2011 NCRA Community Radio Awards

The NCRA Awards were founded in 1993 with a contribution from the Standard Radio group and ran as the Standard Awards for 12 years. Since 2005 they have been the NCRA Community Radio Awards. But whatever the name, they have always served as a place for the members of the NCRA to recognize the amazing work that goes on in our sector – from what we put on air to how we contribute to our communities.

We had a lot of submissions this year — from new and longstanding members, campus and community stations, internet and FM, rural and urban. The Awards go some way to recognizing the diversity of our sector.

We’d like to thank our jurors:

Gillian Carr is a multimedia journalist based in London, England. Radio fascinates her and she's been involved in campus radio as the host of 'TV Killed the Radio Star' at the University of St Andrews, Scotland. She’s also studied it at both Carleton University and St Andrews and had the opportunity to freelance stories for CBC from Bosnia and her home province of Prince Edward Island.

Donna Lee started her life in community radio at CKCU-FM in Ottawa, but most of her c/c radio memories come from CKDU-FM in Halifax, where she hosted news and music shows, served on the board of directors, and was online editor of !earshot magazine. She is now an online journalist with CBC North in Yellowknife.

Germain Uwahiriwe got his start in community radio at Radio Salus, in Butare, Rwanda. At Salus he produced news, sports and documentaries. The best story he ever covered was about child workers in copper mines in Lubumbashi, Congo. Germain is a graduate of the National University of Rwanda, School of Journalism and Communication and currently lives in Toronto.

This year the Awards were given out at the St. Mary's Boat Club in Halifax, NS. Kevin Shaw from CHRY-FM in Toronto was our host (and a past winner to boot!) Laura Yaros from CINQ-FM Radio Centreville in Montreal was our keynote and the prizes were made of reels from CKDU’s large stock – the station still has hundreds of archived interviews from the early 90s stored this way, and miles of tape from classical concerts sent by Deutche Welle. We think they are an iconic symbol of radio, even in the digital age, and also like that the word reel has connotations that fit both broadcasting and the sea, which was perfect for a community radio lovefest on the Atlantic. Thanks to CKDU-FM for hosting the conference and the Awards!

And now without further ado:

 

Volunteer of the Year

Walter Kemp and Bev Lamb

CKDU-FM

Halifax, NS

 

Local Talent Development

CITR-FM

Vancouver, BC

 

Community Development

Winner: CIVL-FM

Abbotsford, BC

 

Honorable mention:

“Bridging Cultures”

CKUW-FM

Winnipeg, MB

 

Community Radio "Legend"/Lifetime Achievement Award:

Gretchen King

CKUT-FM

Montreal, QC

 

Special recognition

The 25th anniversary of WINGS (Women's International Newsgathering Service)

Executive Producer: Frieda Werden

CJSF-FM

Burnaby, BC

 

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT

Aboriginal Affairs and Culture Programming

Winner: Denendeh Sunrise

CKLB-FM

Northwest Territories

Producers: Hilary Bird and William Greenland

 

Honorable Mention:

Interview with Robert Watts of the Sinixt Nation

CFRO-FM

Vancouver, BC

Producer: Gunargie O’Sullivan

 

Creative Production

Winner: Radio is dead’s radio ballet

CKUT-FM

Montreal, QC

Producers: Radio is dead collective

 

Honorable Mention:

The Shadowbox Circus

CFRC-FM Kingston, ON

Producers: Decomposing pianos (Julia Krolik and Owen Fernley)

Current Affairs or Magazine Show

Winner:

Terra Informa

CJSR-FM

Edmonton, AB

Producers: Steve Andersen with Alex Hindle, Michael McNicoll, Jason Evans, David Kaczan, Rebecca Rooney

 

Honorable Mention:

New Horizons for Seniors Show

CKHA-FM

Haliburton, ON

Producer: Shelley King with the technical help of Nick Bronson

 

Honorable Mention: New Roots Radio

CKDU-FM Halifax, NS

Producers: Conrad Fox, Meagan Deuling, Mohammed Hashem, Tiffany Grant, Rosa Rodgriguez, Maureen Juma, Jesse Robertson, Lillianne Cadieux-Shaw

 

Documentary

Winner: Terra Informa Special Report into Air Pollution in Peace River, Alberta

CJSR-FM

Edmonton, ON

Producer: David Kaczan with Myles Curry, Andy Read, Dietlind Bork, Steve Andersen

 

Honorable Mention:

No Pride In Occupation

CHRY-FM

Toronto, ON

Producers: Omme-Salma Rahemtullah and Nishant Upadhyay

 

Music Programming

Winner: Sound Ideas

CFRC-FM

Kingston, ON

Producer: Michael Morreale

 

Honorable Mention:

Joe Strummer Day to Confront Poverty in Windsor-Detroit

CJAM-FM

Windsor, ON

Producer: Vernon Smith, Dave Konstantino, Joe McGregor, Murad Erzinclioglu, Sarah Morris, Hailey Watson, Carley Schweitzer, Matthew Froese, Benny Dreadful, Ankur Kumar, Paul Chislett, Chris Crossroads, Andrew Murphy, Ryan Solomon, Josh Kolm, Willy Wilson, Marin Deck.

 

Honorable Mention:

Moodswing

CIVL-FM

Abbotsford, BC

Producer: Alicia Williams

 

News

Winner: Calgary Election coverage

CJSW-FM

Calgary, AB

Producers: Joe Burima

Special programming

Winner: Radio Moon

CKUT-FM

Montreal, QC

Producers: Radio Moon Collective

 

Honorable Mention:

First Nations First Music

CKOA-FM

Glace Bay, NS

Producers: Bill MacNeil, Ron Neville and David Desveaux

 

Honorable Mention:

T-Dot Pioneers

CHRY-FM Toronto, ON

Producers: Mark Campbell and Kareem Granger (Jake d’snake)

 

Syndicated Show or Podcast

Winner: Today in Canadian History

CJSW-FM

Calgary, AB

Producers: Joe Burima and Marc Affeld

 

Honorable Mention:

Skeptically Speaking

CJSR-FM

Edmonton, AB

Producers: Desiree Schell

 

Honorable Mention:

Contact: A prototype car that can be driven by the blind

VoicePrint

National

Producer: Marjorie Nicolaou with Paul Daniel, Joe Lamanna, Philip Agnello and Paula Dineen

 

Third Language Programming

Interview with one of the victim of rape and torture in Evin Prison

CHSR-FM

Fredericton, NB

Producer: Sororo Irani