Lockitt gets second IRN news reader gong

Key 103’s Paul Lockitt has won news reader of the year for the second year running at the IRN Radio Awards.

Lockitt,
who reads the news on the Manchester station from 5am until lunchtime
every day, has been at the station since 1979 and has been presenting
for the past 13 years.

“Last year I was stuck for words when I
won and being a journalist it is pretty difficult to be in that
position. I really wasn’t expecting it again. News reader of the year
sounds like a very individual award and you can’t accept it without
acknowledging the people that you work with,” he said.

Other
winners included Sean Woods of 105.4 Century FM, who was named reporter
of the year. The Guardian Media Group’s Real Radio in Yorkshire won
both the best news coverage award and scoop of the year, which it won
for the second year running. The news coverage award was given for its
reporting of the David Bieber murder trial and the scoop of the year
for an interview with RobbieWilliams in which he confessed his former
drugs use. Key 103’s Jonathan Blake was named young journalist of the
year.

Radio City in Liverpool won best sports coverage for its
reporting of Gerard Houllier’s sacking. Radio Clyde took home the IRN
contribution award for providing the most news to the network, while
the Capital FM news team won a special award for providing the whole of
the day’s news for UK Radio Aid. Isle of Wight Radio had the best funny
story of the year about a woman being evicted from an amusement arcade
for being too good at one-armed bandits.

The IRN radio awards
were established last year to recognise the UK’s top commercial radio
news output and presenting. IRN editor Jon Godel said: “The award
winners demonstrate that strong, creative journalism is alive and well
in commercial radio.”

This year the number of entries doubled,
with 500 submitted from 270 stations. The awards were presented by
Channel 4 newsreader Jon Snow.