There was screams of excitement in the office on Wednesday after news trickled in that VOC received three nominations for the Liberty Radio Awards. The announcement ended two months of anxious waiting, after submissions were made in January this year.
The nominations are in the community radio category:
Shafiq Morton – afternoon drive presenter
Tasneem Adams – newsreader
Thakira Desai – documentary feature – Behind Bars: Muslim inmates fasting during Ramadan
“Alhamdullilah, to be nominated is an achievement in itself. Congratulations to the entire team as this is a collective effort. May we continue to strive in path of Allah swt,” said VOC station management.
The announcement follows a grueling adjudication process where a panel of 65 judges reviewed and evaluated more than 1600 hours of audio entries received from over 110 radio stations.
“We congratulate the nominees and look forward to celebrating excellence in a few weeks’ time when the winners are finally announced. It being the first year that we’re involved with the Radio Awards, we are happy with the results thus far. The overwhelming response following the call to entry, to the quality of the submissions, and the industry’s genuine excitement about the Awards, we’re proud to be the title sponsor of the Liberty Radio Awards,” says Sydney Mbhele, Chief Marketing Officer, Liberty Group.
CEO of – the Liberty Radio Awards, Lance Rothschild said: “It really is gratifying to have access to- and the expertise of many seasoned radio experts who so generously gave of their time to adjudicate the entries. I am quite confident that the best of the entries rose to the top in each of the categories and that they will motivate and inspire the industry to keep on improving their programming and content to ensure that listeners remain committed to their respective stations, and almost more importantly, to the medium of radio.”
A panel of adjudicators have identified that radio still has a strong appeal, despite the emergence of other media platforms. One of the adjudicators shared the following feedback:
“I don’t think I had this much fun in a long while. I enjoyed listening to the vast number of SA Radio stations and learning about the potential talent and future on-air voices. Trust me, I will keep an ear out for them. What fascinates me most are the number of young South Africans who have a passion for radio. It’s also quite comforting to know that South Africans have a wonderful relationship with radio – the kind of relationship that will never wane. Radio’s reach and “friend-appeal” makes it such an apt, immediate medium for the SA Market. There is lots of potential here and a bright future.”
The winners of each category will be announced at the Liberty Radio Awards Gala Banquet at the Sandton Convention Centre on 22 April.