Independent Radio stations celebrate with 27 Gold Awards at IMRO Radio Awards ceremony.

The IMRO Radio Awards took place on Friday 7th October 2022 and the Independent Radio Sector picked up 27 Gold Awards on the night.  The sector swept the board in the Station of the Year category, with the Full-Service Station of the Year award going to Today FM, Music Station of the Year was won by Cork’s Red FM, whilst the Local Station of the Year award went to WLR FM.  This is the fourth consecutive year that WLR FM has picked up the Local Station of the Year Award. 

The ceremony took place in the Lyrath Estate Hotel Kilkenny, the first in-person awards since 2019 and was hosted by Dermot Whelan from Today FM who won Music Entertainment/Presenter of the Year.  The Irish Music Programme/Initiative Award went to the Independent Broadcasters of Ireland(IBI) for their work with Hotpress and 25 radio stations across the sector to support Irish Artists during the pandemic.  The award was picked up by Nessa McGann, McGann Media who co-ordinated the project, John Purcell, Chairman, IBI and Kevin Blessing from Ocean FM who was key in the production of the project across all stations. 

The 2022 Hall of Fame Inductees, Rachael English (RTÉ Radio 1), Keith Finnegan (Galway Bay FM) and Albert Fitzgerald RIP (Midlands 103) were also celebrated on the night, having had their plaques presented in September at the offices of sponsors IMRO Ireland.

Speaking at the event, IMRO Radio Awards Committee Chair Chris Doyle said, “The atmosphere tonight was amazing with the industry celebrating being together for the first time in many years. Well done to everyone across Ireland for another year of high-quality radio broadcasting across Ireland and congratulations to all the winners recognised tonight”

Eleanor McEvoy, IMRO Chairperson, said, “On behalf of IMRO, I would like to give my heartfelt congratulations to the winners of this year’s IMRO Radio Awards. We all witnessed over the course of the last 3 years just how much we relied on radio to keep us, informed, connected, and entertained during very challenging times.  The winners of these awards have been chosen because of their excellence in broadcasting, and I would like to say a profound thanks to them for their service to radio in Ireland.”

Celene Craig, BAI Chief Executive commented: “It is wonderful to see the return of the in-person Awards night and the BAI would like to congratulate all the nominees this evening. Recognising and celebrating the creativity and skill of those working across the radio sector is important. Each year the IMRO Awards serve to illustrate the breadth of talent in the industry, and the range of categories reflects the diversity of quality programming on offer for listeners across the country. The BAI is delighted to continue its support and extends its congratulations to all involved.

The full list of winners can be found at IMRO Radio Awards 2022.