RTÉ has once again been honoured with the Broadcaster of the Year award at the New York Festivals International Radio Awards.
Selected from finalists spanning 32 countries, this is fourth time RTÉ has won this award in recent years.
In 2011, RTÉ radio services became the first Irish stations in the award ceremony’s 55-year history to be awarded the accolade of Broadcaster of the Year. The following year, in 2012, RTÉ brought home the top prize once again. RTÉ then won it again in 2015. This year the National Broadcaster has been selected as the overall winner of this major international award for the fourth time in six years.
This year, RTÉ was selected above a myriad of both public and commercial broadcasters including the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), US National Public Radio (NPR), Radio Rivadavia (Argentina), Radio Free Europe (Czech Republic), Radio France and Radio New Zealand to name but a few. Winners in the television and film categories include such broadcasting heavyweights as CNN, ESPN, HBO, Showtime, Lionsgate, Al Jazeera, National Geographic and ZDF Germany.
Jim Jennings, Managing Director of RTÉ Radio, says: “For RTÉ to be named New York Festivals’ Radio Broadcaster of the Year amidst wide international competition is truly an honour. The win is testament not only to the collective output of our radio stations, but also to the broad appeal and quality of our programming. This is extremely important to us as a public service broadcaster. From the excellent Documentary on One series, the imagination of RTÉJr Radio, the skilled current affairs reporting, the creative hub of Drama on One, to the innovation of podcast series Voices, RTÉ programme makers have been duly recognized with the awarding of a selection of gold, silver and bronze medals.”
Rose Anderson, VP & Executive Director of New York Festivals International Radio Awards, says: “New York Festivals is proud to recognize the outstanding achievements of RTE. Their exceptional and innovative programming from drama and documentaries to journalism and technique achievement at the highest level – all demonstrating a depth of knowledge of their subject matter and their storytelling ability, has captured the attention and respect of their audiences and the New York Festivals International Radio Program Awards Grand Jury. Congratulations on another brilliant year!”
In addition to being named Broadcaster of the Year, RTÉ also received a total of 40 awards in the radio categories, including 23 medals at the 2017 New York Festivals for individual programmes on RTÉ Radio 1 and RTÉ lyric fm. The awards include 14 for RTÉ Radio 1’s multi-award-winning documentary strand, Documentary on One; 6 for Drama on One; – including 4 awards focusing on work by women Anne Marie Kennedy, Tracy Martin, Penny Arcade and Ellie Kisoymbe, 2 for programmes from RTÉ Radio 1’s music, comedy and entertainment department including winning two gold medals for ‘Best Director’ for the programme ‘I seek refuge’ and ‘Best Writing’ for the documentary ‘Surviving Ireland’ where Colm Tobin visits a boutique digital detox centre on the island of Carnananaunachán to follow the journey of Holly and Declan, a smartphone-dependent couple from Dublin. RTÉ’s podcast Voices series won a silver medal for the episode ‘The Siege of Sarajevo’ which tells the story of one of the survivors of the longest siege in modern history.
RTÉ Radio 1 reporter, Brian O’Connell took home both gold and silver medals for ‘best human interest story’ for his report on Today with Sean O’Rourke, ‘I Killed My Father’ which allowed a journalist enter rare access to the central mental health hospital and spoke to a man who had killed his own father. Brian took for silver for ‘best investigative reporting’ for your report ‘The Strand’. Brian broke the story of a planned series of evictions of an apartment complex in Limerick which resulted in the eviction notices being withdrawn.
Head of RTÉ Radio 1, Tom McGuire, says: ‘It’s great to win the premier award for the second time in three years and it’s a tribute to our programme makers across all genres that their work can stand alongside and above their peers, both at home and internationally.’
RTÉ lyric fm collected two gold and two bronze awards along with five certificates. Two gold awards were received for‘Profiles/Community Portraits’ for the programme ‘Ireland 2016: As It Lives & Breathes’ and for Biography/Profiles for the programme, ‘Vocal Chords: Paul Brady and Iarla Ó Lionáird in Conversation’.
Head of RTÉ lyric fm, Aodán Ó Dubhghaill, says: “Huge congratulations to the lyric fm team who continually make high quality programmes. It’s great to see their output being rewarded in this way and getting this deserved.”
Group shot:
1st Row Zoe Comyns, Ellie Kisyombe , Head of RTÉ lyric fm, Aodhán Ó Dubhghaill, RTÉ Director General Dee Forbes, Managing Director RTÉ Radio, Jim Jennings, Eamon Morrissey, Eamonn Little
2nd row from front (L-R): Kathy Raftery, Ann Marie Kennedy, Martina McGlynn, Brian O’Connell, Paul Herriott, Emer Horgan, Diarmuid McIntyre
3rd row from front (L-R): Donal Hayes, Goretti Slavin, Tracey Martin, Michele Browne, Nicoline Greer, Mel Mercier, Liam O’Brien
4th row from front (L-R): Kevin Reynolds, Regan Hutchins, Aidan O’Donovan, Colm Tobin, Angie Mezetti, Ronan Kelly, Rachel Ní Chuinn