Annie Nightingale to be honoured with Pioneer Award posthumously
Audio industry to pay tribute to the late Steve Wright
Award presenters including Jamie Laing, Marvin Humes, Nish Kumar, Coco Khan, Alex Scott, Vick Hope and more.
The Radio Academy ARIAS 2024, the UK's leading audio and radio awards that celebrate outstanding shows and the creative teams behind them, takes place on Tuesday 7th May at London's Theatre Royal Drury Lane.
The hosts taking the stage this year are award-winning comedian and the brand new presenter of BBC Radio 2's Saturday morning show, Romesh Ranganathan, plus award-winning broadcaster and co-host of the chart-topping podcasts My Dad Wrote A Porno and British Scandal, Alice Levine.
They will be joined by a mix of award presenters including the likes of Jamie Laing, Marvin Humes, Nish Kumar and Coco Khan, Alex Scott MBE, Greg James, Nicole Appleton, Vick Hope, Trevor Nelson, Jane Garvey and Fi Glover and more.
Celebrating the best in audio and radio, there are 27 awards to be won in categories including Best New Presenter, Best Music Breakfast Show, Best New Podcast and the popular Moment of the Year Award voted by the public in partnership with the Radio Times.
Nominees include Kathy Burke, Jamz Supernova, Nish Kumar and Coco Khan, Rob Burrow, Hannah Fry, Mary Mandefield, Zoe Ball and many more. Full nominees list can be found below.
Created by The Radio Academy, a charity dedicated to supporting people in audio and radio, The ARIAS is an inspiring evening that is committed to shining a light on audio's thriving community.
Radio trailblazer Annie Nightingale MBE, CBE to be honoured with the Pioneer Award posthumously.
Broadcasting pioneer Annie Nightingale, who passed away on 11th January 2024, paved the way for so many, from new underrepresented dance music artists to some of the greatest broadcasters of today.
In 1970, Annie became the first female DJ on BBC Radio 1, where she stayed for over 54 years winning a Guinness World Record for having the longest career as a female radio presenter in the world. Annie was best known for her Radio 1 Sunday Request Show which ran for 12 years, which led to her presenting The Chill Out Zone slot from the mid 1990's.
Over the years, she built strong relationships with some of the greatest pop icons including The Beatles and David Bowie. In 2021, 'The Annie Nightingale Scholarship' was created, in which she would celebrate and elevate talented women and non-binary people in the electronic music scene.
During the ARIAS 2024 ceremony, BBC Radio 6 Music's presenter Lauren Laverne and BBC Radio 1's electronic music show host, Martha, will take to the stage to posthumously present this award to Annie, who was such a passionate advocate of all music, but particularly the underground.
Annie is the third-ever recipient of the Pioneer Award, with Tony Blackburn awarded last year.
Audio industry to pay tribute to the late broadcasting icon Steve Wright, MBE at The ARIAS 2024.
Programme Name: Radio 2 Presenters 2016 - TX: n/a - Episode: n/a (No. n/a) - Picture Shows: Steve Wright Steve Wright - (C) BBC - Photographer: unknown
Steve Wright passed away in February 2024 after being a staple in the lives of millions of listeners for decades.
Steve was a leader in the UK radio industry for decades. He joined BBC Radio 1 in 1980 where he regularly presented Top of the Pops and then hosted the Radio 1 Breakfast Show from 1994-1995.
In 1996, Steve joined BBC Radio 2 to host the popular Steve Wright's Saturday Show and iconic Sunday Love Songs. From 1999 he recreated his Steve Wright in The Afternoon show for listeners during the week which he continued to present up until 2023 after becoming the presenter of the long-running Pick of the Pops programme.
This year at The ARIAS, the industry will be joining together to pay tribute to the broadcasting great, featuring colleagues and well-known names who have been inspired by his tremendous career over the years.
Each year, the ARIAS are generously supported by our partners working across the UK radio and audio industry. This year they include All in Media/ Xperi, Arqiva, BBC Sounds, Carver PR, MusicMaster, News Broadcasting, PPL, PRS for Music, Radio Times, Radio News Hub and RCS.
Find the full list of ARIAS nominees 2024 here.
FOR ALL PHOTOGRAPHER ACCREDITATION, MEDIA PASSES AND PRESS ENQUIRIES CONTACT:
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