The Commercial Radio Awards (formerly known as the IRN Awards), recognise the very best stories, interviews, campaigns, special reports, and general news coverage on commercial radio stations across the UK.

This year’s awards see the Hits and Greatest Hits Network receiving a massive 25 nominations across the board except for the annual award for best student journalist, Bauer news teams are nominated in every single category and dominate in the Reporter of the Year and Newsteam of the Year categories.

Jim Foulger, Head of News and Sport, England & Wales, said, “This is another set of nominations to be proud of! News teams throughout the UK have been working tirelessly throughout the pandemic and beyond to provide top quality local, national, and international news coverage for our audiences - and this is even more recognition of that. Everybody involved in our news operation should be proud of this excellent result in a top-class field of entries.”

Nigel Gould, Head of News and Sport, Northern Ireland, said “To be shortlisted in such a high profile and competitive category is really amazing. The awards are of the highest standing in UK commercial radio and any team being recognised among the nominations, can justly be proud of its achievement.”

Head of News and Sport for Scotland, Lorraine Herbison, said: “After our best ever result for Scotland at the Arias recently, we are delighted our success continues. Team Scotland has nine nominations, including three for our coverage of Cop26 in Glasgow, Scotland at the Euros and our campaign Light the Way. So much hard work goes on every hour of every day and to be also nominated for newsteam of the year for Clyde News, Northsound News and MFR News shows the strength of our local news.”

IRN Editor and Chair of Judges, Dave Terris said: “This is a top-class field of contenders all demonstrating the quality and value of news and sport in commercial radio. Congratulations to everyone who has been nominated.”

The list of nominations is as followed:

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Owen Arands - Radio City
Callum McQuade - Clyde 1

BEST INTERVIEW
Conversion Therapy: Pete and Jeremy's stories - Hits Radio UK Network

REPORTER OF THE YEAR (hubs or stations over 1.5m TSA)
Paul Doward - Radio City

REPORTER OF THE YEAR (hubs or stations under 1.5 million TSA)
Matthew Hutchinson - Greatest Hits Radio Swindon
Lewis Michie - Northsound
Adam Smith - Signal 1
Rebecca Jayne Quarmby - Viking FM

BEST SPORTS COVERAGE
No Scotland No Party: The Euro 2020 Journey - Clyde 1 and Hits Radio Scotland Network

BEST NEWS STORY OR COVERAGE
COP 26 in Glasgow - Clyde 1 and Clyde 2
The Iron Men: World Suicide Prevention Day - Radio City

NEWSREADER OF THE YEAR (hubs or stations over 1.5 million TSA)
Becky Cahill - Hits Radio Manchester
Louise Easton - Greatest Hits Radio London

NEWSREADER OF THE YEAR (hubs or stations under 1.5 million TSA)
Matt Maddren - Free Radio
Julie Caston - Lincs FM

BEST NEWS SPECIAL OR CAMPAIGN
Loot Boxes: A hidden harm - Free Radio
The Iron Men: A Radio City suicide special - Radio City
Light the Way - Clyde 1 and Clyde 2

NEWS TEAM OF THE YEAR (hubs or stations under 1.5 million TSA)
Lincs FM
MFR
Greatest Hits Radio North Yorkshire
Northsound

NEWS TEAM OF THE YEAR (hubs or stations over 1.5 million TSA)
Radio Clyde News
Downtown Radio and Cool FM News Team
Bauer South West