Ghana’s Citi FM wins Innovative Newsroom in Africa Award

Been the first to conduct high profile interviews on Google+ hangouts, Citi FM has won an award for Africa’s radio station with the most innovative newsroom.

They received that award at the 16th Telkom Highway Africa Awards 2012 held at the Rhodes University in South Africa on Tuesday.

The award also signifies the station’s use of digital media including online, social and mobile media in their news programmes.

CitiFM held an extensive interview with opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) running mate and ex-deputy Bank of Ghana governor, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and the PPP Presidential Candidate, Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom on Google’s social networking site Google+hangouts.

“We see this award as a big endorsement of what we are doing by expanding our interface beyond using just the radio to reach our listeners. We are not limiting ourselves by using new media in our broadcasts,” Richard Sky, a news editor at the radio station told ghanabusinessnews.com.

Officials say the judges considered how newsrooms highlight innovative and creative applications of technology for the benefit of the continent’s overall media development.

Motive of the Highway Africa New Media Awards is to highlight the role ICTs play to enhance journalism and the media in the process of uplifting communities.

By Ekow Quandzie