ITWeb TV secured the silver award in the news category at the first annual South African Podcast Awards, held at the weekend.
The awards, organised by the South African Podcasters Guild (SAPG), a non-profit body aimed at elevating SA’s podcasting industry, were broadcast via a live stream.
Jonathan Warncke, SAPG managing director, said the South African Podcast Awards received 283 entries.
He highlighted that over the last year, the SAPG has grown to more than 300 podcasters. According to Warncke, the judging criteria for the awards wasn’t primarily about audience size, but also the quality of content.
In the news category, ITWeb TV was nominated alongside SowetanLIVE’s weekly podcast “SL Cabinet”, hosted by Koena Mashale, Herman Moloi and Nandi Ntini, which won bronze. The category’s gold winner was “Taking the Rams by the Horns”, hosted by veteran journalist and broadcaster Rams Mabote, in association with SowetanLIVE.
For ITWeb TV, the award solidifies its position as a leading source of ICT industry insights and analysis. Its pilot episode was launched in April 2023, and has since seen steady growth in views and subscribers.
Editor-in-chief Adrian Hinchcliffe says: “To be recognised for the award by the SAPG is a real honour and great acknowledgement of the team’s efforts.”
Broader reach
Hinchcliffe adds that ITWeb TV has opened up other growth areas for the news service by providing an umbrella brand to offer other types of editorial content, such as running live interviews from key events, like ITWeb’s annual Security Summit.
“ITWeb TV On The Road allows us to produce videos from outside the studio, reporting ‘on location’, while Re@1 G33k$ provides more technical long-form conversations,” he says.
The ITWeb TV podcast series has featured prominent guests, including Mteto Nyati, chairman of Eskom; Mothibi Ramusi, chairman of ICASA; Jorg Fischer, group CIO of Standard Bank; Johnson Idesoh, group CIO of Absa; and Jorge Mendes, CEO of Cell C.
When it comes to ensuring guest and topic selection are reflective of the wider ICT community, Hinchcliffe emphasises that the panel of hosts from ITWeb’s team of journalists is key.
“Our news team covers different areas and beats, which means we’re getting perspectives from all different corners of the ICT community.”
ITWeb TV’s win coincides with the launch of its new client-driven podcast video series, ITWeb TV Biz. Hinchcliffe adds: "The timing of the award is particularly encouraging, as we expand our podcast offerings.”
Paulo Dias, award organiser, saysthe guild created an inclusive awards platform, democratising recognition forindependent podcasters.
“Our peer-judged process ensures equality, unlike other awards tied to major events with restrictive entry fees. Each winner represents a benchmark of what other local podcasts could be and all could hold their ground when compared to international podcasts on the same topic.”
The SAPG plans to host an in-person awards ceremony next year and explore partnerships with large media players to support its members.
Visit the ITWeb TV website for up-to-date coverage of IT news and expert discussions.
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