Radio Academy Awards
The Radio Academy Awards, started in 1983, were the most prestigious awards in the British radio industry. For most of their existence, they were run by ZAFER Associates, but in latter years were brought under the control of The Radio Academy.
The awards were generally referred to by the name of their first sponsor, Sony, as the Sony Awards, the Sony Radio Awards or other variations. In August 2013, Sony announced the end of its sponsorship agreement with the Radio Academy after 32 years. Consequently, the awards were simply named the Radio Academy Awards. In November 2014, it was announced that The Radio Academy would not be holding the awards in 2015, and would be looking for other ways to recognise achievement in the future.
The awards were relaunched in 2016 as the Audio & Radio Industry Awards.
Awards format
The awards were organised into various categories, with nominees being announced a few weeks before the main awards ceremony. The categories varied slightly each year, and were decided by an annual committee, with the aim to include all the main areas from music, news and speech through to radio drama, comedy and sport, and not discriminating against station size, or niche categories.In most categories, five entries were shortlisted with the top three awarded Bronze, Silver and Gold. Some categories only three entries were shortlisted, with only a Gold winner awarded. In a number of special categories there was no shortlist, merely a winner.
1983 Gold Award winners
1984 Gold Award winners
1985 Gold Award winners
1986 Gold Award winners
1987 Gold Award winners
1988 Gold Award winners
1989 Gold Award winners
1990 Gold Award winners
1991 Gold Award winners
1992 Gold Award winners
1993 Gold Award winners
1994 Gold Award winners
1995 Gold Award winners
1996 Gold Award winners
1997 Gold Award winners
1998 Gold Award winners
1999 Gold Award winners
The 17th Sony Radio Academy Awards ceremony was held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London on 28 April 1999 and was hosted by Kirsty Young and Paul Gambaccini.| Category | Winner | Station/Organisation | Refs |
| Gold Award | Zoe Ball | BBC Radio 1 | |
| Music broadcaster award | Mark Lamarr | BBC Radio 2 | |
| Talk/news broadcaster award | Tim Hubbard | BBC Radio Cornwall | |
| Sports broadcaster award | Ian Payne | BBC Radio 5 Live | |
| Station of the year | BBC Radio 2 | BBC Radio 2 | |
| Regional station of the year | Clyde 2 | Clyde 2 | |
| Local station of the year | Moray Firth Radio | Moray Firth Radio | |
| Arts award | Landscape of Fear | BBC Radio 4 | |
| Breakfast music award | The Adam Cole Breakfast Show | Galaxy 102 | |
| Breakfast talk/news award | 5 Live Breakfast | BBC Radio 5 Live | |
| Comedy award | Old Harry's Game | BBC Radio 4 | |
| Community award | coverage of the Omagh bombing | BBC Radio Ulster | |
| Competition award | Live in the Car | Radio City 96.7 | |
| Daytime music award | The Mark Radcliffe Show | BBC Radio 1 | |
| Daytime talk/news award | Between Ourselves | BBC Radio 4 | |
| Drama award | Bleak House | BBC Radio 4 | |
| Drivetime music award | Simon James | 96.3 Aire FM | |
| Drivetime talk/news award | Evening Extra: Agreement Day | BBC Radio Ulster | |
| Evening/late night music award | Pete Tong's Essential Selection | Wise Buddah for BBC Radio 1 | |
| Evening/late night talk/news award | Up All Night | BBC Radio 5 Live | |
| Event award | coverage of the enthronement of the seventh Bishop of Liverpool | BBC Radio Merseyside | |
| Feature award – music | We Got The Funk | BBC Radio 1 | |
| Feature award – speech | Between The Ears: Out of the Blue | BBC Radio 3 | |
| Magazine award | Home Truths, hosted by John Peel | BBC Radio 4 | |
| News award | Farming Today | BBC Radio 4 | |
| Short form award | Home Truths Inserts | BBC Radio 4 | |
| Special interest music award | Shake, Rattle and Roll | BBC Radio 2 | |
| Sports award | Metro Sport: Two Wembley Finals | Metro FM | |
| Station branding award | Classic FM | Classic FM | |
| Weekend music award | Alan Mann's Afters | Classic FM | |
| Weekend talk/news award | Home Truths | BBC Radio 4 |
2000 Gold Award winners
The 18th Sony Radio Academy Awards ceremony was held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London on 2 May 2000. BBC Radio 4 was the most nominated station, with 24 entries, and received four awards. Guests included the actors Jenny Agutter and Christopher Lee, Chris Smith, and Dale Winton, who all presented awards.| Category | Winner | Station/Organisation | Refs |
| Gold award | Ralph Bernard | Classic FM/GWR | |
| Lifetime achievement award | Alan "Fluff" Freeman | ||
| Music broadcaster award | Pete Tong | Wise Buddah for BBC Radio 1 | |
| News and talk broadcaster award | Roger Phillips | BBC Radio Merseyside | |
| Station of the year | Classic FM | Classic FM | |
| Station of the year | Kiss 100 | Kiss 100 | |
| Station of the year | BBC Radio Foyle | BBC Radio Foyle | |
| Breakfast music award | Bam Bam Breakfast | Kiss 100 | |
| Breakfast news and talk award | The Morning Programme | BBC Radio Foyle | |
| Comedy award | Blue Jam | Talkback Productions for BBC Radio 1 | |
| Competition award | Jono's Australian Experience | Heart 106.2 | |
| Drama award | Plum's War, written by Michael Butt | The Fiction Factory for BBC Radio 4 | |
| Entertainment award | Jon & Andy | 103.2 Power FM | |
| Event award | coverage of The Open golf tournament | BBC Sport for BBC Radio 5 Live | |
| Feature award | Out of the Darkness: The Triumph of Nelson Mandela | Radio 4 Home Current Affairs for BBC Radio 4 | |
| Interactive award | On The Ball | BBC Scotland | |
| Music presentation award: UK | Jonathan Ross Show | BBC Music Entertainment and Off The Kerb Productions for BBC Radio 2 | |
| Music presentation award: regional | Bam Bam Breakfast | Kiss 100 | |
| 'Music Special' award | For Your Ears Only, presented by Honor Blackman | BBC Music Entertainment for BBC Radio 2 | |
| News award | Late Night Live: Soho Bomb, presented by Brian Hayes | BBC News and Current Affairs for BBC Radio 5 Live | |
| Public service award | Sunday Surgery, presented by Sara Cox and Dr. Mark Hamilton | BBC Music Entertainment for BBC Radio 1 | |
| Public service award | Out of the Red, presented by Sara Cox | BBC Music Entertainment for BBC Radio 1 | |
| Public service award | Chemical Beats, presented by Danny Dyer | BBC Music Entertainment for BBC Radio 1 | |
| Short form award | Woman's Hour inserts | BBC Features & Events for BBC Radio 4 | |
| Specialist music award | Worldwide with Gilles Peterson | Somethin' Else for BBC Radio 1 | |
| Speech award | The Evacuation: The True Story, presented by Charles Wheeler | Martin Weitz Assoc. for BBC Radio 4 | |
| Sports award | Super Sunday, presented by Gideon Coe and Pete Stevens | BBC GLR | |
| Station sound award | Classic FM | Classic FM |
2001 Gold Award winners
The 19th Sony Radio Academy Awards ceremony, hosted by Paul Gambaccini, was held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London on 30 April 2001. The BBC won gold awards in 23 out of 30 categories. A new category, Digital Terrestrial Station, was introduced. The winner of the lifetime achievement award, Chris Tarrant, criticised the commercial sector for suppressing spontaneity in radio.| Category | Winner | Station/Organisation | Refs |
| Gold award | Chris Tarrant | ||
| 2000 award | Terry Wogan | BBC Radio 2 | |
| Special award | Derek Cooper OBE | BBC Radio 4 | |
| Speech broadcaster award | Peter White | BBC Radio 4 | |
| Music broadcaster award | Stuart Maconie | BBC Radio 2 | |
| News broadcaster award | Jon Gaunt | BBC Three Counties Radio | |
| UK Station of the year | BBC Radio 2 | BBC Radio 2 | |
| Station of the year: 500,00012 million | Clyde 1 | Clyde 1 | |
| Station of the year: up to 500,000 | BBC Radio Foyle | BBC Radio Foyle | |
| Digital terrestrial station of the year | OneWord Radio | OneWord Radio | |
| Breakfast music award | Daryl Denham in the Morning | 100.7 Heart FM | |
| Breakfast news and talk award | The Jon Gaunt Breakfast Show | BBC Three Counties Radio | |
| Comedy award | Dead Ringers | BBC Radio 4 | |
| Community award | Floodwatch 2000 | BBC Radio York | |
| Competition award | Hey Sexy | Kiss 100 | |
| Drama award | Alpha, written by Mike Walker | BBC World Service | |
| Entertainment award | Bitz and Pieces CD | Murf Media for local UK stations | |
| Event award | coverage of The Olympics | BBC Radio 5 Live | |
| Feature award | Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird | BBC Radio 3 | |
| Interactive award | The Stephen Rhodes Consumer Programme | BBC Three Counties Radio | |
| Music programming award – daily sequences | The Mark Radcliffe Show | BBC Radio 1 | |
| Music programming award – single programmes | Smash Hits, presented by Darren Proctor | Emap Big City Network | |
| 'Music Special' award | Hymnus Paradisi, written by Eric Pringle | BBC Radio 4 | |
| News coverage award | The Jon Gaunt Breakfast Show | BBC Three Counties Radio | |
| News programme award | On Your Farm, presented by Anna Hill | BBC Radio 4 | |
| Short form award | Colloquies – Thomas Lynch | BBC Radio 4 | |
| Specialist music award | A Beginner's Guide To Reggae, presented by Mark Lamarr | BBC Radio 2 | |
| Speech award | Girl Talk, presented by Heidi Williams | BBC Radio Wales | |
| Sports award | Wembley Live Obituary Show, presented by Jim White | BBC Radio 5 Live | |
| Station sound award | BBC Radio 2 | BBC Radio 2 |