Commercial Radio Awards Shine Light On Music Champions

The finalists for the 2024 Australian Commercial Radio & Audio (ACRA) Awards have been announced and the music categories are in! The winners will be revealed at The Star in Sydney on Saturday, 12 October.

The Gudinski Award (named of course after the late great Michael Gudinski) is the most important of the night for music, shining a light on those in radio going above and beyond for the cause of Australian content and it’s heartening to see individuals going beyond the corporate line to fight for local musicians.

Brett ‘Nozz’ Nossiter has been nominated for his work on iHeartAustralia, a 100% digital radio station that ARN have taken to the top of the DAB+ ratings, proving that well-programmed Australian music will rate. Nozz has long been a champion of Australian talent both on air and behind the scenes across his time with Triple M, Channel V and now ARN.

Chris Holland has been awarded for his work at Geelong’s K-Rock. Holland was previously music director at Triple M before heading down the road to Grant Broadcasters’ commercial station K-Rock, where he set up Great Ocean Odes, not just your average “let’s get our quota up" oz music show, but a show that actively works in the community to play local bands from Geelong and across the region. It’s a level of committment to local that embeds the station in the community and that only a passionate individual willing to put in the extra work his employer likely doesn’t demand could pull off.

Maddy Rowe, Jodie Williams and David Lennon have also been acknowledged with a nomination for the Maddy Rowe Aus Music Show. Driven by Maddy’s passion for Australian music as an artist herself, the show is heard across the Nova Network on Sunday nights from 6-7pm. A key platform for Aussies to not just get played, but also be interviewed, the show is so good we reckon it should go for three hours.

And finally, Matthew O’Gorman, Kalun Townsend, Andrew Very, Shaun Gough and Julia Di Gregorio have been recognised for their work on the Triple M Homegrown Show with Matty O. Homegrown has been a staple of Triple M for over a decade and the show has never sounded better. Triple M as a station already punches well above its weight for Australian content (albeit with lot of Cold Chisel and Powderfinger), but the Homegrown show is a great addition to the slate, particularly for new music. In just the last few months Matty O has chatted to Polish Club, Teskey Brothers, Fanning Dempsey National Park, Hockey Dad and Eliza and the Delusionals. We think the show is so good its 10pm-midnight timeslot deserves an upgrade.

Proving that commercial radio isn’t just Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran, these nominees are in there fighting the good fight day after day for the cause of Australian music and we’re here for it! More please.

This year’s Music Director of the Year nominees also have some great music champions. In a sad nod to reality, this is the second year where there has been no category for regional and provincial music directors due to the centralised nature of programming now endemic across Australian radio, however it does mean that five great nominees are included as finalists.

ARN heads the list with three nominees- the Kiis networks’ Brad McNicol, CADA’s Jake Powell and Gold Coast’s Hot Tomato and ARN regional music director Simon Dawson. Long-time music fan Gemma Maddox also gets a nod for Canberra digital station Club Lime (a joint venture between ARN and SCA). SCA get two nods with Fox music director Kiri Martin and B105’s Dan Hill, while Nova’s Scott Baker-Smith flies the flag for the national CHR powerhouse.

In a statement, the Commercial Radio & Audio (CRA) Chief Commercial Officer, Jo Dick, said of this year’s nominees: “Congratulations to all the finalists for their outstanding work and dedication. Their contributions are a significant part of what makes the Australian audio scene so exciting and dynamic.”

ACRA Music Category Finalists

The Gudinski – Australian Music Champion

Brett ‘Nozz’ Nossiter, iHeartAustralia, Sydney, NSW, ARN
Great Ocean Odes; Chris Holland, Krock 95.5, Geelong, VIC, Grant Broadcasters
The Maddy Rowe Aus Music Show; Maddy Rowe, Jodie Williams, David Lennon, Brisbane, QLD, NOVA Entertainment
Triple M Homegrown with Matty O; Matthew O’Gorman; Kalun Townsend; Andrew Very; Shaun Gough; Julia Di Gregorio, Triple M Melbourne, VIC, SCA

Music Director of the Year

Brad McNicol; KIIS 1065, Sydney, NSW, ARN
Dan Hill; B105, Brisbane, QLD, SCA
Gemma Maddox; Club Lime Radio, Canberra, ACT, ARN/SCA
Jake Powell; CADA, Marsfield, NSW, ARN
Kiri Martin; The FOX, Melbourne, VIC, SCA
Scott Baker-Smith; Nova Network, Melbourne, VIC, NOVA Entertainment
Simon Dawson; 1029 Hot Tomato, Gold Coast, QLD, ARN

Best Music Feature

10 From 40; “Ugly” Phil O’Neil, Samantha Clarke, WSFM, Sydney, NSW, ARN
Aus Music Month; Samantha Clarke, Brett Nossiter, iHeartRadio, Sydney, NSW, ARN
Jessica Mauboy’s Love Song Dedications; Mitch Churi, Grace Garde, KIIS Network, Sydney, NSW, ARN
The Police Diaries; Shayne Brian, LAFM/7SD, Launceston, Tas, ARN
Smallzy On Tour with Taylor Swift Live from the MCG; Kent ‘Smallzy’ Small, Zach La Cava, Nova Network, Sydney, NSW, NOVA Entertainment
Tay Tay All Day; Fox Content, 2DayFM Content, THE FOX & 2DAYFM, Sydney, NSW, SCA
Taylor Swift Triple M Versions; Andrew Very, David Konsky, Kalun Townsend, Triple M Network, Sydney, NSW, SCA