of Broadcaster of the Year and TBI Media UK earned Production Company of the Year.
Chris Boyce, Executive Director Radio & Audio, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation had this to say about the CBC’s success. “It is an honour to receive attention from such a prestigious international festival of awards. For our shows to be judged based on production, creativity, writing, performance and presentation, is a true testament to the hard work and dedication of the staff behind each of these programs.”
“The Girl Who Got Tied Down” Swedish Radio was honored with the Grand Award in the Social issues category for their documentary chronicling a 17 year-old institutionalized for self-destructive behavior. The program led to debate that may well bring profound changes in psychiatric services and the care of young people in Sweden.
“The Dambusters 70 Years On” TBI Media United Kingdom with Snappin’ Turtle Productions earned the Grand Award in the History category for their fully live program honoring the 70th anniversary of the World War II Dambusters. The program featured 120 mics on stage capturing the cast of over 130 musicians, 50 singers, 5 actors and 2 presenters - responding to over 500 cues.
“All in TBI Media (The Big Idea) are thrilled with the results in this year’s ‘New York Festivals Radio Awards’. 7 Golds, 5 Silvers, 2 Bronzes and 2 Finalists - alongside the ‘Grand Award’ for ‘Dambusters 70 Years On’ is an amazing result. To then be awarded ‘Indie Of The Year’ for the second year running is a wonderful surprise. We should pay tribute to the extended team of hugely talented Presenters, Writers, Producers and of course the Broadcasters we’ve worked with on the programmes that have been recognised, and particularly to our colleagues at ‘Snappin’ Turtle’ with whom we co-delivered the Dambusters project. We’re all absolutely focused on creating and delivering the best ideas possible, so to be acknowledged as programme makers by our peers in this way means a great deal.” - Phil Critchlow, Founding Director, TBI Media UK
The 2014 GrandJury® awarded 2 Grand Awards, 50 Gold trophies, 57 Silver, 56 Bronze, and 97 Finalist Certificates submitted from 32 countries.
NYF Advisory Board & GrandJury® member, Michael Freedman, senior vice president and professor at University of Maryland University and 2012 Grand Award winner had
this to say about this year’s entries. “What a magnificent group of entries in this year's New York Festivals International Radio Awards competition! I was incredibly impressed with the time, effort, energy, intellect and enthusiasm that went into these programs. The resulting quality was superb in terms of both content and production value. A truly invigorating and even inspiring exercise as a judge and a wonderful reminder of the impact of radio on all platforms!”
“This year’s jury honored long form radio dealing with complex subject matter along with innovation, and degree of technical complexity,” commented Rose Anderson, Executive Director of NYF Radio Awards.
In 2014, the focus was on Coverage of Breaking News and Ongoing News entries for their comprehensive coverage of world events. Both “Egyptian Clashes” Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Inc. USA; and “Boston Marathon Bombing Coverage”
WGBH USA earned Gold trophies; and “The Death of Nelson Mandela” BBC World Service United Kingdom was honored with Silver trophy. Gold trophy winners in the Best News Documentary category include: “Slavery on Our Streets” Global Radio UK; and “Puppet on a String” Snappin' Turtle Productions United Kingdom.
News entries scored high with the GrandJury: “In The Line of Duty “BBC Radio Manchester United Kingdom, Best News Documentary Or Special earned a Gold trophy; Tom Swarbrick, Global Radio United Kingdom took home the Gold for Best News Anchor/Reporter: Local Market; Shaimaa Khalil, BBC World Service earned a Bronze for Best News Anchor/Reporter: Network/Syndicated; and Bloomberg Business News was recognized with a Silver trophy for Best Business News.
The newly launched Sound Art category saw several entries earning trophies: “CANTUS APIUM (Song of the Bees) -7 variations after Vergil for voice and 15 bee-colonies” Götz Naleppa Audio Productions Germany earned a Gold trophy; “Rob da Bank's Headphone Special” We Are Grape Ltd. United Kingdom was honored with a Silver trophy; and “Midsummer Night's Dream in Tunnel Dubovica on Island of Hvar” Radio Belgrade Yugoslavia earned a Bronze.
Additional new categories in the spotlight include: Best Nonfiction Series with Gold trophies awarded to both “Teenage Diaries Revisited” Radio Diaries USA, and “Rethinking Depression, Ideas” Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The podcast “Inside Outside Battery” Battery Radio Canada earned a Gold trophy in Travel & Tourism; and the documentary “New Orleans: The City That Care Forgot” Accessible Media Inc. Canada took home a Bronze trophy.
Culture & The Arts entries took center stage with multiple entries earning Gold trophies: “Inside the National Recording Registry” Ben Manilla Productions, Inc. USA; “The Secret History of Bossa Nova” Brook Lapping Productions United Kingdom; and “All You Need Is Lab - The Role of Science & Tech in Musical Innovation” Trevor Dann's Company United Kingdom.
New York Festivals, in collaboration with the United Nations Department of Public Information, established the United Nations Awards in 1990 to honor programs highlighting global concerns of interest to the UN. Each year, the United Nations Department of Public Information convenes a panel to honor radio broadcasting that best exemplifies the ideas and goals of the United Nations. Their selections are awarded the United Nations Department of Public Information (UNDPI) Award. UNDPI winners: “Smart Right: A New Fundamental Right” Christian Broadcasting System Republic of South Korea earned the UNDPI Gold Award; “Slavery on our Streets” Global Radio United Kingdom earned the UNDPI Silver Award; and “Seven Days Inside Syria” The World This Weekend Canadian Broadcasting Corporation earned the UNDPI Bronze Award.
Prominent award-winning radio executive took to the stage to present award segments: Natalie Tso - Program Host, Radio Taiwan International / Radio Awards GrandJury® member; Joe Richman - Founder & Executive Producer, Sarah Kramer - Contributing Producer, Bruce Wallace - Contributing Producer - Radio Diaries, USA; Chris Brookes - Director, and Annie McEwen – Co-Producer Battery Radio, Canada; Tim Collins - CEO, OceanFM, Ireland; Charles Pellett - Anchor & Reporter, Bloomberg Radio, USA; Ben Manilla - President, Ben Manilla Productions, USA; Clea Conner Chang - Director of Marketing/Production, Intelligence Squared, USA; and Therese McIntyre - Presenter, Athena Media, Ireland.
All entries were judged online by the NYF Radio Awards Grand Jury of radio experts from stations and companies around the globe. These men and women include some of the most recognizable voices and captivating programming producers in the industry. To view the 2014 Radio Awards winners showcase visit: http://www.newyorkfestivals.com/worldsbestradio/2014/
Press inquiries should be directed to Gayle Mandel: gmandel@newyorkfestivals.com, Ph: 1 212 643 4800.
Photography from the ceremony will be available from Marc Bryan-Brown Photography. Visit: http://www.bryan-brown.com/ny
Production Hub is the official media sponsor of the 2014 New York Festivals International Radio Awards.
About New York Festivals
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Entries to each of the competitions are judged around the world by panels of peers in their respective industries. For more information, go to www.newyorkfestivals.com.
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