2026 WINNERS REVEALED
An exclusive interview with Noel Gallagher, Scotland qualifying for the World Cup for the first time this century and the sensitive but comprehensive coverage of the murder of Harvey Willgoose have been honoured at the Commercial Radio News Awards in association with IRN and Sky News.
Hits Radio South Yorkshire was named News Team of the Year in the under 1.5m TSA, described by judges as a team ‘rooted in its community’ and ‘telling stories in a relevant way with local voices.’ The team’s reporting on the killing of 15 year-old Harvey Willgoose at a school in Sheffield was recognised in the ‘Best News Story or Coverage’ category. The judges said it was ‘powerful’ and ‘emotional’ reporting which extended from the murder to the memorial service to the court case and the family’s campaign for school safety.’
Times Radio won the News Team of the Year in the ‘over 1.5m TSA’ for its ‘smart, informative and accessible’ storytelling. ‘Strong journalism, well done’ was the verdict of the judges as the team picked up its first ever CRN Award.
The event which celebrates reporting, production and presentation in commercial radio news was hosted by Sky News ‘Mornings’ and ‘Cheat Sheet’ podcast presenter, Kamali Melbourne in the Sky Cinema at Sky’s west London campus.
Micky Welch from Hits Radio North East won the Regional Newsreader of the Year award for the third consecutive year. A ‘unanimous winner’ in a popular category according to the judges who cited his warmth and compassion as well as his sense of fun.
The Specialist Reporter of the Year was Fraser Knight from LBC and LBC News. His home affairs brief has included investigating the cybercrime network ‘The Com’ and reporting on Britain’s largest phone theft gang. The judges said his ‘authoritative reporting’ and ‘sharp, engaging script writing’ stood out.
talkSPORT’S exclusive with Noel Gallagher was awarded ‘Best Interview’ with the judges saying it was ‘well handled by Andy Goldstein and Darren Bent’ and ‘travelled everywhere’ as ‘Oasis was the sound of the summer in 2025.’
Scotland’s qualification for this summer’s World Cup Finals featured prominently in the list of nominations but Clyde 1’s entry titled ‘Scotland’s Greatest Night’ was the winner of the Best Sports Coverage prize. ‘A great example of storytelling capturing the feeling of a nation’ was how the judging panel described it with a ‘fantastic array of different voices, sound effects and solid reporting.’
LBC’s Helen Hoddinott was named National Reporter of the Year. Her investigations into online gaming, weight loss jabs and poor housing conditions made her ‘stand apart in this highly competitive category.’ She had been the ‘Newcomer of the Year’ in 2020.
This year’s ‘Newcomer’ award went to Clyde 1’s Molly Tulett with judges highlighting her ‘confidence and creativity in any situation.’ Whether it was ‘getting stuck in at an asylum demonstration, reporting on a Gaelic language campaign or fully immersing herself in the TRNSMT music festival she brings the audience into the heart of her stories.’
For the second time in three years, KISS FM UK’s Aileen O’Sullivan was the winner of the National Newsreader of the Year award. ‘An outstanding newsreader who connects with her audience and delivers the stories they care about in simple, friendly and unpatronising ways’ was the verdict of the judges.
Greatest Hits Radio came out top in the Best News Special category with its ‘Lost Souls’ investigation which revealed 250,000 graves belonging to mental health patients across Britain are lying abandoned. The judges said it was ‘sensitively and beautifully told using great empathy and skill to bring to light a hidden scandal.’
Shivani Sharma from Global’s Newsroom Central Region picked up the Regional Reporter of the Year prize. Her reporting on subjects such as the conditions facing pregnant women in jail and birth defects in Corby was praised by the judges for having a ‘sophistication’ about them combined with her ‘great range of tone.’
A series about the endangered Turtle Dove’s journey from West Africa to Northern Europe was the stand out entry as Chloe Sackur from City St George’s, University of London was named Student Journalist of the Year. The judges said her ‘excellent writing and atmospheric soundscapes’ resulted in a ‘sure-footed and professional audio production.’
The Gold Award for outstanding contribution to commercial radio news and sport was presented to Tim John, the Managing Editor of LBC News and Global’s Newsroom. In a career spanning two decades, Tim began his broadcasting journey with stints in Nottingham and Cardiff’s Red Dragon FM before heading to London and Capital FM. After ten years on air, including more than five as Capital’s breakfast newsreader, he stepped back from the mic to run Global’s newsrooms and, in 2019, launched the rolling news station LBC News.
IRN Editor and Head of Audio at Sky News, Dave Terris said:
“Commercial radio news teams continue to put people at the heart of their storytelling by reflecting the lives of the millions of people who listen. This year’s entries demonstrated the importance of eyewitness journalism at a disruptive time for the industry and reinforced the strength of teams embedded in their communities telling the stories that matter. Congratulations to all the winners and nominees for raising the standards and ensuring the industry continues to thrive.
IRN Managing Director, Tim Molloy said:
“Congratulations to the winners, runners up and other nominees who all deserve praise and recognition for their excellent entries, which together once again provided an excellent showcase of why radio news in these troubled times is the most trusted medium.”
The winners list in full:
IRN Gold Award
Tim John
News Team of the Year (Over 1.5m TSA)
Times Radio News Team – Times Radio
News Team of the Year (Under 1.5m TSA)
Hits Radio South Yorkshire – Bauer Media Audio
Best News Story or Coverage
The Murder of Harvey Willgoose – Hits Radio South Yorkshire, Bauer Media Audio
Reporter of the Year (National)
Helen Hoddinott – LBC
Reporter of the Year (Specialist)
Fraser Knight – LBC and LBC News
Reporter of the Year (Regional)
Shivani Sharma – Global’s Newsroom Central Region
Best Sports Coverage
Scotland’s Greatest Night – Clyde 1, Bauer Media Audio
Best News Special
Lost Souls – Greatest Hits Radio, Bauer Media Audio
Best Interview
“I’m Proud of Him,” Noel Gallagher, Oasis Exclusive – talkSPORT
Newsreader of the Year (National)
Aileen O’Sullivan – KISS FM UK, Bauer Media Audio
Newsreader of the Year (Regional)
Micky Welch – Hits Radio North East, Bauer Media Audio
Newcomer of the Year
Molly Tulett – Clyde 1, Bauer Media Audio
Student Journalist of the Year
Chloe Sackur – City St George’s, University of London
Hits Radio South Yorkshire was named News Team of the Year in the under 1.5m TSA, described by judges as a team ‘rooted in its community’ and ‘telling stories in a relevant way with local voices.’ The team’s reporting on the killing of 15 year-old Harvey Willgoose at a school in Sheffield was recognised in the ‘Best News Story or Coverage’ category. The judges said it was ‘powerful’ and ‘emotional’ reporting which extended from the murder to the memorial service to the court case and the family’s campaign for school safety.’
Times Radio won the News Team of the Year in the ‘over 1.5m TSA’ for its ‘smart, informative and accessible’ storytelling. ‘Strong journalism, well done’ was the verdict of the judges as the team picked up its first ever CRN Award.
The event which celebrates reporting, production and presentation in commercial radio news was hosted by Sky News ‘Mornings’ and ‘Cheat Sheet’ podcast presenter, Kamali Melbourne in the Sky Cinema at Sky’s west London campus.
Micky Welch from Hits Radio North East won the Regional Newsreader of the Year award for the third consecutive year. A ‘unanimous winner’ in a popular category according to the judges who cited his warmth and compassion as well as his sense of fun.
The Specialist Reporter of the Year was Fraser Knight from LBC and LBC News. His home affairs brief has included investigating the cybercrime network ‘The Com’ and reporting on Britain’s largest phone theft gang. The judges said his ‘authoritative reporting’ and ‘sharp, engaging script writing’ stood out.
talkSPORT’S exclusive with Noel Gallagher was awarded ‘Best Interview’ with the judges saying it was ‘well handled by Andy Goldstein and Darren Bent’ and ‘travelled everywhere’ as ‘Oasis was the sound of the summer in 2025.’
Scotland’s qualification for this summer’s World Cup Finals featured prominently in the list of nominations but Clyde 1’s entry titled ‘Scotland’s Greatest Night’ was the winner of the Best Sports Coverage prize. ‘A great example of storytelling capturing the feeling of a nation’ was how the judging panel described it with a ‘fantastic array of different voices, sound effects and solid reporting.’
LBC’s Helen Hoddinott was named National Reporter of the Year. Her investigations into online gaming, weight loss jabs and poor housing conditions made her ‘stand apart in this highly competitive category.’ She had been the ‘Newcomer of the Year’ in 2020.
This year’s ‘Newcomer’ award went to Clyde 1’s Molly Tulett with judges highlighting her ‘confidence and creativity in any situation.’ Whether it was ‘getting stuck in at an asylum demonstration, reporting on a Gaelic language campaign or fully immersing herself in the TRNSMT music festival she brings the audience into the heart of her stories.’
For the second time in three years, KISS FM UK’s Aileen O’Sullivan was the winner of the National Newsreader of the Year award. ‘An outstanding newsreader who connects with her audience and delivers the stories they care about in simple, friendly and unpatronising ways’ was the verdict of the judges.
Greatest Hits Radio came out top in the Best News Special category with its ‘Lost Souls’ investigation which revealed 250,000 graves belonging to mental health patients across Britain are lying abandoned. The judges said it was ‘sensitively and beautifully told using great empathy and skill to bring to light a hidden scandal.’
Shivani Sharma from Global’s Newsroom Central Region picked up the Regional Reporter of the Year prize. Her reporting on subjects such as the conditions facing pregnant women in jail and birth defects in Corby was praised by the judges for having a ‘sophistication’ about them combined with her ‘great range of tone.’
A series about the endangered Turtle Dove’s journey from West Africa to Northern Europe was the stand out entry as Chloe Sackur from City St George’s, University of London was named Student Journalist of the Year. The judges said her ‘excellent writing and atmospheric soundscapes’ resulted in a ‘sure-footed and professional audio production.’
The Gold Award for outstanding contribution to commercial radio news and sport was presented to Tim John, the Managing Editor of LBC News and Global’s Newsroom. In a career spanning two decades, Tim began his broadcasting journey with stints in Nottingham and Cardiff’s Red Dragon FM before heading to London and Capital FM. After ten years on air, including more than five as Capital’s breakfast newsreader, he stepped back from the mic to run Global’s newsrooms and, in 2019, launched the rolling news station LBC News.
IRN Editor and Head of Audio at Sky News, Dave Terris said:
“Commercial radio news teams continue to put people at the heart of their storytelling by reflecting the lives of the millions of people who listen. This year’s entries demonstrated the importance of eyewitness journalism at a disruptive time for the industry and reinforced the strength of teams embedded in their communities telling the stories that matter. Congratulations to all the winners and nominees for raising the standards and ensuring the industry continues to thrive.
IRN Managing Director, Tim Molloy said:
“Congratulations to the winners, runners up and other nominees who all deserve praise and recognition for their excellent entries, which together once again provided an excellent showcase of why radio news in these troubled times is the most trusted medium.”
The winners list in full:
IRN Gold Award
Tim John
News Team of the Year (Over 1.5m TSA)
Times Radio News Team – Times Radio
News Team of the Year (Under 1.5m TSA)
Hits Radio South Yorkshire – Bauer Media Audio
Best News Story or Coverage
The Murder of Harvey Willgoose – Hits Radio South Yorkshire, Bauer Media Audio
Reporter of the Year (National)
Helen Hoddinott – LBC
Reporter of the Year (Specialist)
Fraser Knight – LBC and LBC News
Reporter of the Year (Regional)
Shivani Sharma – Global’s Newsroom Central Region
Best Sports Coverage
Scotland’s Greatest Night – Clyde 1, Bauer Media Audio
Best News Special
Lost Souls – Greatest Hits Radio, Bauer Media Audio
Best Interview
“I’m Proud of Him,” Noel Gallagher, Oasis Exclusive – talkSPORT
Newsreader of the Year (National)
Aileen O’Sullivan – KISS FM UK, Bauer Media Audio
Newsreader of the Year (Regional)
Micky Welch – Hits Radio North East, Bauer Media Audio
Newcomer of the Year
Molly Tulett – Clyde 1, Bauer Media Audio
Student Journalist of the Year
Chloe Sackur – City St George’s, University of London