A local community radio station has been recognised with two national awards after judges praised its programming as a model for stations across the country.
Near FM, based in Coolock, took home two Gold awards at the National Community Radio Awards in Athlone, with its long-running Northside Today (NST) programme and a youth podcast project both receiving top honours.
The station’s flagship weekday programme, Northside Today, won Gold in the Social Benefit Talk Programming category, with judges describing it as “the kind of daily show that every community radio station around the country should aspire to broadcast.”
Broadcast every weekday from 11am to 1pm, Northside Today has become a familiar voice across north Dublin, providing listeners with a mix of local news, community issues, interviews and discussion.
Episodes are also made available through Near FM’s Listen Again podcast service, allowing audiences to catch up at their convenience.
The station’s second Gold award came in the Media Wise category for ‘Mad About Media’, a podcast series created in partnership with students from Coláiste Dhúlaigh.
Pictured are the creators of ‘Mad about Media’ (pictured earlier this year with former Lord Mayor Ray McAdam): Aaron McGee, Sarah Fitzgerald and Aoibh Cowan (not in picture Erica Milling
The project gives young people the opportunity to develop broadcasting and media skills while producing programmes on issues that matter to them.
Judges were equally enthusiastic in their praise of the series.
“This programme is exactly why the Media Wise category has been added to the awards this year,” they said.
“Students from Coláiste Dhúlaigh, with support from station staff, have made an excellent and unique series.
The selection of interviewees is pertinent. The winners are Near FM.”
‘Mad about Media’ podcast series is available on nearcast.ie.
The double success is another milestone for Near FM, which has spent decades serving communities across Dublin’s northside through local broadcasting, training opportunities and volunteer-led programming.
Like community radio stations throughout Ireland, Near FM relies heavily on the dedication of volunteers who give their time to present programmes, produce content and help keep local broadcasting alive.
The awards recognise that commitment as much as the programmes themselves.
The National Community Radio Awards celebrate excellence across Ireland’s community radio sector and are run on an independent, not-for-profit basis.
Entries are assessed by panels drawn from community broadcasting, academia, the wider media industry and the voluntary sector.
Judging is carried out through a semi-blind process, with each judge independently scoring entries against published criteria before the results are averaged to determine Gold, Silver and Bronze winners.
For Near FM, however, the greatest reward may be the recognition that its programmes continue to make a genuine difference in the communities they serve.
From giving local voices a platform through Northside Today to helping the next generation of broadcasters find their feet through Mad About Media, the station’s latest accolades underline the important role community radio continues to play on Dublin’s northside.