Thulani Mashiya will receive The Radio Awards 2021 Bursary Award.

The winners' announcement will stream via digital channels on Friday, 16 July 2021 at 15:00.

"We congratulate all the finalists and inductees for their hard work, resilience and dedication to the medium of radio in South Africa," says Taryn Westoby, head of Arena Events, which hosts The Radio Awards.

"Now, more than ever, radio has cemented itself as an accessible, trusted source of information and entertainment, as well as a platform making people feel connected during incredibly trying times," adds Westoby. 

The Station of the Year finalists (in alphabetical order) are as follows:
  • Commercial: East Coast Radio, Jacaranda FM, Kaya FM, KFM 94.5, and Radio 702
  • PBS: Lotus FM, Radio 2000, SAfm, Thobela FM and Umhlobo Wenene FM
  • Community: GrootFM 90.5, Hot 91.9FM, Pretoria FM, and Radio Khwezi.
  • Campus: PukFM 93.6, Tuks FM 107.2, UJFM 95.4 and Voice of Wits FM.
Station of the Year finalists were determined by the number of times they appeared as a finalist across all general categories of The Radio Awards. To stay in contention for the award, category finalists will need to submit a further motivation to be scored by The Radio Awards advisory panel which includes a representative from the National Association of Broadcasters.

The motivation needs to speak to the station's innovation, audience growth, community outreach, general achievements, as well as their 'x-factor' or unique selling point. This score will account for the first half of a station's final score. The second half of the final score will be determined by a station's success in The Radio Awards general categories.

Hall of Fame inductees are selected from a group of individuals that are nominated by their peers and who are revered by the industry and have left an indelible contribution to radio for at least thirty years.

2021's inductees are Alfie Jay, Brenda Sisane, Lance Rothschild and Mark Pilgrim.

Bright Star inductees must be 26 years or younger and work either on-air or behind the scenes to make their mark on the industry. The Bright Star Award aims to recognise individuals with an intrinsic understanding and love for the medium, with a respect for its past, but also with great ideas about its future. The inductees include Annelu le Roux, Delucia Daniels and JSBU.

The Station Manager’s Choice Award recognises those individuals who work behind the scenes. The winner of this category will be announced on Friday, 16 July.

The Radio Awards entries were adjudicated by a panel of 40 judges, with some categories scored by the advisory panel and all categories reviewed by BDO South Africa, auditors of The Radio Awards. Individuals are encouraged to click here to see the full list of finalists.

For more information, visit www.radioawards.co.za. You can also follow The Radio Awards on Facebook, Twitter or on Instagram.