The Association for International Broadcasting [AIB] announced the winners of its second annual global awards at a glamorous gala event in London last night. Attended by senior executives, producers and journalists from TV and radio channels from five continents, the AIB Awards event rewarded the very best programmes and channels for international audiences across television and radio.
The Awards event was hosted by Barbara Serra, one of the London anchors of newly-launched Al Jazeera International, and more than 100 guests celebrated the success of their colleagues from around the world.
There were nine categories in the 2006 AIB Awards, covering television, radio and technology; over 100 entries were received from international broadcasters in 20 countries, as well as a number of innovative technology suppliers who support international TV and radio stations. The Award winners were:
Best coverage of a single news event - radio:
BBC World Service for South Asian Earthquake -described by the judges as "most impressive in every respect"
Best coverage of a single news event - television:
Sky News for London bombings - "good content with excellent context for cross-border viewers"
Best magazine or documentary programme- television:
Al Jazeera Channel [NB: the Arabic service not the newly-launched English-language service] for Prisoner 345 - "content, suitability for international audience and production values all very high"
Best magazine or documentary programme- radio:
BBC World Service for Assignment- Return to Sarajevo - "stunningly vivid, extraordinarily powerful, impeccably produced"
Most innovative use of technology:
Link Research for Link HD - "the future for news and sports coverage"
International channel of the year - television:
BBC World - "excellent coverage of stories, high presentation values"
International station of the year - radio:
SW Radio Africa - "brave, an excellent independent alternative to Zimbabwe’s state media"
International presenter of the year - television:
Simon Hobbs of CNBC Europe -"polished, passionate, enthused"
International presenter of the year - radio:
Doug Bernard of Voice of America’s Talk to America - "intelligent presentation and questioning, very polished, with a smile in his voice"
The AIB Awards were judged by international panels drawn from the broadcasting industry- ensuring peer review of programming - as well as radio and TV critics, representing the audience’s perspective. Completely non-commercial, the AIB Awards are the only celebration of success that exclusively focuses on international, cross-border broadcasting.
"The AIB Awards provide a fantastic opportunity for the Association to provide a platform not only to celebrate success but also to share ideas," said Simon Spanswick, AIB chief executive. "The international broadcasting industry is often more innovative and fleet of foot than its domestic counterparts, and the Awards demonstrate the breadth of superb content that’s on offer to viewers and listeners throughout the world. We were delighted with the range and quality of the entries which made judging extremely tough. Our judges are to be congratulated on all their work, as are the winners and finalists tonight."
(Source: Association for International Broadcasting via Media Network Weblog/ Md. Azizul Alam Al-Amin, Bangladesh)