South African radio station HOT 102.7FM has once again made an impact on the global stage, picking up three nominations for the 2024 New York Festivals Radio Awards in the United States – widely regarded as the ‘Oscars of the radio industry’.
This, less than three years after launching as a new Johannesburg-based commercial radio station in July of 2021. It follows the seven nominations HOT 102.7FM received at last year’s New York Festivals Radio Awards, which resulted in the station being honoured as a finalist in four categories.
This year, HOT 102.7FM is nominated in the following categories:
- Morning Drive/Afternoon Programming: Best Music/Personality Show (HOT 1027 Breakfast)
- Best News Report/Feature: Human Interest Feature – “Beginner’s Guide to Online Dating”
- Best News Report/Feature: Human Interest Feature – “Padkos & Playdough”
“This is a pretty big deal and the reason it means so much is the fact that when we launched the HOT 102.7FM brand, our goal was always to ‘think big’ and measure ourselves against the world’s best and not just our competitors in the local market,” said Lloyd Madurai, Managing Director of HOT 102.7FM. “These nominations are just proof that we’re on the right track.”
The three news nominations are a feather in the cap for HOT 102.7FM Head of News Tara Penny, who played a lead role in producing the two series in question.
The “Beginner’s Guide to Online Dating” saw the HOT 102.7FM ‘singles’ help the news team look closely at the good, the bad and the ugly of internet dating, in the run-up to Valentine’s Day, whilst “Padkos & Playdough” helped parents navigate the holiday season and get the most out of time with their kids.
“Since joining HOT 102.7FM two years ago, Tara has made a huge impact on how we deliver and package our news content, bringing a different dimension to our storytelling,” says Madurai. “These nominations are just reward for the many hours she and her team have put in, and the stories are an example of how HOT 102.7FM likes to take a different approach to producing great radio.”
The New York Festivals Radio Awards honours radio content in all lengths and formats and across all platforms, from radio stations, networks, and independent producers from around the globe. Embracing all aspects of the radio and audio industries, the categories “mirror today’s global trends and encourage the next generation of story-tellers by recognizing innovators in 14 category groups”.
Those groups are: News Programs, News Reports/Features, Documentary, Entertainment, Talk Programs, On-Air Talent, Craft, Programming Format, Morning Drive/Afternoon Programming, Promotion Spots/Opens & IDs, Digital, Audio Books, Podcasts and Student.
The entries were judged online by the New York Festivals Radio Awards Grand Jury and the award winners will be announced during the New York Festivals 2024 Storytellers Gala event on the 16th of April.
