Around this time of year, radio stations are working behind the scenes gathering audio and writing scripts for their entry to the PPI awards.
Good luck to all.
I was scanning the list of categories and noticed one missing...one very close to my heart.
That is - an award for the Most Promising Newcomer.
In my opinion, the people who are the future of radio in this country need not only recognition - but support from their peers.
This is a tough industry to make your mark in.
You need the talent, the luck and a pretty thick skin to get places.
We have a wealth of new talent in Ireland on the air. They are working evenings and weekends, doing fill-in shifts here and there and generally doing whatever it takes to get that all important 'foot in the door'.
So, I'm wondering - would it be a good idea to recognise these newcomers somehow?
I feel it would be.
What I plan is a sort of award - nothing on the scale of the PPI Awards (I can't stretch that far I'm afraid)!
But an award none the less.
What do you think?
I'm looking at presenters with two years experience or less. They could work in local, community, voluntary or commercial radio - doesn't matter. A mic is a mic as far as I'm concerned.
Details will be worked out within the next week, but basically it would involve a presenter presenting their audio and that audio then handed over to a panel of professional radio people (presenters, programming etc) from various stations across the country.
These people will then have a vote on who they feel is the best 'newcomer'.
Look at it two ways:
1. It's a nice 'lift' for the presenters involved and
2. It's a great way to get your audio heard by people with influence.
You can share your thoughts by using the reply section here or email me brian@bmacmedia.com
I'm looking at getting the whole thing kicked off properly by next week.
Cheers for you time,
Brian.
