Brendan Jones and Amanda Keller, aka Jonesy and Amanda from WSFM’s breakfast show, have won the Best On-Air Team (Metro FM) category at the Australian Commercial Radio Awards (ACRAs), announced this evening at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre. The pair also picked up a gong for hosting My Generation, for MCM Media, which won the category for Best Syndicated Australian Program.
Winner of the Best On-Air Team (Metro AM) was the Continuous Call Team of Ray Hadley, Steve Roach, Darryl Brohman and Bob Fulton, from 2GB. The team also picked up the award for Best Sports Event Coverage for their call of the 2011 NRL Grand Final and Ray Hadley collected a gong for Best Talk Presenter (Metro).
The Kyle and Jackie O Show, from the Today Network, received an award for Best Networked Program in Australia.
Other winners in major categories announced tonight were:
Best Current Affairs Presenter – Neil Mitchell, 3AW, Melbourne
Best Newcomer – joint winners Matty Johns, Triple M, Sydney and Ella Hooper, Today Network Radar
Best Music Presenter – Dylan Lewis, Nova 100, Melbourne
Best News Presenter FM – Emma Blackwood, Triple M, Brisbane
Best News Presenter AM - Steve Blanda, 2UE, Sydney
Best Sports Presenter – Ray Warren, Triple M, Sydney
Sarah Morice from 2UE, Sydney, won the prestigious Brian White Memorial award which recognises sustained achievement and effort across news, current affairs, entertainment and sports reporting. One of radio’s most respected executives, Graham Mott, was inducted into the Commercial Radio Hall of Fame. The former General Manager of Fairfax Radio Network, Graham began his radio career as a talk radio panel operator at 2GB in 1969. He went on to hold many positions at talk and music stations over the next 42 years including program producer, production manager, operations manager, music director, program director and general manager.
CEO of Commercial Radio, Ms Joan Warner, congratulated all winners on their remarkable achievements and for their continued contribution to delivering quality commercial radio in Australia: “Whether they are working behind the scenes in sales and production, or in front of a mic, Australian audiences are fortunate to have such an amazing pool of talent working in commercial radio,” Ms Warner said.
The ACRAs gala event was co-hosted by businesswoman, music manager, television host and author, Sharon Osbourne and Triple M Sydney radio host, Merrick Watts. Sharon is well known for her appearances in the reality television show, The Osbournes, and has recently been a judge on the X Factor UK and America’s Got Talent, as well as a guest on Celebrity Apprentice in the USA and is currently the co-host of The Talk.
The national Awards, organised by Commercial Radio Australia, cover all metropolitan, provincial and country commercial radio stations with winners announced for each of these areas in 33 categories. The categories encompass all aspects of commercial radio including news, talkback, sport and music.