BBC cleans up at radio Oscars

Terry Wogan: Given honorary award

BBC Radio 2 has proved to be the runaway winner at the Sony Radio Academy Awards, scooping a host of prizes at the biggest event in the radio calendar.

The station, which has secured new-found credibility with a new generation of presenters, was named national radio station of the year.

We honour Terry Wogan... for taking radio to a new dimension with audience interaction

Tim Blackmore, judging committee

Veteran broadcaster Terry Wogan also won an honorary award at the event.

The 62-year-old BBC Radio 2 breakfast DJ won the honorary 2000 Award after adding an extra half million listeners to his audience of his show.

Another top award went to Chris Tarrant, who landed a prized Sony gold award at the radio "Oscars" after hosting the Capital FM Breakfast Show for the past 14 years.

Ironically, he collected the lifetime achievement prize after missing his show on Monday morning for only the second time - because of food poisoning.

Radio 2 revival

BBC stations and broadcasters landed 23 of the evening's prizes, against seven for their commercial rivals at the ceremony at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London.

Radio 2 Controller Jim Moir, who took over five years ago, has injected new life into the station, delivering its highest ever audience.

Many record companies are now targeting the station's playlists in preference to Radio 1 - which caters for a younger market - to maximise sales.

Chris Tarrant received a gold award

Praising the station, judges said: "Over the last 12 months its development has continued apace and its online presence in particular has come to play a significant part alongside the station's audio appeal."

Radio 2's haul also included music broadcaster of the year for journalist Stuart Maconie's programme, and comedian Mark Lamarr's Beginner's Guide To Reggae won the specialist music award.

It also won the station sound award for the overall impression it makes on air through trailers and jingles.

Wogan's winning ways

Wogan has hosted the Radio 2 breakfast slot since 1993 and won a Sony for the show in 1994.

Tim Blackmore, who chairs the judging committee, said: "We honour Terry Wogan with the 2000 Award as the man who last year added half a million new listeners to BBC Radio 2, and for taking radio to a new dimension with audience interaction through his mastery of web broadcasting."

But Wogan missed out on the coveted award for best breakfast show to Daryl Denham of 100.7 Heart FM, who also beat last year's winner Bam Bam from Kiss FM.

Judges called it an "extremely rich and creative programme".

Mark Radcliffe: Top daily music programme award

DJ Mark Radcliffe - one half of Radio 1 duo Mark and Lard - collected a third Sony Award for his Radio 1 show which was named the top daily music programme.

He and Marc Riley won the equivalent prize in 1998 and 1999 for their blend of comedy and new music.

Broadcaster Jon Gaunt of BBC Three Counties Radio set a new record for the Sonys by landing three prizes in one year.

His breakfast programme landed the news coverage, breakfast news and the talk and news broadcaster titles. Judges called him "an unusual and exceptional broadcaster".

Other winners at the ceremony on Monday included Talking Point On Air, produced by BBC News Online for the BBC World Service, which won the silver award in the Interactive Awards category.

Smash Hits Radio, which is networked to independent radio stations, was named top weekly show.

'Tour de force'

Radio 5Live won the event award for the second year running, this time for its coverage of the Olympic Games in Sydney.

It should be available on prescription - worth bringing back the radio licence for

Sony judges, talking about Dead Ringers

The station also took the sports award for its Wembley Live Obituary Show.

The acclaimed Dead Ringers impressionist show on Radio 4, which mimics some of the station's most familiar voices, was named top comedy show.

"It should be available on prescription - worth bringing back the radio licence for," said the judges.

The nominees were chosen by a judging panel of more than 100 from both inside and outside the radio industry.

The judges include anti-drugs co-ordinator Keith Hellawell and Olympic gold-winning rower Matthew Pinsent.