Bpm Media papers scoop press awards

Jun 22 2009 by Anna Blackaby, Birmingham Post

Birmingham Post owner Bpm Media celebrated a clutch of prizes at this year’s Midlands Media Awards with the Sunday Mercury scooping the coveted title of Newspaper of the Year once again.

The awards, organised by Birmingham Press Club, saw representatives from the region’s newspapers, radio, TV and blogging communities come together at New Bingley Hall, in Hockley, to celebrate their achievements over the past year.

Central Tonight presenter Bob Warman and his former colleague Llewela Bailey hosted the glittering evening and Eastenders star Adam Woodyatt made a guest appearance to present one of the awards.

It is the fifth time in the past nine years that the Sunday Mercury took the title of Newspaper of the Year thanks to its string of exclusives and dedication to investigative journalism.

Last year the paper won Newspaper of the Year at the Newspaper Society Awards and was a Newspaper of the Year finalist at the Press Gazette Awards.

Journalist Adam Aspinall won the title of News Reporter of the Year (Daily) for his work on the Birmingham Mail and Sunday Mercury and the award for Photographer of the Year went to Bpm Media colleague Iain Findlay.

Mike Lockley won Columnist of the Year for his weekly page in the Sunday Mercury.

Birmingham Mail and Sunday Mercury editor Steve Dyson said on his birminghammail.net blog: “All winners deserve congratulations for some superb work in what has been a difficult 12 months for the industry.

“I was particularly pleased at the Sunday Mercury’s award. I now edit the paper along with the Birmingham Mail, but it is the dedicated team of brand champions who deserve applause for maintaining the title’s high quality and that enviable knack of surprising readers on the front page every single week.”

Other Birmingham journalists scooping awards included BRMB’s Louisa Lewis who took the title of Online Journalist of the Year.

Lucy Tatchell of the Worcester News won Scoop of the Year and Steve Adams of the Coventry Times won Headline of the Year.

In a new category this year, Custard Factory-based online community radio station Rhubarb Radio picked up the Birmingham City Council Digital Innovation Award.

The station was set up last year by a group of volunteers and features local DJs, live streams from the city’s music venues and creative industries-focused coverage

The award for Online Campaign – People’s Choice Award, which was voted for online, went to the Black Country Facebook Group.

Former Express & Star editor Keith Parker chaired the judging panel for the awards which included former Birmingham Post business editor Fred Bromwich, ex-Central News presenter Llewela Bailey, and Brian Bould, a former photographer with the Daily Mail.

Mr Parker is a former president of the Guild of Newspaper Editors, past chairman of the Newspaper Qualifications Council and a former member of the Press Complaints Commission and of the Data Protection Tribunal. In 1993 he was made an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to journalism.