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Press Releases
91Èȱ¬ Africa Radio Awards announces Southern Africa regional winners
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The first ever 91Èȱ¬ Africa Radio Awards took a major step forward today with the announcement of its Southern Africa regional winners.
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The competition celebrates the excellence of English language radio journalism in Africa.
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A distinguished panel of judges gathered at British Council offices in Johannesburg to decide which radio stations and journalists will go through to the competition's pan-African awards final in Nairobi, Kenya in May 2007.
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The Southern Africa judging panel were chosen for their professionalism, knowledge of the media and passion for radio.
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They include: South African newspaper editor Ferial Haffajee and Zambian–born 91Èȱ¬ presenter Maureen Nkandu–Mundea.
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Also on the panel was Swazi teacher, Zandile Tshabalala, who entered and won an essay competition on the subject "How Radio Changed My World" on the 91Èȱ¬'s interactive breakfast programme, Network Africa.
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Project Manager of the 91Èȱ¬ Africa Radio Awards, Ghanaian-born Vera Kwakofi, is excited by the 91Èȱ¬'s first competition of its kind in Africa.
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She said: "I am delighted with the results for the first of three regional finals for the first 91Èȱ¬ Africa Radio Awards.
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"The judges were all really impressed with the stories that were told and we cannot wait for the regional finals in Eastern and Western Africa.
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"We were disappointed not to select regional winners in the category of New Radio Station of the Year and Sports Journalist of the Year but I am confident that next year, once the competition has been established, we will receive even more entries."
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Those going through to the finals by category are:
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- Radio Station of the Year – Talk Radio 702 from South Africa
They showcased the first African film to win an Oscar, Tsotsi, the World Cup trophy visit to South Africa, the Jacob Zuma press conference and the Johannesburg town forum ahead of the 2006 Municipal Elections.
- News Journalist of the Year – Asanda Magaqa from SABC News in South Africa
Her entry exposed government convoys that miss out the small towns when touring the country.
- Local On–Air Campaign of the Year – John Robbie from Talk Radio 702 in South Africa
His on-air campaign rallied against the taxing of payouts to families of police officers killed in the line of duty. As a result the government is likely to reflect this issue in its next budget.
- Interactive/Talk Show of the Year – Nthombikayise Queeneth Mdluli Jacha from Feba Radio/SFM in Zimbabwe
Her show called Faith In Action discussed the parenting of teenagers and children's rights.
- Young Broadcaster of the Year – Qaanitaah Dramat from Radio 786 in South Africa
Her winning entry focused on how people can change their lives from bad to good.
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There will be a regional heat for Eastern Africa on 16 February in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and one for Western Africa on 22 February in Accra, Ghana.
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For further information on the 91Èȱ¬ Africa Radio Awards visit bbcworldservice.com/africaradioawards.
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91Èȱ¬ World Service
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