The Liverpool Daily Post and Echo are in the running for five awards in this year’s North West Media Awards.
The paper is nominated for Daily Newspaper of the Year and reporters Ben Turner, Paddy Shennan, Mark Johnson and Alistair Houghton are in the final line up for individual awards.
The Cumberland News was also a favourite with the judging panel. Cumberland News reporters Sarah Newstead, Roger Lytollis and Amanda Little are in line for individual honours and the News is also nominated in the Weekly Newspaper of the Year category.
In the Broadcast Journalist of the Year category Granada Report’ anchor Lucy Meacock is shortlisted with BBC Inside Out reporter Jacey Normand and Sky TV’s Tessa Chapman. Granada Reports’ Chris Hall is nominated in both the News Reporter and Sports Reporter of the Year categories.
BBC Merseyside is the only BBC station to make the cut in the radio broadcast categories. Reporter Jimmy McCracken is facing opposition from Kate Collins of Real Radio, Kellie O’Donnell from Wish and Tower FM and Rock FM’s Lucy Ward.
Young journalists and communicators of the future will also be honoured in the Think Big media award which was introduced to celebrate the work of young people using communication skills to improve their local communities.
The awards will be presented on November 4 at the Palm House in Liverpool in front of an invited audience of journalists and celebrity guests. O2 launched their regional media awards three years ago but this is first year the awards have involved the whole of the North West region.
O2’s Director of Communications, Reputation and Sustainability, Glenn Manoff, said the quality and volume of entries was outstanding demonstrating the growing popularity of the awards among regional journalists.
‘The standard of entries was superb and we are looking forward to an exciting presentation evening when we can celebrate the tremendous efforts regional journalists put in to keep communities informed and entertained,’ he added.
On the night O2 will also announce a special lifetime achievement award.
Judges were drawn from the world of television, print, radio and digital media. Because of the volume of entries five separate judging panels were required to review journalists’ work. Society of Editors regional chairman Richard Catlow, who led one of the panels, said the quality of entries was as good as he had seen at any media awards event, either regionally or nationally.
The full list of nominees is:
Daily Newspaper of the Year
Bolton News
Liverpool Echo
North West Evening Mail
Blackpool Gazette
Weekly Newspaper of the Year
Widnes and Runcorn Weekly News
Whitehaven News
Saddleworth Independent
Cumberland News Chester Chronicle
News Reporter of the Year
Chris Hall, Granada Reports
Ben Turner, Liverpool Echo
Sam Chadderton, Lancashire Telegraph
Feature Writer of the Year
Paddy Shennan, Liverpool Echo
Sarah Newstead, Cumberland News
Phil Coleman, News and Star
Roger Lytollis, Cumberland News
Mark Smith, Widnes Weekly News
TV Journalist of the Year
Jacey Normand, BBC inside Out
Lucy Meacock, Granada Reports
Tessa Chapman, Sky TV
Radio Broadcaster of the Year
Kate Collins, Real Radio
Kellie O’Donnell, Wish and Tower FM
Lucy Ward, Rock FM
Jimmy McCracken, BBC Radio Merseyside
Editorial Team of the Year
Workington Times and Star
Granada Reports
Sky TV
Think Big Award (for young communicators)
Alex Browning and James Mernagh, Ex:Ample
Megan Booth, Thomas Boteler High School, Warrington and the Communication for Youth project
Respect and Reflect team, South Liverpool
Park High School Specialist Sports College, Prenton
Scoop of the Year
Chris Lynham, Oldham Chronicle
Mark Johnson, Liverpool Echo
Natalie Banks, Chorley Guardian
Photographer of the Year
Ian Robinson, Lancashire Evening Post
Sean Hansford, Rochdale Observer
Vincent Cole, Rochdale Observer
Digital Journalist of the Year
Will Watt, Blackpool Gazette
Granada Reports digital team
Key 103
Business Journalist of the Year
Andy Gill, BBC North West Tonight
Chris Barry, Business Desk.Com
Alistair Houghton, Liverpool Daily Post
Chris Hopper, Lancashire Telegraph
Sports Journalist of the Year
Amanda Little, News and Star/Cumberland News
Chris Hall, Granada Reports
Andy Cryer, Lancashire Telegraph
Young Journalist of the Year – Dailies
Louise Martin, Radio City
Amanda Smith, Bolton News
Mark Tattersall, Granada Reports
Helen Steel, Blackpool Gazette
Young Journalist of the Year – Weeklies
Miranda Newey, Warrington Guardian
Natalie Banks, Chorley Guardian
Naomi Dunning, Chester Chronicle
John Siddle, Southport Visiter
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