Media Release - Radio Week - 8 May 2013

Entries are now being called for the 2013 NZ Radio Awards.
With over 50 awards up for grabs which are spread across 19 different categories the Radio Industry Awards Committee is confident that all areas of the Radio industry are catered for.
 

Entries for the 2013 Awards will once again be driven through the Radio Awards website. As with previous years, entrants will be required to register as a user at www.radioawards.co.nz and follow an easy step by step process for submitting an entry.
 

Radio Industry Awards Committee Chairman, Bill Francis says “2012 saw an outstanding number of high calibre entries, show-casing the exceptional standard of radio in New Zealand. We are looking forward to the 2013 Radio Awards which are sure to out shine previous years”
 

Entries are now open and close Monday February 25th at 5pm.
 

The 2013 Radio Awards finalists will be announced on Tuesday April 9th with the winners announced via a webcast on Thursday May 9th.

A survey conducted to understand the role radio played during the Christchurch earthquakes and the immediate recovery period has revealed radio has the highest importance ranking compared with other media outlets. 77 per cent of respondents ranked radio as very important to them, a clear leader compared to others.

The results show there was reliance on radio across all respondents for it to provide Christchurch residents with up-to-date relevant information with 60 per cent selecting radio as their primary source of information with television 25 per cent.

Bill Francis, Chief Executive of the Radio Broadcasters Association says, ‘part of the role radio played was one of providing information and awareness. It also played a role in providing information about what facilities were available and where to go for emergency supplies’.

The survey also showed that homes holding emergency kits had increased from 48 per cent before the February earthquake to 70 per cent now.

This function was also pivotal in disseminating Civil Defence information with 82 per cent of respondents getting Civil Defence information through the radio and only 16 per cent getting information directly from Civil Defence, either through their web-site or from Civil Defence staff in person or by phone.

Bill Francis says, ‘the radio industry has always had a good understanding of its ability to provide information as well as comfort in these sorts of situations and this significant survey confirms that’.

The survey was conducted by Research International in Christchurch towards the end of 2011 – with 1,076 respondents completing questionnaires.

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