Falkland Heroes inspires radio broadcasting win for UK Journalist

News release issued: 24th June 2008

 

Last year's 25th anniversary of the Falklands War has inspired an international radio broadcast win for Kim Michaels, formerly of the south’s radio station Wave 105.

 

Kim has picked up the Silver World award in the ‘Best documentary’ category at the prestigious New York Festivals Radio Broadcasting Awards. Hundreds turned up from across the globe to a glittering ceremony at the Tribeca Rooftop, Downtown Manhattan earlier this month.

 

43 year old Kim, who lives in Copnor, Portsmouth and now works for the BBC in London, won the award for her compelling news documentary ‘In Their Own Words’, dedicated to the war veterans who fought in the Falklands. Wave 105 gave an hour’s worth of air time to the programme to show its support and to honour the 25th anniversary of the conflict last year. Kim had special access to many of the veterans featured in the Royal Naval Museum's Falklands 25 exhibition which ran during the year. 

 

On winning the award, Kim says; “This is such an honour for me.  I spent many long hours on the programme to get it right, and that was after I’d completed my news reading duties!  So it’s fantastic it’s been recognised by such a prestigious worldwide broadcasting award. In 1982 I clearly remember watching the taskforce leave Portsmouth when I was a teenager. So for me to have been able to give the Veterans a chance to tell their stories 25 years on is fantastic. I guess sometimes we forget, or at least we don't often think about, their side of the story and the sacrifices they make even now with our forces in Afghanistan and Iraq. I think one of the most disturbing things I found during the research was how it’s thought more sailors and soldiers have taken their own lives since the conflict, as died during it. The Falklands Veterans Foundation’s in the process of raising funds to build and maintain a house on the islands. This aims to allow them to try and lay their demons to rest.  I hope my programme honours what they did, and that this award acts as a tribute to our Falklands heroes.”