This, just a little over 18 months after launching as a new Johannesburg-based commercial radio station in July of 2021.
It follows the 13 nominations Hot 102.7FM received for the 2022 SA Radio Awards, with the seven New York Festivals Radio Awards nominations in the following categories:
- Morning Drive/Afternoon Programming: Best Music/Personality Show (Joburg’s Hottest Breakfast Show)
- Best Alternative Music Format
- Best Station ID Imaging
- Best Music Program Host (Lloyd Madurai – Club Classics)
- Best News Documentary/Special (Jenny Boekwurm)
- Best News Special Report (The Bully Chain)
- Best News Sports Feature (The Dylan Down Run)
“From Northriding to New York!” says Lloyd Madurai, managing director of Hot 102.7FM. “This is not just a great story for Hot 102.7FM and amazing validation and reward for all the hard work put in by the team over the past two years, but it’s also a great story for South African radio, showing the industry in this country that we can hold our own on the world stage.”
The three News nominations are a feather in the cap for Hot 102.7FM head of news Tara Penny, who produced the three series in question.
‘Jenny Boekwurm’ featured interviews with the nominees in the Sunday Times Literary Awards, involving literary journalist Jenny Crwys-Williams; ‘The Bully Chain’ saw a month dedicated to dissecting the topic of bullying by telling stories from both the sides of the victim and the perpetrator; whilst ‘The Dylan Down Run’ charted the journey of Hot 102.7FM sports presenter Dylan Rogers, right from the moment he was challenged to run the Comrades Marathon for charity to when he crossed the finish line in Durban.
“Since joining Hot 102.7FM last year, Tara has made a huge impact on how we deliver and package our news content, bringing a different dimension to our storytelling,” says Madurai. “These nominations are just reward for the many hours she and her team have put in, and the stories are an example of how Hot 102.7FM likes to take a different approach to producing great radio.”
The New York Festivals Radio Awards honours radio content in all lengths and formats and across all platforms, from radio stations, networks, and independent producers from around the globe.
Embracing all aspects of the radio and audio industries, the categories “mirror today's global trends and encourage the next generation of storytellers by recognising innovators in 14 category groups”.
Those groups are: News Programs, News Reports/Features, Documentary, Entertainment, Talk Programs, On-Air Talent, Craft, Programming Format, Morning Drive/Afternoon Programming, Promotion Spots/Opens & IDs, Digital, Audio Books, Podcasts and Student.
The entries were judged online by the New York Festivals Radio Awards Grand Jury and the award winners will be announced during the New York Festivals 2023 Storytellers Gala virtual event on 18 April 2023.
