RTÉ Ireland Earns Broadcaster of the Year Award and TBI Media UK, Production Company of the Year
2018 Grand Awards go to BBC, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Guardian Australia, and TBI Media
New York Festivals® International Radio Program Awards , honoring the World’s Best Radio Programs℠, announced this year’s award-winners at the annual Radio Awards Gala tonight at New York City’s Manhattan Penthouse.
To view the full list, please visit: HERE.
“As the radio landscape evolves to accommodate the shift in the way individuals consume audio, New York Festivals Radio Awards is at the forefront celebrating all popular forms of audio content available today,” Rose Anderson, VP & Executive Director, New York Festivals.
NYF’s Grand Jury awarded global networks and content creators from 31 countries. Trophy-winning Digital content, podcasts and audiobooks, live events, dramas and documentaries, breaking news coverage, multi-genre music specials, sound art, and promos from around the globe were celebrated.
For a complete list of the 2018 award-winning entries, please click HERE
The 2018 Grand Jury honored RTÉ Ireland with the prestigious title of Broadcaster of Year and TBI Media UK with Production Company of the Year. The BBC, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Guardian Australia, and TBI Media each earned the distinguished New York Festivals Grand Award.
RTÉ Ireland was honored with the title Broadcaster of the Year for the fifth year. The network took home an impressive 8 Gold Trophies, 11 Silver, 2 Bronze and 15 Finalist Certificates.
Jim Jennings, Head of Content RTÉ, said: “I am delighted that RTÉ has been named New York Festivals’ Radio Broadcaster of the Year three times in the past four past years. The international competition is exceptional and those who have entered are all experts in their fields which makes this particular achievement a great honour for everyone in RTÉ. This is extremely important to us as a public service broadcaster. Across the board, from the acclaimed Documentary on One and Drama on One, to our Factual, Current Affairs, Arts, Music and Entertainment programs and Lyric fm, our production teams have demonstrated their capacity to compete and win against some of the largest and best of the world’s broadcasters.”
London’s TBI Media was recognized with the title of Production Company of the Year. “Born This Way” earned the Grand Award for both TBI Media and BBC Radio 2. The series chronicles the story of how gay people transformed pop culture over the past 50 years. TBI Media earned 2 additional Gold trophies, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze and 4 Finalist Certificates.
“The TBI team are thrilled with this year’s results in New York. 9 Finalists leading to a Grand Award, 2 Golds, 2 Silvers and a Bronze are great. To then be ‘Independent Producer Of The Year’ again is fantastic. This is fundamentally down to the inspired team I’m lucky enough to work with having world class ideas and being given the chance to broadcast them on great platforms. It’s clear that the opportunities for audio producers globally have changed dramatically, even since the last NYF awards, and it’s inspiring to see so many producers and platforms winning awards this year who are clearly thriving as a result.” –Phil Critchlow CEO / Founder – TBI Media
“BBC Radio 1 Vintage” BBC earned the Grand Award (Best Digital Special Event) for their three-day digital radio station, featuring a compilation of archive material and vintage tracks 50 hours, 50 shows, celebrating the BBC Radio 1’s 50th anniversary. The network also earned 2 Gold trophies and a Silver.
“What an honour and a joy to pick up this prestigious award which marks 50 years of Radio 1 playing a pivotal role in music, entertainment and popular culture,” said Ben Cooper, BBC Radio 1 Controller.
“Am I going to die in here?” Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s Campus was in the spotlight earning the Grand Award (News & Documentary). The podcast chronicled the story of Syrian émigré Mohammad Al Masalma whose fight for freedom during the 2011 revolution led to his arrest and detainment by the Syrian regime. The entry also earned a Gold trophy and the UNDPI Silver Award.
Guardian Australia’s “The Reckoning” (Best Digital Documentary) earned the Grand Award for their documentary exploring Australia’s child sexual abuse royal commission’s five-year examination of crimes against children. “The Reckoning” also earned a Gold trophy.
“It’s thrilling to see The Reckoning win both the Gold and Grand awards. The podcast dealt with child abuse in institutions and it can be easy to turn away from these stories, to think that it all happened in the past and it couldn’t happen again. The most important thing we can do is ensure their stories are never forgotten and put pressure on governments, churches and other organisations to be held accountable,” said Miles Martignoni, Podcast Producer, Guardian Australia.
As digital listenership explodes, on-demand audio continues to engage listeners with accessible spoken entertainment. Trophy winning audiobook entrants include: Penguin Random House Audio UK with 3 Gold trophies, 2 Silver, and 4 Finalist Certificates; Hörbuch Hamburg/SWR with a Silver trophy, and Radio Mirchi India earned a Bronze and a Finalist Certificate. Podcast entrants earning recognition include: BBC, BBC Radio 4, BFBS Radio, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Elbow Productions, 30 for 30 ESPN Films, ICI Radio-Canada Première, Intelligence Squared US Debates, Radio New Zealand, Swedish Radio, TBI Media, and WNYC Studios.
Gold-wining documentaries provided a distinctive view and voice including: “Bing Crosby in ‘The Road to Rock ‘n’ Roll’ – From Final Solution to Audio Revolution” Magnum Opus Broadcasting/ BBC Radio 2; “Vocal Chords in Conversation with Peggy Seeger” Athena Media; “A clash of identity in Germany” DW; and “A Day In The Sun” SiriusXM.
Dramas and Mini Series were in the winner’s circle. Gold trophy winners include: “The Hours” Corporation for Independent Media/BBC Radio 4; “The Tempest – Theatre as a Journey to the Core of Man.” An acoustic Performance” RBB; “Dan Dare: The Audio Adventures (Vol 2)” B7 Productions Ltd; “Blood on Satan’s Claw” Bafflegab Productions; and “Tumanbay” Goldhawk Productions/BBC/Panoply.
Gold trophy winning Music and Sound Art entries include: “The New York Philharmonic This Week” New York Philharmonic; “Bruce Springsteen: Long Walk Home” Lonesome Pine Productions; “Magic Soul” TBI Media; “Illuminations” Deutschlandradio; and “PALIMPSEST – a sound biography” Naleppa Audio Productions.
News and Talk/Interview programs provided a diverse scope of information on issues from around the world. Gold winners include: “Bioneers: Revolution from the Heart of Nature Series 17 programs” Bioneers; “Dying Young” Radio Television Hong Kong; “The Kalb Report” National Press Club; and “Pain & Pride: Remembering Vietnam – 50 Years Later” Westwood One. Westwood One also earned the Silver trophy for “America in the Morning.”
New York Festivals, 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. Annually, 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 prestigious United Nations Department of Public Information (UNDPI) Award. Recipients of the 2018 UNDPI Award: “The Current – ISIS on your doorstep” Canadian Broadcasting Corporation earned the UNDPI Gold Award, “Am I going to die here” Campus, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation earned the UNDPI Silver Award, and “That’s When My Childhood Ended: Youth Radio Reports” Youth Radio USA earned the UNDPI Bronze Award.