BBG Broadcasters Win at Presitgious New York Festivals
The New York Festivals® Radio Program and Promotions Award annually recognizes the “World’s Best Work” in radio broadcasting. Several BBG networks were recognized with winners and finalists at this widely respected competition, now in its 54th year.
“This high recognition…encourages us to build on our efforts to fulfill an important mission,” said Dan Southerland, Executive Editor for RFA in summing up for all of the winning and nominated services.
RFA’s Korean service broadcaster, John Hyun-Ki Lee won a gold medal in the Human Relations category for his piece entitled “New Year Celebrations Thousands of Miles from Home,” which highlighted remembrances of defectors from North Korea living in Virginia, New York, Australia, and Canada.
RFA’s Zhang Min’s piece was a finalist for Best Human Interest Story for “Blind Barefoot Lawyer Freed but not Free,” which was an exclusive phone interview with Chen Guangcheng, freed Chinese activist, on the day of his release. April Wang’s RFA series “One Hundred Million People Shunned: The Stigma and the Reality of Hepatitis B in China” was a finalist for Social Issues/Current Events. The series focused on discrimination over longstanding misconceptions about the transmission of Hepatitis B.
Radio Farda, RFE’s Persian service, won two silver medals in the categories of Best Regularly Scheduled Talk Program and Best Announcer Presentation. “Pas Farda,” the station’s signature satire show, won for Best Regularly Scheduled Talk Program, and Farshid Manafi, the show’s host, won Best Announcer Presentation. Manafi – who is officially banned from the Iranian airwaves – uses the talk show as a breath of fresh air shedding light on what has become “the reality of daily life in Iran.” Manafi dedicated his award to those Iranians killed following the 2009 elections.
“Sawa Magazine,” a Radio Sawa program, was a finalist for the Heroes category for its insightful report on how the Internet is being used as a platform to raise awareness about the oppression of women in the Arab world. The report featured Egyptian blogger, Eman Adbel Rahman who founded the site Kolena Laila. “This recognition is another example of the success Radio Sawa has achieved in addressing sensitive, seldom discussed topics in the Middle East,” said Brian Conniff, MBN President.
Read the full releases from RFE, RFA, and Radio Sawa about their winners.
To see a list of all the winners and finalists from the 2011 New York Festivals® Radio Program and Promotions Award, click here.