First, and coming first, congratulations to Stuart Barrett, Toby Whitehouse and editor John Ryan for their work at BBC Radio Manchester. They just picked up the Gillard award for producing the best radio promo campaign in BBC Local Radio. It’s a great awareness-builder for the new Allan Beswick breakfast show as you can hear in this montage:

Download audio file (gillard2009promowinner.mp3)

…and hands up if you didn’t expect that playlist on BBC Local Radio.

Secondly, here are the Marketing and Branding nominees in the 2009 Student Radio Awards:

• 1449AM URB
• Blast
• Pure FM
• Smoke Radio
• URN
• Xpression FM

Good luck to all them. I’m on the Student Radio Awards judging panel, but for a different category.

Finally, stand by for the Radio Academy Promotion and Marketing awards on Thursday 22 October.

I’ve been lucky enough to be part of the P&Ms judging again this year. For me, it’s a total indulgence. You get to hear some really effective creative work that’s great for listeners, stations and advertisers alike.

As a judge you’re also reminded that nobody in radio produces better award entries than promotions folk. Tip for Station Managers entering the Sonys next year –  get your promos guys across your entries.

Having left the promos trade earlier this year, I’m judging as an outsider for the first time. That shouldn’t change my judgements but it does feel different. More free, and more able to apply dispassionate analysis with confidence.

My former boss Phil Harding always enjoyed mounting what he’d call “an objective assessment of the facts” and now I know why. There are few places more comfortable than the moral high ground. Except, of course, the stage on winner’s night. Good luck if you’re in the running.

There’ll be more about the Radio Academy Promotions and Marketing awards on this blog in the days ahead. Stay tuned.

Photo: “Millie showing off” by Gary Hutson, Flickr. Used under licence
Audio: Copyright BBC. Used with permission. All rights of the original artists, publishers and performers acknowledged.