BBC Wimbledon, Olympic Coverage Honored at Sony Radio Awards

By Kevin Hilton

Sports broadcasting is moving further into the realms of multi-media and this was recognised at the Sony Radio Awards, with BBC Radio Five Live winning the Gold Award in the multi-platform category for its Wimbledon coverage, on May 11. Further success for the station came with the Five Live Olympic Breakfast Show scooping the top Sports Award.

Radio Five Live’s Wimbledon broadcasts featured audio commentary, from John McEnroe, Pat Cash and Jeff Tarango with correspondent Jonathan Overend, supported by interactive video produced by Catherine Chambers. The judges called the coverage an “exceptionally well integrated multi-platform offering”, with “supporting media [enriching] the radio programming brilliantly”.

The Sports Award judging panel called the Five Live Olympic Breakfast programme, presented by Nicky Campbell backed by a large team of reporters and analysts, the “ultimate daily sporting broadcast from Beijing”, with instant reactions from those taking part giving a “breathtaking quality to a brilliantly sculpted broadcast”.

The Silver Sports Award went to The Football Forum and presenter Tom Ross, the head of sport at Birmingham local commercial radio station BRMB, while the Bronze was picked up by Olympics Sportsworld, fronted by Russell Fuller and produced by BBC Sport for the BBC World Service.