Spark wins Best Station at Student Radio Awards
Written by Callum Rowe on 17th November 2022
Spark volunteers and intern after their win in London last night | Image – Bobbi Bunker
Spark has been named Best Student Radio Station at the 2022 Student Radio Awards in London.
After celebrating its birthday last month, this is the first time in its 13 year history that Spark has picked up the prestigious award.
The prize was one of three outright category wins by Spark, with Chrissy Cameron winning Best Presenter and Grace Daily winning Best Newcomer.
Richard Berry, Spark station manager, said: “I’m in shock.
“Countless, hundreds of people have passed through the doors of Spark over the years and everyone has added a bit more and a bit more and now we’ve won gold. It’s fantastic.”
James Rowe, Spark intern and former head of programming, said: “I have to thank everyone who has been part of Spark over the last 13 years who helped build the foundations of the station.
“I am so proud of the work of our current volunteers, all 85 of them, who work so tirelessly each day.
“We get to tell the stories of the people of Sunderland who never have their stories told by anyone else and that makes our success so much more worthwhile.”
As well as the three outright category wins, volunteers from Spark also bagged a number of top three placings at the ceremony held at Indigo at The O2.
Current head of programming Bobbi Bunker secured second place to Grace Daily in Best Newcomer.
Grace Daily and Bobbi Bunker
Spark’s coverage of the Sunderland City Runs in May placed second in Best Event Programming. Lottie Steele, Grace McDonough and Roisin Zerhouni’s show, GRL, took second place in Best Speech Programming.
Spark’s compliance manager, Scott McGerty, said: “For 13 years, running such a complex radio station has been challenging, and day in and day we deliver on our key commitments- what’s right for young people in Sunderland and what’s right for our student body.
“It has felt like we’ve been up there for years and just always missed out, so to get this nod is a testament to our volunteers and our staff.
“This is for every single Sparkie over the years, every listener who has chosen us and every person who has engaged with our station. It feels great to be called the best!”
Best Presenter winner Chrissy Cameron took third place in the Diversity, Equality & Inclusion category with his documentary It’s OK To Be Ace. Lewis Smith placed third in the Best Presenter.
Chrissy Cameron- Best Presenter winner
Recent University of Sunderland BA Journalism graduate and current Spark intern Tyler Selby took third place in the Best Specialist Music Programming category with his show New To Spark.
Did you catch Spark’s Instagram stories from the event last night? Watch them here @sparksunderland
You can listen to our entry for Best Station here
