O2 Media Awards for Yorkshire and The Humber 2019: The winners

O2 Media Awards crown the cream of media talent in Yorkshire

The Hull Daily Mail retained its title as the region’s top Daily Newspaper at tonight’s (Thursday, July 4,) O2 Media Awards for Yorkshire and Humber.

The Mail also won O2 Awards for Community Journalism and Community Publication.

Sister title, the Grimsby Telegraph, was also celebrating. Highly commended in both Daily Newspaper and Photography categories, Telegraph staffer Connor Lynch won best print News Reporter.

A special O2 Stand Out Award was presented to BBC journalist Sally Hurst. Sally, who lost a leg to bone cancer in 2005 and was then diagnosed with breast cancer three years ago, had helped others fighting the disease through inspirational story-telling, said O2 Awards judges.

Stephanie Finnegan of the Huddersfield Daily Examiner was named Young Print Journalist for 2019 and highly commended in the News Reporter and Most Memorable categories. Judges praised the reporter’s courage in reporting on a child sex grooming ring, while receiving hate mail and death threats.

Nicola Green, Director of Corporate Affairs at O2, said: “We’ve enjoyed another wonderful year looking back at the positive impact the Yorkshire media has on its communities. It’s clear that the Yorkshire and Humber region has some of the most talented writers, broadcasters and filmmakers in the country.”

The O2 Award for Best Writer went to The Star, Sheffield’s Richard Blackledge with Helen Mead of the Bradford Telegraph and Argus crowned the region’s Best Columnist. The Star also took home the Sports Journalist Print award thanks to Danny Hall.

Leeds Live’s Kristian Johnson was named Broadcast News Reporter of the Year and Rosanna Austin of Bauer Yorkshire was this year’s top Radio Journalist.

Elsewhere BBC Look North, BBC Look North East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire and BBC Yorkshire dominated, taking home a clutch of O2s including awards for Owain Wyn Evans, Best TV Presenter; Jacob Tomlinson, Young Journalist Broadcast and Katy Austin, Video Journalist.

Best news programme went to ITV Yorkshire and its special on the disappearance of Claudia Lawrence. ITV also won the award for best use of Social Media.

Nicola Green, Director of Corporate Affairs at O2, said: “We’ve enjoyed another wonderful year looking back at the positive impact the Yorkshire media has on its communities. It’s clear that the Yorkshire and Humber region has some of the most talented writers, broadcasters and filmmakers in the country.”

The O2 Award for Best Writer went to The Star, Sheffield’s Richard Blackledge with Helen Mead of the Bradford Telegraph and Argus crowned the region’s Best Columnist. The Star also took home the Sports Journalist Print award thanks to Danny Hall.

Leeds Live’s Kristian Johnson was named Broadcast News Reporter of the Year and Rosanna Austin of Bauer Yorkshire was this year’s top Radio Journalist.

Elsewhere BBC Look North, BBC Look North East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire and BBC Yorkshire dominated, taking home a clutch of O2s including awards for Owain Wyn Evans, Best TV Presenter; Jacob Tomlinson, Young Journalist Broadcast and Katy Austin, Video Journalist.

Best news programme went to ITV Yorkshire and its special on the disappearance of Claudia Lawrence. ITV also won the award for best use of Social Media.

Former Gogglebox star Reverand Kate Bottley won the biggest cheer of the night when she announced Radio Sheffield’s Naked Podcast as the Radio Programme of the Year. Bottley – now a regular host of Songs of Praise – stripped off to her birthday suit to reveal the result in a video message to the audience.

Yorkshire based production company Air TV and weekly newspaper, the Rotherham Advertiser, were jointly named Best Team. Air TV was highlighted for its role in flying the flag for TV production in the North, while the Advertiser was praised for uniting religious communities across the town, following the attacks on mosques in New Zealand in which 50 people were killed.

BBC Breakfast’s Louise Minchin and Dave Massey of O2 hosted the event at Leeds United Football Club. Guests included Ken Cooke and Ken Smith, two surviving Normandy veterans and Yorkshire sports heroine Eileen Fenton, who entered the record books when she was the first woman to complete the International Cross Channel Swim in 1950.

The O2 Media Awards Yorkshire & Humber 2019 winners are below, their pictures are uploaded here and all highlights can be seen here

This year’s Yorkshire and Humber winners are:

Emerging Talent

  • Sanchez Payne – BBC Radio Leeds

Highly Commended

  • Bek Homer – BBC Radio York
  • Fiona Mills – BBC Radio Humberside

News Reporter – Print

  • Connor Lynch – Grimsby Telegraph

Highly Commended

  • Stephanie Finnegan – Huddersfield Daily Examiner
  • Dan Bean – The Press York
  • Richard Beecham – Yorkshire Evening Post

News Reporter – Broadcast

  • Kristian Johnson – Leeds Live

Highly Commended

  • Phillip Norton – BBC Look North East Yorkshire & Lincolnshire
  • Spencer Stokes – BBC Yorkshire
  • Mark Ansell – BBC Yorkshire

Entertainment Programme

  • BBC Radio Leeds – Airplays

Highly Commended

  • BBC Radio Sheffield – Bangers and Cash
  • BBC Yorkshire – The Lakes

News Programme

  • ITV Yorkshire – Claudia Lawrence Special

Highly Commended

  • BBC Look North East Yorkshire & Lincolnshire – Spice Zombies
  • BBC Look North – NHS 70

Best Documentary

  • Air TV – River Walks: The Nidd

Highly Commended

  • BBC Radio York – There’s Nothing Like A Panto Dame
  • BBC Radio Sheffield/ BBC Radio York – The Emptiness Within
  • BBC TV Yorkshire – The Jews of Leeds

Best Writer

  • Richard Blackledge – The Star Sheffield

Highly Commended

  • Ruby Kitchen – The Yorkshire Post

Best Columnist

  • Helen Mead – Bradford Telegraph & Argus

Radio Programme

  • BBC Radio Sheffield – The Naked Podcast

Highly Commended

  • Global’s Newsroom Yorkshire – Paid To Do Time
  • BBC Radio Sheffield/BBC Radio York – The Emptiness Within
  • BBC Radio Sheffield – Clinton Woods Interview

Community/Specialist Publication

  • Heritage Open Days – Hull Daily Mail

Highly Commended

  • Down Your Way – Dalesman Publishing
  • Armistice Day – The Press York
  • Dalesman – Dalesman Publishing

Television Journalist

  • Jamie Coulson – BBC Look North

Highly Commended

  • Emma Glasbey – BBC Look North
  • Luxmy Gopal – BBC Look North

Young Journalist – Broadcast

  • Jacob Tomlinson – BBC Yorkshire

Highly Commended

  • Otis Holmes – ITV Yorkshire
  • Elizabeth Baines – Global’s Newsroom Yorkshire
  • Katharine Walker – ITV Yorkshire

Young Journalist – Print

  • Stephanie Finnegan – Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Highly Commended

  • Alex Grove – Hull Daily Mail
  • Laura Drysdale – The Yorkshire Post

Sports Journalist – Broadcast

  • Rob Staton – BBC Radio Humberside

Highly Commended

  • Chris Dawkes – ITV Yorkshire
  • Simon Clark – BBC Look North East Yorkshire & Lincolnshire
  • Mark Ansell – BBC Yorkshire

Sports Journalist – Print

  • Danny Hall – The Star Sheffield

Highly Commended

  • Rory Dollard – Press Association
  • Simon Parker – Bradford Telegraph & Argus
  • Philip Buckingham – Hull Daily Mail
  • Paul Davis – Rotherham Advertiser

Radio Journalist

  • Rosanna Austin – Bauer Yorkshire

Highly Commended

  • Astrid Quinn – Hallam FM
  • Charles Heslett – BBC Radio Leeds
  • David Harrison – BBC Radio Humberside
  • Elizabeth Baines – Global’s Newsroom Yorkshire

Newspapers of the Year

  • Hull Daily Mail (Daily)
  • Wakefield Express (Weekly)

Highly Commended

  • Grimsby Telegraph
  • Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Visual Media – Moving Images

  • Mark Graham – BBC Yorkshire

Highly Commended

  • David Rimmington – BBC Look North East Yorkshire & Lincolnshire
  • Joe Bilton – BBC Look North East Yorkshire & Lincolnshire

Visual Media – Photography

  • Stephen Garnett – Dalesman

Highly Commended

  • Jon Corken – Grimsby Telegraph
  • Tony Johnson – The Yorkshire Post
  • Charlotte Graham – Charlotte Graham Photography
  • Simon Hulme – The Yorkshire Post

Visual Media – Video Journalist

  • Katy Austin – BBC Look North East Yorkshire & Lincolnshire

Highly Commended

  • Mark Ansell – BBC Yorkshire
  • Sal Saba – BBC Radio Sheffield
  • Jacob Tomlinson – BBC Yorkshire

 Most Memorable

  • Phillip Norton BBC Yorkshire & Lincolnshire – Cancer

Highly Commended

  • Huddersfield Daily Examiner – ‘Grooming’
  • ITV Yorkshire – We’re In The Money
  • Hull Daily Mail – The Hunt for Libby Squire

Social & On-Line Media

  • ITV Yorkshire

Highly Commended

  • Hull Live
  • Leeds Live
  • Grimsby Live

Best Teams

  • Air TV
  • Rotherham Advertiser

Highly Commended

  • BBC Radio Leeds
  • Hull Daily Mail

Community Award

  • Viking FM & Hull Daily Mail – No More Knives

Highly Commended

  • BBC Radio Humberside – The Real Estate Show
  • Bridlington Free Press – Let’s Turn the Town Red

Radio Presenter

  • Kat Cowan – BBC Radio Sheffield

Highly Commended

  • Sam Dilcock – BBC Radio York
  • Gayle Lofthouse – BBC Radio Leeds

TV Presenter

  • Owain Wyn Evans – BBC Yorkshire

Highly Commended

  • Duncan Wood – ITV Yorkshire
  • Peter Levy – BBC Look North East Yorkshire & Lincolnshire
  • Tim Iredale – BBC Yorkshire & Lincolnshire

Factual Programme/Series

  • Daisybeck Studios – Made In Britain

Highly Commended

  • Duncan Wood – ITV Yorkshire
  • Peter Levy – BBC Look North East Yorkshire & Lincolnshire
  • Tim Iredale – BBC Yorkshire & Lincolnshire

Factual Programme/Series

  • Daisybeck Studios – Made In Britain
  • BBC Yorkshire – Inside Out Rail Special

Highly Commended

  • Daisybeck Studios – The Yorkshire Vet
  • Air TV – Helicopter ER

O2 Stand Out Awards

  • Sally Hurst – BBC Yorkshire
  • Dalesman

Ends

For more information, contact

Mark Rossiter

Rossiter Media Limited

mark@rossitermedia.co.uk

+44 (0)1829 741371
Journalists can contact the Virgin Media O2 press office on:
press@virginmediao2.co.uk 01753 565656
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