The IMRO Irish Radio Awards for 2020 have just concluded.
No tuxedo this year, or scrambling for accommodation. No queuing for the champagne, mixing it up with heads from other radio stations, no craic at the tables, cheering on the underdogs or rolling your eyes at the usuals. No relentless dancing into the wee hours before waiting more hours for a taxi in the hope that you didn’t agree to cover a shift in the morning.
Yes, the awards were different this year – entirely virtual and enjoyed with a can of beer and a bag of chips from the comfort of the couch as Today FM’s Dermot Whelan navigated the ceremony with no live audience to bounce off barring a handful of group video calls to cover the Breakfast / Radio DJ and overall awards.
It turned out to be a fairly big night (and haul) for Newstalk once more while WLR (Waterford) claimed a second successive Local Station of the Year gong.
Being able to make it to bed around 10pm on awards night must be a first in a good ten years or so but – all going well – the industry’s party-goers will descend on Kilkenny in October 2021 to do it all face to face.
The winners: IMRO Irish Radio Awards 2020
A1 General Music Programme
Gold – Dermot and Dave – Today FM
Silver – Lunchtime with Mairéad Ronan – Today FM
Bronze – The Zoo Crew on SPIN – SPIN1038
A2 Specialist Music Programme
Gold – Céilí House – RTÉ Radio 1
Silver – Ed’s National Anthems – Today FM
Bronze – The Paul McLoone Show – Today FM
A3 Breakfast Programme
Gold – 2fm Breakfast with Doireann and Eoghan – RTÉ 2fm
Silver – Fully Charged with Graham and Nathan – SPIN1038
Bronze – KC and Ross in the Morning on Cork’s 96FM – Cork’s 96FM
A4 Music Special / Music Event
Gold – Fully Charged’s Rugby World Cup Song – SPIN1038
Silver – The Sailortown Sessions – BBC Radio Ulster
Bronze – Éirevision – iRadio
A5 Irish Music Programme or Initiative
Gold – ATL Introducing – BBC Radio Ulster
Silver – Vicar Street Replugged – Ocean FM
Bronze – Gradaim Cheoil NÓS – RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta
B1 News Story / News Event
Gold – Matt Damon in Dalkey – SPIN1038
Silver – Unprecedented Times – BBC Radio Ulster
Bronze – Farmers at the Gates – Shannonside FM
B2 News Programme (Full Service)
Gold – Newstalk Breakfast with Susan Keogh – Newstalk
Silver – This Week: Special Report – Carers and Covid-19 – RTÉ Radio 1
Bronze – Breakfast Briefing with Andrea Gilligan – Newstalk
B3 News Programme (Local/Regional)
Gold – The Breakfast Show – BBC Radio Foyle
Silver – News at One – Shannonside FM
Bronze – Main Lunchtime News – Cork’s 96FM – Corks’s 96FM
B4 Current Affairs Programme (Full Service)
Gold – The Hard Shoulder – Newstalk
Silver – Good Morning Ulster – BBC Radio Ulster
Bronze – Saturday with Cormac Ó’ hEadhra – Rationing PPE in Nursing Homes – RTÉ Radio 1
B5 Current Affairs Programme (Local/Regional)
Gold – Deise Today on WLR – WLR
Silver – The Morning Show with Declan Meehan – East Coast FM
Bronze – Kerry Today – Radio Kerry
B6 Sports Story
Gold – Roy Keane and Gary Neville – Newstalk
Silver – Ireland at the Rugby World Cup – Newstalk
Bronze – Michael O’Hehir – Remembered at 100 – RTÉ Radio 1
B7 Sports Programme (Full Service)
Gold – The Clara Jug – Four Days in Portrush – RTÉ Radio 1
Silver – Remembering O’Hehir – The Voice of Sport – RTÉ Radio 1
Bronze – Off The Ball – Newstalk
B8 Sports Programme (Local/Regional)
Gold – Big Ball Small Ball with Valerie Wheeler – SPIN South West
Silver – 98FM’s Now That’s What I Call Sport with Jamie Moore – 98FM
Bronze – Weekend Sports – Radio Kerry
C1 Documentary
Gold – Documentary on One: The Case of Majella Moynihan – RTÉ Radio 1
Silver – Breast Cancer and Me – WLR
Bronze – Documentary on One: Benjy the Little Gay Bull – RTÉ Radio 1
C2 Music, Arts & Culture Documentary
Gold – ANIMALS: Flea – RTÉ Radio 1 Extra
Silver – The Arts Show – Surrealism Special – BBC Radio Ulster
Bronze – Documentary on One: The Whistleblower – RTÉ Radio 1
C3 Short Feature
Gold – Big Breakfast Little Stories on WLR – WLR
Silver – Dublin Inner City Regeneration Series – RTÉ Radio 1
Bronze – Women’s Bits – KCLR
C4 Magazine Programme
Gold – The John Toal Show – BBC Radio Ulster
Silver – Countrywide – RTÉ Radio 1
Bronze – The Open Door – Midlands 103
C5 Drama
Gold – Drama on One: Leaba an Bháis le Darach Mac Con Iomaire – RTÉ Radio 1
Silver – Drama on One: Krakow by Peter Sirr – RTÉ Radio 1
Bronze – YouthQuake on WLR – WLR
C6 Specialist Speech Programme
Gold – All This Happened, Chapter 2: We Shall Overcome – RTÉ Radio 1
Silver – Awesome Irish Women….From The Past! (Episode 5: Fighters) – RTÉjr Radio
Bronze – Kerrywide – Radio Kerry
C7 Craoltoireacht le Gaeilge
Gold – Blas Ceoil (O.B. Bóthar Seoighe) – BBC Radio Uladh
Silver – Ár bPéire – Dónall Mac Ruairí – RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta
Bronze – Splanc – Newstalk
C8 Interactive Speech Programme
Gold – The Nolan Show – BBC Radio Ulster
Silver – 98FM’s Dublin Talks – 98FM
Bronze – Lunchtime Live – Newstalk
D1 Community / Social Action
Gold – Living with a Disability – Newstalk
Silver – Formal Friday – Communicorp Media
Bronze – Shine Your Light – RTÉ Radio 1
D2 On-air Competition / Promotion
Gold – Leap of Faith on Beat – Beat 102 – 103
Silver – Gone in 96 Seconds – Cork’s 96FM – Cork’s 96FM
Bronze – Two Minute Tales – BBC Radio Ulster
D3 Station Imaging
Gold – Newstalk
Silver – 98FM
Bronze – RTÉ 2fm
D4 Entertainment Inserts
Gold – Gift Grub – The Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show – Today FM
Silver – Kilian Pettit – Cork’s RedFM
Bronze – KC and Ross in the Morning on Cork’s 96FM – The Ten Past 8 Bit – Cork’s 96FM
D5 Digital & Social Innovation
Gold – Today FM: Know It All Ireland Quiz – Today FM
Silver – The Exit Poll – Ocean FM
Bronze – Dermot and Dave’s Live Date – Today FM – Today FM
D6 Podcast of the Year
Gold – The Nobody Zone – RTÉ Radio 1
Silver – Ecolution – RTÉjr Radio
Bronze – 98FM’s Nobody Told Me – 98FM
E1 Music & Entertainment Presenter of the Year
Gold – Dermot Whelan – Today FM
Silver – KC on Cork’s 96FM – Cork’s 96FM
Bronze – Colm Hayes – Radio Nova
E2 Radio DJ of the Year
Gold – David Hammond – Beat 102 – 103
Silver – Emma Nolan – FM104
Bronze – Jessica Maciel – Today FM
E3 Specialist Music Broadcaster of the Year
Gold – John Toal – BBC Radio Ulster
Silver – Stephen McCauley – BBC Radio Ulster
Bronze – Stuart Banford – Downtown Country
E4 News Broadcaster of the Year
Gold – Susan Keogh – Newstalk
Silver – Fionnuala Corbett – iRadio
Bronze – Elaine McGee – BBC Radio Foyle
E5 News Reporter of the Year
Gold – Kacey O’Riordan – 98FM
Silver – Damien Tiernan – WLR
Bronze – Cian McCormack – RTÉ Radio 1
E6 Sports Broadcaster of the Year (Full Service)
Gold – Joe Molloy – Newstalk
Silver – Nathan Murphy – Newstalk
Bronze – Máire Treasa Ní Cheallaigh – Newstalk
E7 Sports Broadcaster of the Year (Local / Regional)
Gold – Trevor Welch – Cork’s 96FM
Silver – Eric White – BBC Radio Foyle
Bronze – Austin O’Callaghan – Ocean FM
E8 Speech Broadcaster of the Year (Full Service)
Gold – Ciara Kelly – Newstalk
Silver – Kieran Cuddihy – Newstalk
Bronze – Ivan Yates – Newstalk
E9 Speech Broadcaster of the Year (Local / Regional)
Gold – Damien Tiernan – WLR
Silver – Alan Corcoran – South East Radio
Bronze – Niall Delaney – Ocean FM
E10 Newcomer of the Year / The Gay Byrne Award
Gold – Connor Brennan – Q Radio
Silver – Sarah McKinley – Downtown Radio and Cool FM
Bronze – Brendan Bracken – iRadio
F1 Radio Moment of the Year
Gold – Matt Damon on SPIN1038 – SPIN1038
Silver – The Francie Boylan Show – Ocean FM
Bronze – So Long, Farewell: Brexit Party MEP’s Depart from Brussels – BBC Radio Foyle
F2 Local Station of the Year
Gold – WLR
Silver – Clare FM – At The Heart of It
Bronze – Radio Kerry
F3 Music Station of the Year
Gold – Cork’s RedFM
Silver – SPIN1038
Bronze – 98FM
F4 Full Service Station of the Year
Gold – Newstalk
Silver – BBC Radio Ulster
Bronze – RTÉ Radio 1
Recognising the best in Irish radio broadcasting, you can find out more about the awards here.
