We had a good night at the Sonys - six Golds, four Silvers and five Bronzes (here's ).
Winning a Sony Gold can often be a career highlight and (no names) there were some awards last night, not just Radio 4 ones, that left a very big glow.
The margins on these occasions are rather fine. It is not obvious in most categories who is going to win. I sit at the table and try and pick the winner just before the roll call of honour is unveiled - and I don't get it right all the time. Far, far from it. Every now and then I am amazed by proceedings - sometimes pleasurably so - sometimes less so. But that is all part of the fun of the fair and I can say that I have judged the Sonys on several occasions and the judges take their work seriously. And the central Sony committee is impeccably chaired by Tim Blackmore.
It is the overall standard of Radio 4 that helps define the station. Everyone is spurred on by the demands of the audience and the standards the programme makers set for one another.
The Sonys take place at the Grosvenor House in Park Lane. There is no phone or Blackberry reception so I spent the evening in a febrile state (though repressed) trying to see where the politics of the nation was heading. The News teams broadly did not seem to be disappearing up and down stairs - so I assumed either that they too were blind to the outside world or that nobody has gone to the Palace. A correct assumption.
So - back on the election front - there will probably need to be more schedule changes to accommodate the drama. But keep with it - the coverage is good.
Mark Damazer is Controller of Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4
- The Sony Radio Academy Awards first took place in 1983 and are administered by trade body . The full list of winners is and you can (hosted by Chris Evans) too.
- Radio 4's gold awards include 'best interview' for Jenni Murray's interview with dismissed Haringey director of social services Sharon Shoesmith. Listen to the interview .