Classic FM nominated for two awards

[Richard]

Hello everybody!

Here is some interesting news about Classic FM: www.classicfm.com/Article.asp?id=377587&spid=9448

Classic FM Up For UK Station Of The Year



Classic FM has been nominated for two awards at this year's 25th annual Sony Radio Academy Awards - UK Station Of The Year and The Station Imaging Award.

The nominations for the 25th annual Sony Radio Academy Awards, the UK’s top radio accolades, were announced on Tuesday 27 March at a launch hosted by future theJazz (sister station of Classic FM) presenter Margherita Taylor.

Last year’s Station of the Year UK winner Radio 1 will be fighting to keep Radio 2 and Classic FM off the throne this year while Classic FM is up against 96.3 Radio Air, talkSPORT and fellow GCap Media stations Choice FM and Planet Rock for the The Station Imaging Award. GCap Media (of which Classic FM is part of) received a best-ever 14 nominations in 11 categories.

The 2007 Sony Radio Academy Award nominations are a barometer of how the listening habits of the nation are changing, brought about by the digital download revolution, the decline of jukebox radio, and the fact that regional radio is now competing strongly with network radio. This year, to mark the Awards 25th anniversary, a special Broadcasters’ Broadcaster Award will be made, the winner voted by broadcasters from a shortlist drawn up by the Sony Radio Academy Awards Committee.

The winners of the Gold, Silver and Bronze awards for the 30 categories will be revealed at the annual gala ceremony on the evening of Monday 30 April.

Click here for full list of nominees >

28 March 2007

Good luck Classic FM! i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif

Richard

[Richard]

Hello again folks!

Classic FM took the UK Station of the Year title in last night's Sony Radio Academy Awards.
Here is a report from Radio Today:-

BBC is toast of Sony Awards

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Tuesday 01 May 2007 - 00:41:44

The BBC's celebrating this morning after its radio stations and personalities picked up 24 out of the 33 Sony Radio Academy Awards in central London last night. Among those picking up prizes were Chris Evans and John Humphreys who both made two trips to the stage to collect Gold awards. Paul Gambaccini and the late great John Peel were the night's other big winners.

GCap Media's Classic FM took the UK Station of the Year title with the judges saying it was "back on top form, oozing enjoyment of the music thanks to imaginative use of celebrities not generally known for their love of classical music, and polished, approachable presentation".

BBC WM's Tony Butler was given a new Lifetime Achievement Award recognising a regional broadcaster, with former colleague Richard Park describing him as "a broadcasting legend, one of a kind, and a passionate presenter whose programmes are essential listening". Tony's been a massive part of sports broadcasting in the West Midlands for more than 30 years.

John Peel was named The Broadcasters' Broadcaster - a special one-off prize to mark the 25th anniversary of the Sony Awards. The trophy was picked up by John's wife Sheila. Multiple Sony Gold winner John was voted their greatest influence by UK broadcasters from a shortlist of 25 radio icons drawn up by the Awards Committee.

Radio 2 had a haul of five Sony Golds - including the two for Chris Evans who won the Entertainment Award and was also named Music Radio Personality of the Year. Radio 4 was, as usual, nominated in many categories and didn't disappoint. Among them The Today Programme picked up the Breakfast Show Award, and John Humphrys was named News Journalist of the Year.

Colin Murray was Radio 1's only Gold winner on the night - picking up the Music Broadcaster of the Year prize. The judges said they were impressed with his "fierce passion for music", saying he was a "broadcaster with a winning blend of charisma and charm who proves that the best broadcasters are big enough to foreground music rather than themselves."

So again the BBC's night... just 7 Golds for commercial radio groups (2 for GCap, 2 for Emap and 1 each for Chrysalis, TLRC and SMG) - plus one for GaydarRadio and one for Wise Buddah's Firin' Squad Unsigned Podcast.

The Chairman of the Awards Committee Tim Blackmore told RadioToday.co.uk, "The ongoing power of audio communication is more than amply demonstrated by the breadth and depth of these Awards. Whatever platform was used to distribute their work, every one of our winners has demonstrated the kind of creativity, credibility, or objectivity that has come to exemplify a quarter of a century of 'the Sonys'."

Here's the full list of the night's winners...

The Community Award - BBC Radio Berkshire for The Plot
The Sports Programme Award - BBC Five Live for Sportsweek
The Internet Programme Award - Wise Buddah Talent for Firin' Squad Unsigned Podcast
The Feature Award - BBC Radio 2's Radio Ballads 2006 - The Song of Steel
The Music Special Award - BBC Radio 2 for Malcolm McLaren's Musical Map of London
The Live Event Coverage Award - The Alan Shearer Testimonial - Magic 1152
The Breaking News Award - The London Tornado on BBC London 94.9
The News Journalist of the Year - John Humphrys, BBC Radio 4
The Music Programme Award - The Mark Radcliffe Show, BBC Radio 2
The Promo Award - The Ashes, BBC Five Live
The Drama Award - Lorilei - BBC Radio 4
The Comedy Award - 1966 And All That - BBC Radio 4
The Speech Programme Award - The Reunion - BBC Radio 4
The Competition Award - Who's Calling Christian? - Virgin Radio
The Lifetime Achievement Award - Tony Butler, BBC WM
The Station Imaging Award - Planet Rock
The News & Current Affairs Programme Award - BBC Five Live Breakfast
The News Feature Award - Letters from Guantanamo Bay - BBC Radio 4
The Music Broadcaster of the Year - Colin Muray, BBC Radio 1
The Station Programmer of the Year - Francis Currie - Heart Network
The Interactive Programme Award - PM, BBC Radio 4
Station of the Year (under 300,000) - Isle of Wight Radio
Station of the Year (300,000 to 1 million) - BBC Radio Derby
The Breakfast Show Award - The Today Programme, BBC Radio 4
The Specialist Music Programme Award - Friction, BBC Asian Network
The Entertainment Award - The Chris Evans Show, BBC Radio 2
Station of the Year (1 million plus) - Radio City 96.7
The Speech Broadcaster of the Year - Eddie Nestor, BBC London 94.9
Digital Terrestrial Station of the Year - GaydarRadio
The Music Radio Personality of the Year - Chris Evans, BBC Radio 2
UK Station of the Year - Classic FM
The Gold Award - Paul Gambaccini

Click HERE for photo highlights of the evening!
[/quote]
Well done Classic FM! i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif

Richard

[Stephany]

Thanks a lot for the news, Richard.
It's a well-deserved award for Classic FM !

[roger]

Thank you for that, Richard. Not only does this recognise the popularity of Classic FM but of classical music generally.

Congratulations, Classic FM!

Roger

[Richard]

Hello everybody!

I was browsing Classic FM's website and found an interesting article about the station's history. It turns out that it's won the 'Station of the Year' award at least three times since it started in 1992.

www.classicfm.co.uk/article.asp?id=215531

Our History

A chorus of birdsong heralded the launch of the UK's first national commercial radio station in the summer of 1992. Two months later, on September 7 1992, Classic FM hit the airwaves for the first time.

The idea for a national commercial radio station dedicated to classical music originated with the management of GWR Group. It had been operating a trial service on its AM frequencies in Wiltshire and Bristol, testing audience reaction to a regular drive-time programme of popular classical music.

The idea had proved to be a great success and GWR Group's CEO, Ralph Bernard, and Group Programme Director, Michael Bukht, drew up the plans for a national station. Classic FM's initial investors included GWR Group, DMGT and the entrepreneur, Sir Peter Michael.

At 6am on Monday, September 7, the strains of Handel's Zadok the Priest announced the station's arrival. Nick Bailey was the first voice listeners heard on air - 14 years later he's still a regular presenter on Classic FM.

Reaction to the station was mixed, with many critics and advertisers not giving it a chance. Classic FM launched with the expectation of attracting 2.8 million listeners. Four and a half months after launch date, official figures showed that 4.3 million people were tuning into the station every week, making it the fourth largest in the country. Further evidence of the station's success came the following year when Classic FM was named Station of the Year at the Sony Awards, the first of three such awards it has won since 1992.

Four years after the launch, GWR bought out the remaining shareholders. Ralph Bernard became Chief Executive, a role he has held ever since. In 2005, GWR Group merged with Capital Radio Group to form GCap Media - the UK's largest commercial radio company. Classic FM remains the single biggest radio station in GCap Media's portfolio of stations.

Classic FM has more than 6.2 million listeners across the UK who tune in each week (including almost 400,000 children). As well as the radio station, Classic FM has grown to include Classic FM TV, a 24 hour classical music video channel; the Classic FM Magazine, the UK's best-selling classical music magazine; this thriving website; a record label; live concerts and book publishing. In 2004, Darren Henley became Classic FM's Station Manager, responsible for the day-to-day management of Classic FM's business and its editorial content across all of its platforms.

The station's presenters include Simon Bates, Lesley Garrett, Katie Derham, Myleene Klass, Henry Kelly, Richard E. Grant, John Suchet, Tony Robinson and David Mellor.

Today, fourteen years after its launch, Classic FM remains true to its mission to bring classical music to the widest possible audience, no matter their age, background or location.

I don't know whether the article was written before or after Classic FM won this year's 'Station of the Year' award, but I thought you'd all like to know the history of our favourite radio station.

Richard

[Richard]

This article is worth reading too.

www.classicfm.co.uk/Article.asp?id=215535&spid=9880

Our Value and Purpose

The idea of making music that was originally composed during the course of the past 1000 years relevant to 21st century life may at first glance appear daunting.

However Classic FM is the media choice of nearly one fifth of the UK population. So what are the ingredients that have made Classic FM the UK's most popular commercial radio station?

An extensive piece of research involving thousands of in-depth interviews, commissioned by Classic FM, identified that much of the success of Classic FM has come from a growing trend to seek environments that help cope with the stress of modern life. Classic FM seeks to improve the mood of the listener by providing an environment to relax, find balance and stir emotions. It's a mental breath of fresh air, restoring mind, body and spirit.

Classical music is at the heart of everything we do at Classic FM. Just take a look at our CD library with more than 150,000 tracks of the world's finest recordings, and you'll see why we believe classical music can and should be a part of everyone's lives - regardless of age, which is why the station starts young, with music education in schools an important part of its work.

Classic FM makes classical music a relevant part of the modern lifestyle. To achieve this, Classic FM plays familiar music alongside less known pieces, all chosen to uplift, soothe and stir the emotions. This approach is designed to make classical music as accessible to as many people as possible. It is underpinned by rigorous quality control, ensuring that listeners hear the very best recordings of their favourite music.

It seems that Classic FM and Hayley have a lot in common! i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif

Richard