Solent University’s student radio station, Radio Sonar, has scooped three prestigious awards at the I Love Student Radio Awards, held online in May.
The station, and its presenters, took the winning spots in Best Station Culture, Most Improved Student Radio Station and Station Manager, Danny Humby won Most Outstanding Contribution to a Student Radio Station.
The I Love Student Radio Awards – believed to be one of the biggest student media awards in Europe – celebrates the commitment and contributions of individuals to student radio.
“I think the wins really come down to the hard work put in by the team throughout the year.,” explains Danny. “We knew when we started that if we worked really hard that we would potentially have a chance to do something we hadn’t done as a station in a very long time – win an award for our work.
“We spent a lot of time over the summer holidays trying to improve every aspect of the studio, and by the time the freshers joined our hard work shone through and the team spirit really took off like a rocket from there.
“It would be very easy for people to be involved with radio and not get much out of it, but for me student radio was all about something bigger – it’s about giving people the chance to be themselves and grow and us encouraging people to do, along with gaining the support of the Students’ Union and the University, that has been massive for the station’s culture, and I think that’s why we won.
“As well as this, we’ve been really lucky to have such a great team – all passionate about student radio. We all set ourselves a clear goal and we’ve worked very hard to achieve it. Everything has improved as a result and it’s been amazing to see.”
Speaking about his own award, Danny, who is planning to undertake a masters in journalism and multimedia communications at Solent next year, adds: “Winning this award is one of the proudest achievements of my life.
“Student Radio has absolutely changed me for the better and I couldn’t be more thankful for anyone that helped me along the way. From my friends, to my committee, to my family – everyone’s support has been amazing over the last year, so thank you.
“We have lots of big plans for the future, but it all depends on everything currently going on in the world. I am really hoping to get new carpet for the studio though!”
