SONY AWARDS: Radio's pursuit of excellence.

Twenty-five years ago, a man called Alan Zafer persuaded Sony UK to sponsor his idea for a UK-wide radio awards scheme. This year, their ongoing partnership has resulted in the highest ever number of entries for what are, without doubt, the radio industry's premier awards.

They began in the same year that the first tentative steps were taken in the formation of the Radio Academy and in recent years that association has been strengthened to create a triumvirate under which Zafer, the Radio Academy and Sony all play a part in structuring an organising committee who choose the award categories and the panels of judges. The categories continually evolve to reflect the latest changes within contemporary radio; this year, for instance, we introduced a category for Internet Programmes, one that attracted a substantial number of entries, including many from new players competing alongside the established industry.

Our objective in organising "the Sonys" is specifically to encourage the pursuit of excellence among those who make what has traditionally been delivered as "radio". Today the Awards' focus is on those who generate editorial audio irrespective of the platform on which it is delivered, and the synergy with Sony UK remains as relevant as it was a quarter-century ago.

...