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Press Releases & Press Packs
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Sonia
Deol to front Frank Gillard Awards ceremony
BBC
Asian Network presenter Sonia Deol has been named as the host of
this year's acclaimed Frank Gillard Awards.
Sonia,
who was the first voice heard on air at the new digital radio station
BBC Asian Network last October, will be joined on stage by the Director-General
of the BBC, Greg Dyke, for an awards ceremony that will celebrate
the best of BBC Local Radio.
This
year the annual awards ceremony takes place in Bradford at the National
Museum of Photography, Film and Television on 6 October 2003.
In
a new category this year, radio stations will be judged for their
interpretation of the BBC's national Voices project, which sees
BBC Local Radio stations each spending several months working in
a community, giving local people a voice on air and finding ways
of supporting these communities in a practical and long lasting
way.
The
project came about as a direct result of the BBC Radio Leeds Altogether
Now initiative, which last year won a Gold Frank Gillard Award in
the Social Action Campaign category.
Judges
have been recruited from the ranks of active broadcasters and producers
in local and national radio, along with major figures from the radio
industry and advisory bodies.
New
judges this year include BBC THREE news presenter Tazeen Ahmad,
BBC Radio Five Live presenter Fi Glover, BBC Sports broadcaster
Mary Rhodes, BBC Europe Correspondent Jonathan Charles and Head
of BBC Television News Roger Mosey who, along with Sonia Deol, started
his broadcasting career in Local Radio.
Andy
Griffee, Controller of BBC English Regions, says: "BBC Local
Radio stations broadcast at the heart of our local communities and
we want to celebrate their tremendous success.
"The
most recent RAJAR figures show our weekly reach has risen to over
8 million people, and by sharing our expertise through events like
this, BBC Local Radio will continue to be a force to be reckoned
with."
There
are fourteen categories in this year's Frank Gillard Awards: Breakfast
Programme, Programme Presenter, Coverage of a News Story, Interactive
Programme, Reporter, Sports Coverage, Social Action Campaign, Radio
Feature, Outside Broadcast, Diversity, Radio Promotion, Voices,
Station of the Year, and the Special Award.
All
BBC local radio stations in England are invited to enter the awards,
which are highly regarded within the radio industry.
The
deadline for entries is Tuesday 1 July 2003.
The
awards are named in honour of the founder of BBC Local Radio in
England, Frank Gillard, who died in 1998.
Last
year, BBC Radio Leeds picked up four Gold awards, including the
prestigious Station of the Year award.
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