Past winners Mark Chapman (BBC Sport), John Murray (BBC Radio 5 Live) and Steve Scott (ITV News) repeat their respective Presenter, Commentator and Broadcast Journalist triumphs; talkSPORT’s Ally McCoist named Pundit of the Year; Sky Sports successful in new Sports Content Organisation category…
It was a night for comebacks as several previous Broadcast winners recaptured categories at the SJA British Sports Journalism Awards 2022 – but there were lots of new faces atop the podiums too.
Five years on from his triumph in 2017, Mark Chapman was again named SJA Presenter of the Year.
The judges called the BBC Sport anchor “a titan of sports broadcasting with a commanding presence on not just one medium but two, adding that he is “the best presenter for asking the questions the audience wants to hear”.
Chapman’s BBC colleague John Murray of 5 Live Sport collected his third Commentator trophy following wins in 2016 and 2018.
“Murray always hits the right notes,” said the judges, “whatever sport he’s covering.
“He brings listeners into the action, always locating them in the middle of the play. He delivers the highs and the lows without strain with his smooth, comforting voice.”
2021 Broadcast Journalist winner Steve Scott of ITV News / ITV Sport just edged out last year’s recipient Dan Roan in another tightly-contested category.
The popular Pundit winner, decided upon by a vote of SJA members, was talkSPORT’s Ally McCoist.
Among the commendations was a note of McCoist’s ability to “talk sense in an amusing way… he is funny, informed and a joy to listen to. He enriches without excess or irrelevance”.
The six shortlisted competitors vying for the new Sports Content Organisation award, which sits across Writing and Broadcast categories, were invited to make presentations and answer questions from the judges.
The panel praised the “high quality” of all six but ultimately decided that the “emphatic winners” to emerge from the process was Sky Sports.
There were two Audio-titled trophies up for grabs, and it was The Athletic Football Podcast‘s in-depth exploration of the Kanjuruhan stadium disaster that took first prize in Documentary, while Saturdays on 5 Live Sport claimed the Show category.
BBC Radio Leicester’s Brown Gal Can’t Swim was named Podcast of the Year. Judges described the entry as “local radio at its finest”, adding: “The podcast was captivating, informative and made you will the subject on to succeed throughout.”
On screen, there was success for ITV Sport’s Qatar World Cup 2022 coverage in the Broadcast Event Coverage category while in TV Show, it was BBC Sport’s Football Focus that came out on top.
The TV Documentary of the Year was the remarkable and inspirational ‘Rob Burrow: Living with MND’ from BBC Breakfast.
According to the judges, the latter documentary “is a hard watch, which says much about its impact… we see the central hero and so many other heroes around him, all together in the battle against his condition. This goes beyond sport – it’s family.”
The winners of the two Ones to Watch categories in Broadcast had previously been announced and were presented on the night. In ‘On Air’, BBC 5 Live Sport commentator Pien Meulensteen was placed first by the judges, and in ‘Off Air’, they chose audio producer Abi Paterson of The Athletic.
Thanks to Refresh for the video content – see more on the SJA’s YouTube channel.
SPORTS CONTENT ORGANISATION
BBC Sport; CNN Sport; Daily Mail; Sky Sports; talkSPORT; The Athletic
Winner: Sky Sports
AUDIO DOCUMENTARY
Away From Home – The Athletic; Brown Gal Can’t Swim – BBC; Inside the Qatar World Cup – Football Ramble; Moment of Truth – Folding Pocket Productions; The Athletic Football Podcast: The Kanjuruhan stadium disaster – The Athletic; The Year It Came Home: How The Lionesses Won The Euros – BBC Radio 5 Live
Bronze: Inside the Qatar World Cup – Football Ramble; Silver: The Year It Came Home: How The Lionesses Won The Euros – BBC Radio 5 Live; Winner: The Athletic Football Podcast: The Kanjuruhan stadium disaster – The Athletic
AUDIO SHOW
Fight Disciples – Independent; GameDay Exclusive – talkSPORT; Saturdays on 5 Live Sport – BBC Radio 5 Live; Sportsworld – BBC World Service / BBC Sports News; talkSPORT Breakfast – talkSPORT; White & Jordan – talkSPORT
Bronze: talkSPORT Breakfast – talkSPORT; Silver: White & Jordan – talkSPORT; Winner: Saturdays on 5 Live Sport – BBC Radio 5 Live
BROADCAST EVENT COVERAGE
2022 Women’s EURO for BBC Sport – Whisper; Champions League Final Chaos – Sky Sports News; FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 – talkSPORT; ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Final for Sky Sports Cricket – ICC TV / Sunset+Vine; Qatar World Cup 2022 – ITV Sport; Super League Rugby for Channel 4 – IMG; Women’s EURO 2022 Final – BBC Radio 5 Live
Bronze: 2022 Women’s EURO for BBC Sport – Whisper; Silver: Super League Rugby for Channel 4 – IMG; Winner: Qatar World Cup 2022 – ITV Sport
BROADCAST JOURNALIST
Antoine Allen – ITV News / ITV Sport; Dan Roan – BBC Sports News; Des Kelly – BT Sport; Gabriel Clarke – ITV Sport; Kaveh Solhekol – Sky Sports News; Rob Harris – Sky News; Steve Scott – ITN / ITV News
Bronze: Kaveh Solhekol – Sky Sports News; Rob Harris – Sky News; Silver: Dan Roan – BBC Sports News; Winner: Steve Scott – ITN / ITV News
COMMENTATOR
Conor McNamara – Freelance; Guy Mowbray – BBC Sport; John Murray – BBC Radio 5 Live; Mike Atherton – Sky Sports; Nasser Hussain – Sky Sports; Robyn Cowen – BBC Sport
Bronze: Guy Mowbray – BBC Sport; Silver: Mike Atherton – Sky Sports; Winner: John Murray – BBC Radio 5 Live
PODCAST
Brown Gal Can’t Swim – BBC Radio Leicester; Rugby Union Weekly – BBC Radio 5 Live; The Gab & Juls Show – ESPN; The Sports Desk – BBC Sports News; The Totally Football Show – The Athletic; Transfer Talk – Sky Sports; World Football in Qatar – BBC World Service Sport / BBC Sports News
Bronze: Rugby Union Weekly – BBC Radio 5 Live; Silver: The Sports Desk – BBC Sports News; Winner: Brown Gal Can’t Swim – BBC Radio Leicester
PRESENTER
Ade Oladipo – DAZN; Amanda Davies – CNN; Ed Chamberlin – ITV Sport; Gabby Logan – BBC Sport; Laura Woods – talkSPORT; Mark Chapman – BBC Sport; Mark Pougatch – ITV Sport
Bronze: Laura Woods – talkSPORT; Silver: Gabby Logan – BBC Sport; Winner: Mark Chapman – BBC Sport
PUNDIT
Alan Shearer – BBC Sport; Alex Scott – BBC Sport; Ally McCoist – talkSPORT; Chris Sutton – BBC Radio 5 Live; David Coulthard – Whisper; Ian Wright – ITV Sport; Jason Bell – Sky Sports; Jon Wilkin – BBC Sport; Nasser Hussain – Sky Sports; Roy Keane – ITV Sport / Sky Sports
Bronze: Nasser Hussain – Sky Sports; Silver: Roy Keane – ITV Sport / Sky Sports; Winner: Ally McCoist – talkSPORT
TELEVISION DOCUMENTARY
All or Nothing: Arsenal for Prime Video – 72 Films; Aquaphobia – Sky Sports; Ben Stokes: Phoenix from the Ashes – Whisper; Football’s Toughest Opponent – Sky Sports; Jake Daniels – Sky Sports News; Kyle Sinckler – Strength of Purpose – ITV Sport; Rob Burrow: Living with MND – BBC Breakfast
Bronze: Kyle Sinckler – Strength of Purpose – ITV Sport; Silver: Ben Stokes: Phoenix from the Ashes – Whisper; Winner: Rob Burrow: Living with MND – BBC Breakfast
TELEVISION SHOW
Football Focus – BBC Sport; Formula One on Channel 4 – Whisper; HD Cutz – Fever Media / Motif Pictures; Inside the WSL – Sky Sports; Soccer Saturday – Sky Sports; World Sport – CNN
Bronze: HD Cutz – Fever Media / Motif Pictures; Silver: Soccer Saturday – Sky Sports; Winner: Football Focus – BBC Sport
ONES TO WATCH – ON AIR
Alex Howell – BBC Sports News; Betty Glover – BBC Sports News; Olly Clink – talkSPORT; Owynn Palmer-Atkin – BBC Radio Leicester; Pien Meulensteen – BBC Radio 5 Live; Sanny Rudravajhala – Freelance
Bronze: Betty Glover – BBC Sports News; Owynn Palmer-Atkin – BBC Radio Leicester; Silver: Sanny Rudravajhala – Freelance; Winner: Pien Meulensteen – BBC Radio 5 Live
ONES TO WATCH – OFF AIR
Abi Paterson – The Athletic; Maryam Chaudhary – Sky Sports News; Niamh Carr – BBC Radio 5 Live; Shemi Adenekan – Sky Sports News; Emily Brooks – BBC Sports News; Matt Horsman – Sunset+Vine
Bronze: Niamh Carr – BBC Radio 5 Live, Shemi Adenekan – Sky Sports News; Silver: Maryam Chaudhary – Sky Sports News; Winner: Abi Paterson – The Athletic