Community access station wins 4th year in a row

PRESS RELEASE Monday 9th May 2009

Canterbury’s little community access station Plains FM 96.9 scooped another NZ Radio Award for the fourth year running at the Skycity in Auckland on Saturday night.

Naoko Kudo won the award for Best Spoken/Informational Programme in Any Language for Japanese Downunder which she has produced and presented since 2002.

"Back in Japan access radio doesn't really exist. We're very lucky to have this opportunity in New Zealand allowing volunteers, like me, to produce great radio around the country," said Ms Kudo.

Naoko Kudo’s show is presented in English, with event information in Japanese. A regular soap opera, interviews and the latest Japanese music are also featured.

Hundreds of volunteers like her create thousands of hours of radio every year on community access stations from Auckland to Invercargill.

Since the community access category was first included in the NZ Radio Awards in 1993 there have only been three years when Plains FM’s programme producers have not made it to the finals. Twenty finalists and nine winners is an exceptional achievement for the little community station with the big heart and the most wins of any access station in the country.

Other finalists in Category 7a were:
Inclusion Fusion - Ron Main (Fresh FM, Nelson)
Wheels On Fire - Matthew Wills & Sonia Boyd (Arrow FM, Wairarapa)

ENDS

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