WHYS has won a Sony Radio Academy Award in GOLD

WHYS has won a Sony Radio Academy Award in GOLD

Here are the spectacular photos of the award ceremony.

The BBC isn’t new to receiving prestigious international a wards through its programmes and journalists. HARDtalk won the Royal Television Society’s prestigious award through Tim Sebastian . Talking point which later became known as Have Your Say has also won the award of The One World Media: . I cited these two programmes because the first is still alive and kicking while the second was unfortunately put to sleep, without the BBC giving justification for this blunt euthanasia.

WHYS also deserves to be award winning as most of the show’s agenda are set by the listeners, which I guess something unique in international media. WHYS has helped people from all over the world to connect through comments on the blog or live contributions on the show.

From its start in October 2005, it has made up to now more than 600 shows, with thousands of listeners taking parts from all over the world. It has tackled subjects of different interests, from politics, economics, religion, morality, sports, social issues etc. I can “certify” that the show has so far left no stone unturned! On my part I have tried to send my contributions on every topic, however shallow they may be. I hope the committee deciding the award for WHYS won’t use them as an excuse to deprive WHYS from its merited award.

Congratulations to all. In fact, this should be self-congratulation on the part of the team, the listeners and the contributors, via live participation, the blog, emails or text messages.

WHYS deserves its award. it was hard won considering the other programmes it had to compete with.

I still remember Maestro Mark Sandell was sceptical about winning this award when he said, “We’re up against some top shows - most of whom have won Sony gold awards in the past - so it’s a bit like West Ham being in the Champions League.”

Now I think WHYS has all the potentials to compete with the Radio Champion League after this spectacular win.

This all should be the result of the ceaseless efforts of the WHYS team, including those of who have sadly departed like Anu Anand, Richard Bowen and Kevin Anderson. It is also the results of the thousands of contributions of all parts of the world.

I think Mr Ros, you should send tomorrow a special daily email with the picture of the award. Needless, to say it will be a good idea if you include a video footage of the ceremony in which you appear in dinner jacket as an alternative to your customary T-shirts.
I hope the sweat of anxiety has dried and now you are sweetly sweating in merriness.

My experience with WHYS is that it has never stopped evolving. The latest is the inclusion, of the Blank page, a testimony of the mutual trust and appreciation between the WHYS and its international contributors.

As everyone who has joined, CONGRATULATIONS and may the show continues to get better and better through time. Let it be a show through which listeners nod in approval, laugh up in their sleeves or show whatever reaction. The important is that dialogue between listeners of different persuasions should continue.

Once again, congratulations. May the glory of WHYS continue.

Cheers to all, including WHYS detractors!