RTÉ Ireland named Broadcaster of the Year at the New York Festivals International Radio Program Awards

Awards were attended by stations from 32 countries

(William Murphy/Flickr)

RTÉ Ireland, the national network, was named Broadcaster of the Year for the third time at the New York Festivals International Radio Program Awards in Manhattan, emerging as the big winner at a sparkling event attended by stations, networks and producers from 32 countries.

Jim Jennings, Managing Director of RTÉ Radio, said: “For RTÉ Radio to be named New York Festivals’ Broadcaster of the Year for the third time is truly an honor. The win is testament not only to the collective output of our stations, but also to the global appeal of our programming. In this digital age, that is shaping and changing the way people listen, it is important that our content appeals to our international audience as much as our listeners in Ireland.”

At the awards, held on Monday night, RTÉ were also awarded 6 Gold trophies, 9 Silver (plus a UNDPI Silver trophy), 4 Bronze, and 9 Finalist Certificates.

An unusually large UK contingency at the ceremony, hosted at the Manhattan Penthouse on Fifth Avenue, was in part explained by the cancellation of UK's annual Radio Academy Awards last November. Over seventy entries from Britain made it to the final stage, with gold, silver and bronze prizes awarded to a range of BBC, commercial and independent programming, as well as several community and Student Radio Association stations.

London-based TBI Media UK claimed 7 Gold trophies, 2 Silver trophies and a Finalist Certificate, and were prestigiously named by the Festival's Grand Jury as Production Company of the Year. TBI received further recognition for their 'D-Day: 70 Years On' project, co-produced with Snappin’ Turtle Productions to honour the 70th anniversary of the Normandy Landings, receiving a special Grand Award in the Best Special Event category.

“To be recognised in this way amongst the global radio community is a real honour” said TBI Media founding director Phil Critchlow. “D-Day was undoubtedly one of the most challenging projects we’ve been involved with, with a huge team pushing the envelope in so many ways, and this result is testimony to that team effort.“

Amongst the other big winners of the evening were The New York Philharmonic, earning the Grand Award for Best Regularly Scheduled Music Program, and WNYC Radiolab's '60 Words', winning the Grand Award in National Or International Affairs for its programme investigating the impact of America's post-9/11 'Authorization for Use of Military Force' legislation.