State Judging Begins for Radio Awards

State by state judging starts today for this year’s Australian Commercial Radio Awards (ACRAs).

The judging is set down for four days, with ultimate national finalists to be determined in about a month.

With almost 1200 entries received, Commercial Radio Australia CEO, Joan Warner, says the awards look set to be one of the best so far: “This year, entries are up once again by more than 10%. And, there’s been a good response from the industry to a new category, ‘Best Sales Person’, recognising individual performance in sales.

“This year’s awards should be very exciting, with Austereo’s Kyle Sandilands, to be MC for the night.”

There are 28 award categories, covering metropolitan, regional and provincial commercial radio stations.
Categories include news, talk, sport, music and entertainment eg: best presenter for news, current affairs, music; best station promotion; and best newcomer on air.

Organised by Commercial Radio Australia, on behalf of the radio industry, the 2004 Awards will be announced at a gala ceremony at the Gold Coast Convention Centre on Saturday 16 October.

Joan Warner says: “The ACRAs provide a great opportunity to recognise the achievements of Australia’s radio broadcasters and the role radio plays in informing, entertaining and providing a voice for the community.

“A feature of the awards is the Hall of Fame, which acknowledges a lifelong commitment to the industry. Last year, industry stalwart, John Laws, was inducted. Previous inductees have included Bob Rogers, John Brennan, Janet Cameron and Paul Thompson. Hall of Fame recipients are nominated by industry colleagues and decided by a high level judging committee.

“The ACRAs differ from television’s Logies, in that an industry panel judges winners. Initial judging will take place next month with finalists for each category announced a few weeks later.”

Each year, the awards are held in a different state and at a different venue.

Formerly called RAWARDS, and starting off in 1989, the event is now known as the Australian Commercial Radio Awards to give a greater focus to the industry.

The 2004 ACRAs will again be supported by Arbitron, Nielsen Media Research, Australian Retirement Fund, RCS Sound Software, Comsyst and The Music Network.