Journalists from Trinity Mirror’s Liverpool Daily Post and Echo dominate the shortlist for the 2009 O2 Media Awards Cheshire and Merseyside.
Writers from the two papers feature in eight of the 11 categories open to print journalists including Newspaper of the Year, Reporter of the Year, Scoop of the Year and Photographer of the Year.
Other contenders for Newspaper of the Year include the Warrington Guardian, who won the title last year, the Southport Visiter, Runcorn and Widnes Weekly News and the Wirral Globe.
In the TV Broadcast Journalist of the Year category, it is a two horse race between the region’s biggest news channels, BBC North West Tonight and ITV’s Granada Reports.
Both television news teams also feature in the shortlist for the overall Editorial Team of the Year crown.
BBC Radio Merseyside and Radio City are both up for two awards.
It has also been a good year for the Southport Visiter, which is nominated for three awards, including Scoop of the Year and Young Journalist of the Year Weeklies as well as Newspaper of the Year.
Judges included Paul Newman, Director of Communications at Media City; Paul Byrne of the Daily Mirror, Peter Charlton, editor of the Yorkshire Post; Jan Lever, Newsquest regional Managing Director and Richard Catlow, Chairman of the Society of Editors and former Editorial Director for Greater Manchester Weekly Newspapers.
O2, which employs more than 1,700 people at its Customer Service Centre in Preston Brook, plans to honour the region’s most talented writers and broadcasters in the awards competition which this year has expanded to cover two additional categories, Business Journalist of the Year and Entertainment Writer of the Year.
In the race for Reporter of the Year Stockport Express’ Jennifer Williams will be going head to head with Luke Traynor of the Liverpool Daily Post and Echo and Gemma Jaleel from Trinity Mirror’s Mediamix.
In the Feature Writer of the Year category the Wirral Globe’s Justin Dunn faces last year’s winner Paddy Shennan of the Liverpool Echo, Nicola Davies of the Warrington Guardian and Emma Pinch from the Liverpool Daily Post and Echo.
The Cheshire and Merseyside O2 Media Awards are part of a series of regional media contests launched by the communications company across the north of England.
Glenn Manoff, O2’s Director of Communications and Reputation, said the awards would celebrate the important service provided by local and regional journalists.
“We are delighted to be staging the second O2 Media Awards in Cheshire and Merseyside. The quality of entries from the region’s press is outstanding and we’re delighted to see many of last year’s winners are back to defend their titles this year,” he said.
The introduction of a new category for entertainment writers reflects O2’s work in the area of arts and entertainment including its sponsorship of The O2 arena and the O2 Academy venues across the UK.
“Journalists provide an integral service in keeping the community connected to the world around them. We have exactly the same objective here at O2 – we believe a connected community is a better community,” he added.
“The O2 Media Awards will honour individual writers and broadcasters as well as news teams who have worked together to bring their communities news and information that otherwise may have remained hidden.”
The winners will be crowned at an awards ceremony at O2’s Preston Brook site on July 2.
O2 Media Awards Shortlist 2009
Scoop of the Year
Steve Hothersall – Radio City and City Talk
Southport Visiter
Liverpool Echo
Sports Journalist of the year
Granada Reports Sports Team
David Bettley – Runcorn and Widnes Weekly News
Chris Hall – Granada Reports
Young Journalist of the year Dailies
Ben Schofield – Liverpool Daily Post and Echo
Liza Williams – Liverpool Daily Post and Echo
Samantha Ann Parker – Liverpool Daily Post and Echo
Young Journalist of the Year Weeklies
John Siddle – Southport Visiter
Miranda Newey – Warrington Guardian
Matthew Davis – Stockport Express
Feature Writer of the Year
Justin Dunn – Wirral Globe
Paddy Shennan – Liverpool Daily Post and Echo
Nicola Davies – Warrington Guardian
Emma Pinch- Liverpool Daily Post and Echo
Business Reporter of the Year
David Bartlett – Liverpool Daily Post and Echo
Alistair Houghton – Liverpool Daily Post and Echo
Alex Turner – Liverpool Daily Post and Echo
Photographer of the Year
Jason Roberts – Liverpool Daily Post and Echo
Mike Boden – Warrington Guardian
Gareth Jones – Liverpool Daily Post and Echo
Entertainment Writer of the Year
Laura Davis – Liverpool Daily Post and Echo
Caroline Hacking – Granada Reports
Jade Wright – Liverpool Daily Post and Echo
Peter Grant – Liverpool Daily Post and Echo
Reporter of the Year
Jennifer Williams – Stockport Express
Luke Traynor – Liverpool Daily Post and Echo
Gemma Jaleel – Trinity Mrirror- Mediamix
Editorial Team of the Year
BBC Radio Merseyside
Granada Reports
BBC – North West Tonight
Mid Cheshire Guardian Series
Newspaper of the Year
Liverpool Echo
Southport Visiter
Warrington Guardian
Wirral Globe
Runcorn and Widnes Weekly News
TV Broadcast Journalist of the Year
Jayne Barrett – BBC North West Tonight
Andy Bonner – Granada Reports
Radio Broadcaster of the Year
Laura Harmes – Radio City and City Talk
BBC Radio Merseyside – News Team
Michelle Ponting – Key 103
Digital Journalist of the Year
Richard Down – Daily Post
David Bartlet – Daily Post
Laura Davis – Daily Post
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