The Media Online’s weekly column delivering news of award wins, entries, competitions, dates to note and winners in the media.
Primedia shines with 39 nominations in the 2024 Telkom Radio Awards
The excitement is palpable as the South African Radio Awards unveil their 2024 finalists, with Primedia Broadcasting taking centre stage, earning an impressive 39 nominations across a variety of categories.
Standouts among the nominees include drive time Kfm’s Carl Wastie on the electrifying Flash Drive, 947’s Drive with Thando Thabethe, and the legendary John Perlman on 702 Drive — each continuing to captivate audiences with their unique styles and compelling content.
Primedia dominates the coveted Breakfast Show category, with all four of its flagship shows—Kfm’s Darren Simpson, 702’s Bongani Bingwa, 947’s Anele Mdoda, and CapeTalk’s Lester Kiewit—earning well-deserved recognition. Meanwhile, CapeTalk and 702’s Money Show stands out in the Business and Finance category, bridging complex financial topics with relatable insights that resonate with listeners.
Primedia’s deep connection with its audiences shines through in community-driven initiatives like Kfm’s Geniet Dit Met Tracey Lange and the impactful Stationery Vehicle project on Carl Wastie’s Flash Drive. These nominations reaffirm radio’s transformative role as more than just a medium for entertainment—it’s a powerful platform for positive change.
With nominations spanning daytime shows, radio documentaries, and the action-packed Sports Show category—featuring the legendary Robert Marawa—Primedia continues to redefine excellence across the airwaves.
Algoa FM’s Wayne Hart shortlisted for radio award
Algoa FM’s multi radio award-winner Wayne Hart has made the shortlist in the Telkom Radio Awards Commercial Radio Breakfast Presenter category.
“It is fantastic news for Wayne Hart!” says Algoa FM programme manager Mio Khondleka. “His nomination for the Radio Awards in the Breakfast Host category is so well-deserved. Wayne has consistently shown his dedication to his craft, and it’s clear with every broadcast that he’s only getting better. His energy, warmth, and professionalism make him a standout, and he’s part of a great team that works seamlessly together to create an engaging show for our listeners.
“Wishing him the best of luck—this recognition is truly earned!”
Hart has twice previously won radio awards, both for the Algoa FM Top 30, which he presented on Saturday mornings. This is his second nomination as Breakfast Presenter since joining the show in 2020.
“I am absolutely thrilled to be nominated for Best Breakfast Presenter and deeply grateful,” says Hart. “For over 20 years, radio has been a cornerstone of my life, shaping my journey and fuelling my passion every single day—and I don’t intend on stopping anytime soon. I am incredibly fortunate to work with a fantastic team, and I owe this honour to them as much as our listeners.
“A huge thank you to Lee, Charlie T, and Producer Corn; together, we create something truly special, bringing energy, connection, and joy to the airwaves every weekday morning.”
Shop! South Africa recently celebrated innovation and excellence at its second annual Shopper Marketing Awards. The winners of each of the 12 categories showcased the power of impactful shopper programmes and the potential that they hold to not only forge meaningful connections between brands and shoppers, but also to grow the bottom line.
Di Wilson, founder and MD of Shop! SA, said organisation exists to drive excellence in the industry. “Our goals are to upskill participants, facilitate networking and collaboration, and recognise outstanding achievements. These awards are not just about creativity. They are also about effective campaigns that drive conversions and truly commercialise brands.”
Nande Myama (Integer\Hotspot) describes their award as a validation of their focus on impactful, results-driven work, while Alison Mitchell (99c) says that their award underscores their commitment to delivering meaningful results. “Our win affirms us as an agency that does work that works, and that keeps our clients’ promises.”
Held on 5 November at the Bryanston Country Club, the ceremony attracted guests from across the shopper experience, retail, FMCG, and advertising and marketing sectors.
The 2024 Shop! SA Gold winners are:
- Integrated/omnichannel campaign – Food & drink: Angle Orange for Heineken
- Integrated/omnichannel campaign – Non-food: Integer\Hotspot for Femagene
- Shopper marketing campaign – Food & drink: On Line Advertising for Purity
- Shopper marketing campaign – Non-food: 99c for Make Savings Simple
- Interactive activation: Tradeway Promotions for Unilever
- Purpose-driven campaign: Rainmaker Media for Castle Lite
- Temporary on-shelf: Hyphen Creatives for Douwe Egberts
- Temporary off-shelf: H&A Manufacturing for Ricoffy
- Temporary scale display: H&A Manufacturing for Chocolate Takeover
- Permanent on-shelf: H&A Manufacturing for Johnnie Walker
- Permanent off-shelf/free-standing: H&A Manufacturing for Huggies
- Permanent gondola ends: barrows Design & Manufacturing for Axe
South Africa’s premier celebration of comedy is back! Entries for the 12th Annual Savanna Comics’ Choice Comedy Awards are now open, and this year promises an even fiercer competition with a revamped list of categories. With the total number of awards reduced to ten, winning is now more coveted than ever.
Founded to support and elevate South Africa’s vibrant comedy industry, the awards honour those who make comedy their career, spotlighting SA’s comedic talent on a global stage and affirming its reputation as a thriving, world-class scene. Fondly referred to as ‘Comics’ Choice’, the event is unique in that it’s comedians who vote for their fellow comedians.
This year’s categories highlight the dynamic talents shaping comedy today, from stand-up comedians and innovative performers to comedic content creators and show promoters.
Stand-Up Categories (now featuring 2 exciting new awards):
- Savanna Newcomer Award – for emerging comedians with up to 3 years’ experience.
- Breakthrough Act of the Year Award – for rising stars with a maximum of 7 years’ experience.
- Headliner of the Year Award.
- Comedian of the Year Award.
- Best Solo Show Award.
- Best Comedy Festival/Show Award.
- The Joe Mafela Award.
- Winners’ Choice Award (NEW) – Not for entry, previous winners choose who takes this one home.
- Innovative Comedy Performance Award (NEW) – honouring groundbreaking comedic formats or approaches.
- Sauce of the Year Award.
Enter Now: Submissions are open at http://www.comicschoice.com. The entry deadline for the Savanna Newcomer Award is Tuesday, 26 November 2024, while all other categories close on 13 December 2024.
Nerdware celebrates a double win at the 2024 South African Small Business Awards
Digital Marketing Agency, Nerdware, is over the moon to announce winning a monumental milestone: securing the National Growth Award and being named one of the Top 20 Winners at the 2024 South African Small Business Awards. The awards ceremony took place on 14 November 2024 at the Bryanston Country Club in Johannesburg.
“Being recognised at the Small Business Awards is a celebration of the incredible journey we’ve undertaken as a team,” said Ronald Magondo, Nerdware’s co-founder and director of awe-inspiring feats. “It’s a nod to our passion for blending creativity with data-driven strategies to deliver groundbreaking campaigns. Our amazing ‘Nerds’ pour their hearts into everything we do, and this award validates their hard work and brilliance.”
The recognition comes as Nerdware executes an ambitious expansion strategy, establishing operations in key markets across Africa and Europe.
This includes a newly launched office in the European Union, helmed by the seasoned Slyde Nikurawu, whose leadership has been instrumental in driving Nerdware’s South African success.
Flow Communications wins Best Marketing & Communications Consultancy in Africa at AGF Awards
Flow Communications is Best Marketing & Communications Consultancy at the 2024 Africa Global Funds Awards
Flow Communications has been recognised as the Best Marketing & Communications Consultancy at the 2024 Africa Global Funds (AGF) Service Providers Awards. This is the fifth time in six years that the agency has achieved this significant honour.
The AGF Service Providers Awards recognise exceptional contributions and achievements by service providers to the African fund industry. The awards reflect the efforts of industry leaders to drive excellence and innovation within the continent’s financial sector.
Flow scores big at this year’s Assegai Awards
Top South African communications agency Flow Communications has won 14 awards at the annual Assegai Awards, held in Johannesburg on 14 November 2024.
Flow was honoured for excellence in marketing across various fields, from influencer marketing and social media to integrated marketing and not-for-profit campaigns.
“Winning so many awards this year is a thrilling honour,” said Flow CEO Tara Turkington. “As one of South Africa’s leading independent marketing and communications agencies, being recognised for our creativity and hard work drives us to continually exceed expectations. I’m proud to work alongside a talented, innovative and creative team of writers, designers, developers and project managers. Congratulations, too, to the other winners.”
Tiffany Turkington-Palmer, Flow’s managing director, said: “Congratulations to the Flow team and our clients. We focus on purpose-driven projects, and we are delighted that our efforts and passion for what we do have paid off yet again. It’s truly an honour to take our place among the best in the industry at these premier awards.”
Flow won Assegai Awards in the following categories:
- Gold (Campaign for under R500 000): 21st Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture
- Silver (Not For Profit): 21st Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture
- Bronze (Not For Profit): Marine Protected Areas (MPA) Day 2024 (in partnership with OJ Communications)
- Bronze (Social Media): The Women Presidents’ Organization – Good to Great campaign
- Bronze (Influencer Marketing): Marine Protected Areas (MPA) Day 2024
- Bronze (Publishing, Entertainment, Media & Sports): The Daily Maverick’s The Gathering 2024
- Bronze (Campaign for under R500 000): Marine Protected Areas (MPA) Day 2024
- Leader (Integrated Campaign): Marine Protected Areas (MPA) Day 2024 (in partnership with OJ Communications)
- Leader (Integrated Campaign): Nelson Mandela Foundation: Round-the-Clock Digital Campaign
- Leader (Campaign for CSR – Social Good): 21st Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture
- Leader (Health, Wellness & Pharmaceutical): SANAC’s GBV Ambassadors campaign
- Leader (Campaign for CSR – Social Good): Good Work Foundation: Rural Education Revolution
- Leader (Experiential): The Daily Maverick’s The Gathering 2024
- Leader (Social Media): Nelson Mandela Foundation: Round-the-Clock Digital Campaign
Publicis Groupe Makes Its Mark at 2024 Assegai Awards
Publicis Groupe took home an impressive 13 accolades across multiple categories at the 2024 Assegai Awards last night. Celebrating creativity, innovation and measurable results, the Assegai Awards, hosted by the Direct Marketing Association of South Africa (DMASA), is one of the country’s premier awards shows celebrating excellence in integrated marketing and communication.
Out of 14 finalists, Publicis achieved 13 conversions, demonstrating the agency’s dedication to delivering return on investment, strategic insights and cutting-edge creativity.
Taking gold for their Klipdrift ‘Go for Gold’ and Sanlam ‘Money saver Credit Card’ campaigns, Publicis also took silver for the Vitz ‘More Car, Less Cash’ ads and six leader awards across NIVEA, PepsiCo SASKO, Oreo, Extreme, Spotify and Allan Grey.
With 55 agencies competing, this year’s wins solidify Publicis Groupe’s position as a powerhouse on South Africa’s marketing landscape.
Client-agency partnership awarded for stellar financial literacy work
Standard Bank’s financial literacy campaign, WalletWise bagged three awards – including the Leader award in the Experiential category and Bronze awards, in the Multi-Language and Influencer Marketing categories, at the 2024 edition of Direct Marketing Association of South Africa (DMASA) Assegai Awards.
The Assegai Awards are widely recognised as the benchmark of excellence in direct marketing and stand as one of the most prestigious accolades in the advertising industry, attracting hundreds of entries each year.
Launched in 2013, WalletWise is one of Standard Bank’s initiatives aimed at providing simplified financial knowledge to financially excluded South Africans, helping them make informed financial decisions. The project is part of the Banking Association of South Africa’s (BASA) industry-wide regulatory framework, which seeks to create a banking environment that empowers consumers with essential financial skills and knowledge.
The campaign is led by South African based agency Matte BLK, at it received three finalist nods leading to the big reveal in Melrose, Johannesburg on the 14th of November in the following categories:
- Influencer Marketing: For the Standard Bank WalletWise Influencer Campaign
- Experiential: For the Standard Bank WalletWise Activations roadshow
- Multi-Language: For the Standard Bank WalletWise regionalised financial literacy programme
HOT 102.7FM’s Journalists Honoured at Brave Journalism & Media Awards
Johannesburg-based radio station HOT 102.7FM is celebrating once again – this time the achievements of two of its journalists in the station’s News department.
That’s after head of news Tara Penny and multimedia journalist Ahmed Kajee were honoured at the Brave Journalism & Media Awards in Hyde Park, in Johannesburg.
The awards celebrate journalists and media personalities from across the country and honours them for their bravery to take risks, investigate and ask the really tough questions.
Penny heads up the HOT 102.7FM News department, juggling the running of the news division with presenting news, primarily, on The Just Plain Drive show and producing stories for the station’s other shows, while Kajee spreads his time across both the News and Digital departments, writing and producing content for on-air and the station’s online platforms.
The good news out of the HOT 102.7FM News department comes just days after the station celebrated raising a whopping R27.5 million in cash, goods and services at its Teddython fundraiser, in just 12 and a half hours.
That, in turn, followed HOT 102.7FM picking up five awards in the ‘Best of Joburg’ and ‘Best of Ekurhuleni’ Readers’ Choice Awards, making it a week to remember for Johannesburg’s newest commercial radio station.
M-Net Group of Channels wins Marketing Team of the Year at Promax Awards
M-Net Group of Channels was named Marketing Team of the Year at Promax Africa at The Tryst in Woodmead, Johannesburg. This after MultiChoice won 16 Golds and 28 Silvers at the broadcast industry’s leading awards for marketing excellence.
Showmax won Silver for the Creative Team of the Year, and was the most awarded streamer, taking home seven Golds, after relaunching in February 2024 in partnership with Comcast’s NBCUniversal and Sky. MultiChoice, DStv, kykNET, M-Net, Mzansi Magic, and SuperSport also took home Golds for the group.
“We’ve had an amazing year,” said Yatish Narsi, MultiChoice’s chief marketing officer. “We’ve relaunched Showmax, winning two Loeries in October, in partnership with one of the world’s biggest entertainment companies; introduced the world’s first mobile-only Premier League app, and then added the PSL to it at no extra cost to subscribers; SuperSport delivered an incredible Olympics campaign; kykNET earned MultiChoice’s third International Emmy nomination in three years for Die Brug; and Mzansi Magic’s Shaka iLembe became the most awarded drama series in the history of the SAFTAs. As the biggest investor in Africa’s film industry, our content has been starting conversations all year – and I can’t think of a more fun job than figuring out how to broaden those conversations.”
Two in a row for Algoa FM in Garden Route
Just weeks after winning the Best of George Readers’ Choice 2024 award in the Local Radio Station category, Algoa FM was honoured as a finalist in the Mossel Bay Business Chamber’s Best Large Business of the Year award category.
“This accolade of recognition, together with our earlier Best of George Readers’ Choice award, are testament to the hard work our Garden Route team has put into making the station become a favourite among listeners, clients, and fellow businesses alike in the region,” said Algoa FM managing director Alfie Jay.
The media business finally established a physical presence in the Graden Route, launching a satellite studio and offices in George during December 2023. This followed a dedicated weekday afternoon drive show for the Garden Route which launched in 2011.
Podcasts come of age at inaugural South African Podcast Awards
Podcasting has officially come of age in South Africa, a milestone celebrated with the inaugural South African Podcasters Awards (SAPA). This historic event saw watch parties and gatherings nationwide, connecting creators and fans in honour of a medium that has evolved from niche to mainstream.
Formed to support and celebrate South African podcasters, the SA Podcasters Guild includes over 300 creators from genres as varied as comedy, business, music, and true crime, representing the rich diversity of voices that shape the South African podcast landscape.
The United States alone has projected podcast listener numbers to surpass 100 million by the end of this decade, while in South Africa, listener figures are expected to reach 4.8 million by 2027. This demand reflects a growing appetite for on-demand, niche content, and brands are increasingly turning to podcasts as an intimate and effective channel for digital engagement and advertising.
The awards embody this momentum within South Africa, recognising the range and quality of content being produced locally.
“South African podcasting has entered an exciting new phase,” said Gavin Kennedy of Solid Gold Podcasts. “What we’re seeing now is not only a rise in the number of podcasts but a heightened standard of production and storytelling. Podcasts have become powerful spaces for authentic conversations, cultural exchange, and learning. This awards ceremony honours those who are driving that change.”
The awards evening spotlighted South Africa’s top podcasts, with Solid Gold Podcasts emerging as a standout. The eleven Solid Gold winners were:
- Gold:Podcast of the Year: Solid Gold Story Time with Lynn Joffe
- Best Innovation and Creativity: Solid Gold Story Time with Lynn Joffe
- Kids, Parenting & Family: Solid Gold Story Time with Lynn Joffe
- Arts & Literature: The Story Explorer with Christi Sa
- Silver: Best Content: ZedAlpha with Dean McCoubrey from MySociaLife
- Kids, Parenting & Family: ZedAlpha with Dean McCoubrey from MySociaLife
- Best Production: Solid Gold Story Time with Lynn Joffe
- Bronze: Business: On Change with Petro du Pisani
- Society & Culture: Youth Tell All from SAIIA
- Wellness & Relationships: The Power of Sleep with Restonic
- Arts & Literature: The Reading Room with Melanie Walker
YouTube link of awards event https://youtu.be/DPpG-41js-Q
Why Nedbank Private Wealth comes highly commended at the Global Private Banking Awards
Nedbank Private Wealth has cemented its leadership position in Africa’s private banking sector by being named the Best Private Bank in Africa (highly commended) at the prestigious Global Private Banking Awards.
The Global Private Banking Awards, hosted by Professional Wealth Management and The Banker Magazine, celebrate leading private bankers and wealth managers across the globe. With over 150 entrants this year, this recognition solidifies Nedbank Private Wealth’s position as a leader in the industry.
According to Nandiswa Mxokozeli, managing executive of Nedbank Private Wealth, the bank’s success at the awards reflects its steadfast dedication to excellence in delivering holistic wealth management solutions to high-net-worth clients. “Through our personalised and innovative wealth management solutions, we remain focused on empowering our clients to achieve their financial aspirations with confidence.”
“Our role is not just to manage wealth, but to be a trusted partner in helping clients grow, protect and pass on their wealth to future generations,” added Mxokozeli. “This award not only reinforces our reputation as a leader in private banking – trusted by clients across Africa and globally – but is also strong motivation for us to continue on this path, providing the highest standard of expertise and service to our clients.”
The African Property Awards, held in London on 17 October 2024, recognise excellence across the property industry, with a rigorous judging process focused on innovation, quality, service, and sustainability. Jaco and Ronel’s accomplishments are not only a testament to their hard work and commitment, but to Lightstone’s role as a vital enabler in their journey to success.
