BBC Radio 1 station of the year

Tuesday, May 09, 2006

London (Reuters): BBC Radio 1 was named Britain's station of the year for the first time at the annual Sony Radio Academy Awards. The popular music station beat competition from its mainstream stablemate BBC Radio 2 and commercial rival Xfm to clinch the top prize at the ceremony held yesterday in central London. The judges praised its ''impressive sense of rediscovered self, allied with a confidence that matches the professional performance of its output''.

The station has enjoyed a renaissance since managers dropped many older presenters in the 1990s. It has won a bigger audience share in the last two years with a mix of well-known daytime presenters and more fashionable music at night. Its outspoken breakfast show host Chris Moyles won the Sony entertainment award, hailed by the judging panel as ''the master of disciplined indiscipline''.

Radio 1's Zane Low, who hosts the eclectic evening show, picked up two awards: specialist music programme and music broadcaster of the year. BBC Radio 2's Chris Evans was named music radio personality of the year, while the station's breakfast presenter Terry Wogan won a special award to mark more than 40 years of broadcasting. BBC Radio 4's ''Six O'Clock News Bulletin'' won the news and current affairs award, while the station's reporter Angus Stickler won the news journalist of the year prize.

Other winners included BBC Radio 4's Eddie Mair (speech broadcaster), Nick Ferrari of London station LBC 97.3 FM (breakfast show) and Rick Shaw of rock station Kerrang! 105.2 (music programme). The Sony awards were established in 1983 to recognise ''excellence within the UK radio industry''.

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