U.K. Scores Two Grand Awards, Canada and U.S Get One Each At New York Festivals' International Radio Programming and Promotions Awards

U.K. Scores Two Grand Awards, Canada and U.S Get One Each At New York Festivals' International Radio Programming and Promotions Awards

NEW YORK, June 28 /PRNewswire/ -- The United States walked away with the majority of Gold World Medals in last night's New York Festivals' 23rd Annual International Radio Programming and Promotions Awards, although it took only one of the four Grand Awards, which are awarded to the best of the best Gold World Medal winners. The United Kingdom won two Grand Awards and Canada won the fourth before an international audience of radio executives and talent from 32 countries from around the world including Australia, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, France, Germany and South Africa. The International Radio Programming and Promotions Awards (IRPP), which is produced by the Manhattan-based New York Festivals, honors the world's best radio programming, production and on-air talent with Gold, Silver and Bronze World Medals.

The Grand Awards were selected from the highest scoring Gold World Medal winners. The 2005 recipients of the Grand Awards are:

ENGLAND BEST NEWS PROGRAM "The 2004 FA Cup Final" (105.4 Century FM)

ENGLAND BEST ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAM "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Tertiary Phase: Life, the Universe and Everything" (Above the Title Productions)

USA BEST INFORMATION PROGRAM "Leonard Bernstein: An American Life" (Culture Works)

CANADA BEST PROMO SPOT MIX 99.9 Retrosexual Weekend (Standard Broadcasting)

The United States took the majority of Gold World Medals, receiving 13. Notable Gold Medal winners include:

CANADA BEST PERSONALITY: Network/Syndicated DiscDrive in Whitehorse (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)

ENGLAND BEST HUMOR PERSONALITY: Local Tim Shaw (Kerrang! Radio)

USA BEST SPECIAL REPORT "Bulletin: The Death of Ronald Reagan" (ABC News Radio)

CANADA BEST BREAKING NEWS (Longform) Tsunami (Canadian Broadcasting Company)

The awards ceremony also included a presentation by the United Nations, which gave its coveted UNDPI (United Nations Department of Public Information) Awards plaques to programming that best reflects and exemplifies the values and ideals of the UN including world health, human rights, environmental protection, literacy and peace. This year there were four of these special awards, jointly presented by the UN's Department of Public Information and the New York Festivals, given to: World Vision which received gold for its touching human-interest piece about an elderly Kenyan who finally gets an education in elementary school; tying for silver were the Stanley Foundation, for its news documentary on Americans and their ambivalence to international multilateral organizations such as the UN, and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, for its international affairs show on the aftermath of Sierra Leone's civil war; while Battery Radio for Radio Netherlands received a bronze for an environmental program on biodiversity.

The IRPP Awards show is the only radio competition where programming from different countries competes head-to-head with each other, similar to the Cannes Film Festival. This year, the multi-national competition, which is produced by the Manhattan-based New York Festivals, received over 500 entries from 32 countries.

For more information about NYF and a comprehensive winners' list, visit http://www.newyorkfestivals.com/.

Source: New York Festivals

CONTACT: Lisa Posey, +1-212-472-1745, prsquad@aol.com

Web site: http://www.newyorkfestivals.com/

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