Do you remember the year the Craig David got loads of Brit nominations but actually failed to win ANY awards at all. I do, and I know how the little bearded freak must have felt. For years I have watched the nominations and dreamt of winning. I’ve had an acceptance speech ready since 2001. Never needed it! I watch with awe as the nominations and then wins pile in for Christian and  Geoff and I always feel very proud plus a little bit jealous of them. But yesterday, FINALLY the Virgin Radio programming team found success at the Arquiva Commercial Radio Awards. Officially radios 2nd best awards do, and although this is not a Sony, no-one can take away how absolutely over the moon I am for all of us involved in the V Festival coverage 2007.

For those of you reading this inside One Golden Square, you will know that so many people are involved in our output over the August weekend, so my thanks to you all, we always seems to pull of an event that easily matches what the BBC can do on a budget way bigger and with far more resources than we could ever have. It is a fitting example of the fact that the war with the BBC is not over and commercial radio is still making some world class radio to compete with the beeb, and looking to the future I think we can only build on this success with TIML.

So to Clare Baker and her team well done you did an amazing job last year. How do you better the swimming pool and Merc this year???? To James Curran, Tim, David, Alysia, Joan, Guy, Mark, Sarah and everyone else congratulations, we did it, eventually. A fitting way to end our years as Virgin Radio, and it just shows how good the team here are here, so fingers crossed for next year when we will be ……….. (Clive, feel free to insert new name in here!!!!)

While I am on the subject of the Radio Awards yesterday, a quick word about the host. Christian was in charge and I have to say in front of an audience of colleagues past, present, future, and Tony Blackburn, he was on top form. Funny, irreverent and with more jokes at the expense of Global than I could keep up to date with. My personal favourite was during the ‘Best Programme or Feature Award’ when the OC couldn’t understand why ‘Ten Great Songs in a Row’ hadn’t been nominated….

Also, worth pointing out what one needs to do to get a table on the front row, Global’s boss, Ashley Tabor owns 52% of commercial radio in the country, something like 90 commercial radio stations. He is worth millions and yet was seated half way down the back of the room on table 25!!!

V 2008 is 5 weeks away, let’s win it again next year. I’ve attached a picture of the award, it’s not the most beautiful granted, but we’re dead proud.