South African radio station HOT 102.7FM is once again celebrating an historic night in the United States, after being honoured in three categories at the 2024 New York Festivals Radio Awards – 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 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 has taken a step up, being awarded ‘bronze’ in the ‘Best News Report/Feature: Human Interest Feature’ category for the “Beginner’s Guide to Online Dating” series, whilst the news team’s “Padkos & Playdough” series was named a finalist in the same category, and the HOT 1027 Breakfast show was honoured as a finalist in the ‘Morning Drive/Afternoon Programming: Best Music/Personality Show’ category.
“It feels incredible to play a role in putting South Africa on the map,” said HOT 102.7FM Managing Director, Lloyd Madurai. “And this is not just recognition for HOT 102.7FM, but also the quality of radio in South Africa. When we launched the station three years ago, our goal was always to build a world-class radio operation and to measure ourselves against the world’s best, and it’s incredibly satisfying that we’ve done that, in such a short space of time.”
HOT 102.7FM was the only South African radio station to feature at the New York Festivals Radio Awards, finding itself up against global heavyweights such as ABC News, Al Jazeera, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, BBC, Radio France, Radio New Zealand, Radio-Canada, Sirius XM (USA), Sky (UK), Virgin Radio UK, and Voice of America.
“To be recognised alongside these big names of world of radio says so much about what we’ve built here at HOT 102.7FM and the quality of the radio product we’ve taken to market, since launching,” said Madurai. “If a globally-recognised organisation with a panel of respected judges says you’re top three or four in your specific category, there can be no doubt that what you’re doing is world-class.”
The two news awards 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.
The HOT 1027 Breakfast, meanwhile, only launched in April 2023, but in a short space of time the team of Simon Parkinson, Bunny Majaja, and Simon Hill has already made its mark, as recognised by the New York Festivals Radio Awards judges.
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 announced at the New York Festivals 2024 Storytellers Gala event.
