News / National
Confusion rocks Zim Radio Awards
12 Jul 2016 at 06:59hrs | Views
Organisers for the highly anticipated Zimbabwe Radio Awards have once again postponed the event to October, four days before the event was scheduled to take place. The awards which had been pencilled for this Friday will now be held on October 29 after it emerged that the voting process had not been completed.
The awards are being hosted by a local online entertainment magazine Celebrity Check in a bid to honour local radio personnel. It would be the first time that radio presenters would be recognised where more than 50 nominees will battle it out in 30 categories.
The confusion and poor organisation has even left nominees and people in the arts sector wondering if the awards would be held at all.
Some critics have since described the awards ceremony as nothing more than a prize giving ceremony, since everyone working in radio was nominated.
"I think people are losing the point when it comes to awards ceremonies. We understand the appreciation and support but is it a matter of fearing to be blasted if you don't nominate others?
"Why should you have every radio personality in each category, or is it because in Zimbabwe we have too many of them or they have not been recorded?" wondered Marcos Mani from Belvedere.
Some of the nominees who were interviewed but refused to named, said the organisers had no clear marketing skills or were yet to secure sponsorship.
"I am a nominee and you know what it means. I have to gather votes so if I am in the paper complaining about the poor start of the show, it means I am de-campaigning myself, so please don't mention my name.
"Although we don't have any contract or signed document with them I still have to protect myself. I am a radio personality and I don't want to create haters," said one radio presenter .
In an interview the show organiser, Agrippa Palazi has since apologised for the inconvenience caused to the nominees. He said he has since notified them via social media.
"We do apologise for the inconvenience caused. The awards have been postponed to October 29 due to the voting system which is not yet in place and other developments of international guests which you will be notified," read the post on Whatsapp platform.
Palazi said they had to shift the dates to allow the voting system to finish.
"Shifting was due to the voting system which was not ready and also because we would like to avoid a situation where we present a substandard inaugural, especially when it comes to radio legends. We are having some negotiations with our sponsors," he said.
He said they were hoping to bring an international guest star on the night.
"So far the venue still remains the same — 7 Arts Theatre in Harare.
"We are working on bringing an international guest star — radio personality. We are still in talks with the selected ones," he added.
The awards are being hosted by a local online entertainment magazine Celebrity Check in a bid to honour local radio personnel. It would be the first time that radio presenters would be recognised where more than 50 nominees will battle it out in 30 categories.
The confusion and poor organisation has even left nominees and people in the arts sector wondering if the awards would be held at all.
Some critics have since described the awards ceremony as nothing more than a prize giving ceremony, since everyone working in radio was nominated.
"I think people are losing the point when it comes to awards ceremonies. We understand the appreciation and support but is it a matter of fearing to be blasted if you don't nominate others?
"Why should you have every radio personality in each category, or is it because in Zimbabwe we have too many of them or they have not been recorded?" wondered Marcos Mani from Belvedere.
Some of the nominees who were interviewed but refused to named, said the organisers had no clear marketing skills or were yet to secure sponsorship.
"I am a nominee and you know what it means. I have to gather votes so if I am in the paper complaining about the poor start of the show, it means I am de-campaigning myself, so please don't mention my name.
"Although we don't have any contract or signed document with them I still have to protect myself. I am a radio personality and I don't want to create haters," said one radio presenter .
In an interview the show organiser, Agrippa Palazi has since apologised for the inconvenience caused to the nominees. He said he has since notified them via social media.
"We do apologise for the inconvenience caused. The awards have been postponed to October 29 due to the voting system which is not yet in place and other developments of international guests which you will be notified," read the post on Whatsapp platform.
Palazi said they had to shift the dates to allow the voting system to finish.
"Shifting was due to the voting system which was not ready and also because we would like to avoid a situation where we present a substandard inaugural, especially when it comes to radio legends. We are having some negotiations with our sponsors," he said.
He said they were hoping to bring an international guest star on the night.
"So far the venue still remains the same — 7 Arts Theatre in Harare.
"We are working on bringing an international guest star — radio personality. We are still in talks with the selected ones," he added.
Source - the herald
