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Finalists Announced for the 35th Australian Commercial Radio & Audio (ACRA) Awards

Jonesy and Amanda, Kyle and Jackie O and Christian O’Connell are just some of the radio personalities to be selected as finalists for the 35th Australian Commercial Radio & Audio (ACRA) Awards.

The ACRA Awards recognise outstanding achievements in the radio industry, with the winners to be crowned at a night of celebration at The Star in Sydney on October 12.

“With 1159 entries this year, 361 finalists, and only 71 awards up for grabs the competition is fiercer than ever. The talent on display is truly special, and we are thrilled to see such a diverse array of voices ready to shine as showtime approaches,” said Jo Dick, commercial radio and audio (CRA) chief commercial officer.

Nominees for the highly anticipated ACRA for Best On Air Team (Metro) include last year’s winners WSFM’s Brendan Jones and Amanda Keller of Jonesy & Amanda, 2022 Hall of Fame inductees KIIS FM’s Kyle Sandilands and Jackie Henderson, The Christian O’Connell Show on GOLD104.3, Jase & Lauren on Nova 100, Carrie & Tommy on 3FOX, and Fitzy & Wippa with Kate Ritchie on Nova 96.9.

The Individual Talent of the Year Award category attracted the highest number of submissions. Finalists include Christian O’Connell, 2GB’s Ray Hadley, WSFM’s ‘Ugly’ Phil O’Neil, KISS FM’s Jackie Henderson. 3FOX’s Fifi Box, Nova’s Kate Ritchie, Nova Network’s Ricki-Lee Coulter and 2GB’s Ben Fordham.

Dick continued: “It’s great to see the increased prominence of female finalists in this year’s Individual Talent of the Year lineup. These exceptional people are leading the charge and making a significant impact on the radio industry.”

Battling it out for the Station of the Year Award are B105 Brisbane; GOLD104.3 Melbourne; 2GB Sydney; Triple M Adelaide; and 2023 winners KIIS 1065 Sydney. Non-metro contenders are 1029 Hot Tomato, Gold Coast; 102.9 Triple M, Newcastle; 102.3 Triple M, Townsville; and defending champs Mix 106.3, Canberra.

The competition for the Best Networked Show Award consists of last year’s winners, The Kyle and Jackie O Hour of Power (KIIS Network, Sydney, ARN) up against Fitzy & Wippa with Kate Ritchie (Nova 96.9, NOVA Entertainment), Ricki-Lee, Tim & Joel (Nova Network, NOVA Entertainment), The Christian O’Connell Show (GOLD104.3, ARN), The Jimmy & Nath Show (The Hit Network, SCA), and Jess & Ducko (Hit106.9, Newcastle, SCA).

The Podcast Host/s of the Year category finalists include Hamish & Andy (The Hamish & Andy Podcast), Amelia Oberhardt (Secrets We Keep: Shame, Lies and Family, Amanda Keller (Double A Chattery), Christian McEwan (The Dragons Den), Ant Middleton (Head Game), and the dynamic duo Brittany Hockley and Laura Byrne (Life Uncut).

The finalists for Best News Event Coverage exemplify top-tier journalism, delivering breaking news that has a profound impact on Australian communities. Contenders include ARN’s MIX 104.9 for Alice Springs Chaos, Nine Radio’s 2GB for both Bondi Attacks and Sydney Car Pursuit, SCA’s Triple M Newcastle for Hunter Valley Bus Tragedy, SCA’s 102.3 Triple M Townsville for Tropical Cyclone Kirrily, and ARN News for Westfield Bondi Attack.

Dick congratulated all the finalists for their outstanding work and dedication: “Their contributions are a significant part of what makes the Australian audio scene so exciting and dynamic.”

Christian O’Connell recently joined Mumbrella’s one-on-one podcast where he took aim at “dumbed down, moronic, noisy cash competition” rival breakfast shows and shared his thoughts on Kyle & Jackie O entering  the Melbourne market.

First published b Mumbrella. Read original here