Month: September 2025

The Radio Academy has announced it will change its name to The Audio Academy from January next year.

The rebrand was revealed at The Radio Academy Festival 2025 by Chair Helen Thomas, who said the new name better reflects the wider audio industry while continuing to support UK radio.
It leaves our industry – listened to by 86% of the adult population – without a dedicated cross-sector Academy, and comes after our dedicated radio industry awards opened itself up to non-radio submissions when the Audio and Radio Industry Awards were created in 2016.
Helen explained that fewer than 40% of members now describe themselves as working solely in radio, with many engaged in podcasts, streaming and other audio sectors.
She added: “While we are proud of our history and passionate about our past, we want to reflect the reality of today’s industry. From January next year we will become The Audio Academy.”
Founded in 1983, the charity has built a reputation for supporting and promoting talent across the radio and audio sector. Its calendar of events includes the Audio & Radio Industry Awards (ARIAS), which last year introduced new categories such as Audio Brand of the Year, won by Gary Lineker’s production company, Goalhanger.
The Audio Academy says it will continue to bring people together from across the industry and champion excellence in all forms of audio, while widening its reach to ensure greater representation.
The UK radio sector remains strong, with over 86% of adults listening to the radio weekly, while podcast audiences continue to grow. Research by Edison shows that more than half of UK adults listened to a podcast in the past month.
The Radio Academy adds that the rebrand is intended to signal a broader, more inclusive approach that reflects the diversity of today’s industry and looks to the future of audio in the UK.

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The New York Festivals 2026 Radio Awards is now open for entries, with a new Video Podcast category added for the first time.

The international competition celebrates creative excellence in audio storytelling, with 14 category groups ranging from news, documentaries and talk programmes to on-air talent, craft and entertainment.
Organisers say the new Video Podcast category reflects the growing role of visual storytelling alongside traditional audio. Rose Anderson, Executive VP and Executive Director, said the awards have “championed the art of storytelling across every platform” for nearly seven decades.
The competition, which began in 1957, continues to evolve with new categories recognising digital, podcast, and audiobook content as well as traditional radio formats. The awards also highlight investigative journalism, nonfiction series, and social justice storytelling through partnerships with JusticeAid and the National Press Club.
The National Press Club Award, introduced in 2023, honours the top-scoring news programme across breaking news, continuing coverage, nonfiction series and news podcast categories. Last year, Master Plan (The Lever) was named as the winner.
In 2025, Grand Awards went to Bafflegab Productions for The Man Who Fell to Earth in Entertainment, Bucket of Eels for Tested in Podcast: Sports, and Smoke Trail Productions for Buried: The Last Witness in Documentary. Sports journalist Lesley Visser received the 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award.
The next Storytellers Gala will be held in May 2026, following last year’s virtual event hosted from Central Park. The gala showcases winning entries, speeches, and highlights from around the world.
Entries for the 2026 awards must have been produced, released, aired or streamed between January 1 last year and January 31 this year. The deadline for submissions is 31 January 2026.
Further details and entry information are available on the New York Festivals Radio Awards website.

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GB News (Radio) has reached one million followers on Instagram, marking another step in the channel’s digital growth.

The milestone takes the channel’s total following across all social media platforms to 8.5 million, just four years after its launch.
Chief Content Officer Geoff Marsh said the achievement reflects the channel’s growth across multiple platforms.
He explained: “To hit one million followers on Insta so quickly is phenomenal. Instagram Reels are a brilliant way for people to quickly and easily consume the best moments from GB News, whenever they want and wherever they are.”
Geoff added that the audience increase on Instagram, as well as TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, X, Truth Social and Threads, demonstrates that people are engaging strongly with GB News output.
The announcement comes as the channel prepares for its American expansion. The Late Show Live will begin broadcasting from Washington D.C. next week. Presented by Bev Turner from Monday to Thursday, and by Ben Leo across Friday to Sunday, the two-hour programme will add 14 hours of coverage each week for viewers and listeners.
Earlier this month, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt welcomed the launch of GB News in the United States during an event in Washington. She told the audience: “GB News is going to be bringing a lot more common sense to the great people of the United Kingdom. You share the values we hold dear. I really look forward to continuing to work with the team at GB News.”

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