UK Indies win record number of International Radio Awards at New York Festival

UK independent radio production companies last night walked away with 33 New York Festival International Radio Awards, including 15 Gold Awards, 12 Silver and six Bronze. Six Finalist certificates were also awarded for indie programmes.

The Awards went to a total of 17 different companies. TBI Media’s seven Golds, six Silver and two Bronze earned it the worldwide Grand Award of Production Company of the Year for the second year running. Two TBI productions, The Assassination of JFK: Minute by Minute and The Dambusters 70 Years On, both for BBC Radio 2, won five awards each including three Golds and two Silver. TBI’s David Bowie programme for commercial broadcaster Absolute Radio also won two awards.

Elsewhere, White Pebble Media won two Golds for programmes on BBC Radio 4 and the World Service. Trevor Dann’s Company won one Gold and a Silver, and former RIG Chair Mike Hally’s Square Dog Productions won a Silver for the Radio 4 documentary The Silent Epidemic.

Indies won awards with programmes in a wide range of genres and made for BBC networks from Radio 1 to Radio 5 Live, plus those for Absolute Radio. Spokenworld Audio/Ladbroke Radio shared a Gold podcast award.

RIG Managing Director Will Jackson said: “This is a stunning showing from indie radio production companies across the UK, which demonstrates that our indie radio sector is ready to do business wherever people need world class programmes, formats and skills.”

“RIG is working with the UK Government to include indie radio production in its trade missions and clearly the track record is there to show how we can produce top-quality programmes across all genres and for both public service and commercial radio”.

*** For press enquiries please contact Tim Wilson, RIG media and policy adviser, on 07909 560 374 or tim at twcentral.co.uk

Notes: 

1. The Radio Independents Group is the trade body representing the UK independent radio production sector. The sector is made up of approximately 150 creative companies, spread around the whole of the UK. RIG members represent around 95% of industry turnover, which we estimate as a whole to be some £40m. These creative companies make radio content for commercial networks as well as BBC networks. They also are engaged in producing a variety of other content for corporate clients, as well as overseas networks and companies. Audiobooks, podcasts, museum audio-guides, audio games and other multimedia formats. It is estimated the sector employs well over 1,000 people, mostly in skilled production roles.

Full List of UK Indie radio production company winners at New York International Radio Festival – June 2014