The Guardian // John Peel wins top radio accolade

[Tom Roche]

Subject: Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | John Peel wins top radio accolade
X-URL: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,709046,00.html



   John Peel wins top radio accolade

   Matt Wells, media correspondent

   Friday May 3, 2002

   The Guardian

   John Peel's 40 year career as the highest profile champion of
   non-mainstream music was honoured last night with a Sony gold award,
   the radio industry's top accolade.

   The broadcaster was described by the Radio Academy as an "inspiration
   to music lovers".

   In his years in radio, Peel has helped launch the careers of artists
   such as Marc Bolan, Pink Floyd, New Order and Pulp. He worked for
   Radio 1 for 35 years, but his distinctive voice has appeared on all
   the BBC's networks. In recent years he has diversified into speech
   radio with Radio 4's Home Truths show.

   Radio 2, Britain's most popular station, continued its dominance of
   the radio scene. It picked up the award for best national station,
   with the gold award for breakfast music programme going to Terry
   Wogan.

   Among BBC stations represented in the awards, Radio 4 picked up the
   most accolades, taking six. Radio 5 Live took the sought-after
   breakfast news programme award for its daily show fronted by Julian
   Worricker and Victoria Derbyshire. Its sports commentator, Alan Green,
   took the gold in the speech broadcaster category, while 5 Live's
   evening presenters Jane Garvey and Peter Allen were jointly awarded
   the gold award for broadcaster of the year.

   The BBC World Service took the 2001 special award in particular
   recognition of its reponse to the events of September 11.

   Terry Garoghan, a presenter on Southern FM, won the gold in the
   entertainment category for his Last Bus to Whitehawk programme,
   beating Radio 2's Jonathan Ross into silver place.

   For the second year running, Oneword Radio, which specialises in book
   readings, interviews and other speech programmes, won digital station
   of the year. "Oneword is innovative, well produced with superb backup
   and sponsor tie-ins," the judges said.

   The winners, who picked up their awards at a ceremony in central
   London last night, were decided by a panel of 100 judges who listened
   to over 1500 hours of radio programming.
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