Dance Hits, RnB Fridays Radio, Tik Tok Trending on iHeartRadio and Club Lime Radio are finalists for Best Digital Radio Station at the 33rd annual Australian Commercial Radio Awards.
The winner will be announced at the first ACRAS live awards ceremony in three years, with the industry gathering to celebrate the best in the business at a gala red-carpet event at the ICC Darling Harbour in Sydney on Saturday, October 29.
Last year's DAB+ winner was Little Fox, a poop-up station in Melbourne created to entertain and educate children during the difficult Covid-19 lock-down days.
In other categories, Kyle Sandilands and his breakfast co-host Jackie Henderson, (The Kyle and Jackie O Show, KIIS 106.5, Sydney) are in the running for a record eighth Best On Air Team award in the FM category against the ever-popular Jonesy & Amanda (Brendan Jones and Amanda Keller, WSFM, Sydney); Fitzy & Wippa (Ryan Fitzgerald and Michael Wipfli Nova 96.9, Sydney); Kate, Tim & Joel (Kate Ritchie, Tim Blackwell and Joel Creasey, Nova Network, Sydney) and The Christian O’Connell Show (The Christian O’Connell Show, Gold 104.3, Melbourne).
The Metropolitan Best On Air Team AM title will be a contest between FIVEaa Breakfast (David Penberthy and Will Goodings, FIVEaa, Adelaide); 3AW Breakfast with Ross Stevenson & Russel Howcroft (3AW, Melbourne) and Laurel, Gary & Mark (Laurel Edwards, Gary Clare & Mark Hine, 4KQ, Brisbane). The trio recently bid farewell to 4KQ after 16 years on air.
2GB’s Ben Fordham and Ray Hadley are nominated for Best Talk Presenter alongside Neil Mitchell and Tom Elliott from 3AW.
Acknowledging the growing popularity of podcasting, awards will be handed out in three podcast categories – Best Radio Show podcast, Best Original Podcast Branded and Best Original Podcast Unbranded. Hamish & Andy (Southern Cross Austereo) have been nominated in the latter category alongside The Space, a mindfulness podcast hosted by singer Casey Donovan (Nova Podcasts); Brenda, Call Me! by Courtney Act and Vanity (Nova Podcasts); I was a Teenage Prize-Pig (Jon Vertigan & Sophie Jackson, ACE Radio Broadcasters); and Hennessy’s Hotline (Nova Podcasts).
Ford Ennals, the chief executive officer of awards organiser Commercial Radio & Audio (CRA), said the nominees highlight Australia’s vibrant radio and audio industry, recognising outstanding talent across 39 categories, including news, talk, sport, music and entertainment.
“Congratulations to all the finalists. We look forward to celebrating the return of the ACRAS and making the night bigger and better than ever. Radio is thriving thanks to the efforts and creativity of staff on air and off who strive to provide listeners with the best in audio entertainment and information,” he said.
Entries were received from 260 metropolitan and regional radio stations across Australia. Stations outside the metropolitan areas are well represented at the ACRAs with more than 200 finalists from country and provincial stations. The winners are peer judged by industry members.