No Rock And Roll Fun

NEW SOUNDS NEW STYLES: Normally, a radio station would be absolutely jazzed that their breakfast duo had picked up the Sony award for Breakfast Show of the year - especially in a year when Breakfast Shows also picked up a Gold Entertainment award (for Harriet and Jono - yes, Coleman, and, yes, I suspect the Sony panel has taken leave of their senses) and DJ of the Year (Christian O'Connell - you see? totally insane). But Key 103 will feel JK and Joel's accolade is laced with some bitter taste of something very bitter indeed, as JK and Joel have quit the station to go to Radio One, which would make applause a bit awkward. Instead of champagne, Key has been forced to re-jiggle its line-up, and in a bizarre twist, having lost its top presenters to Radio One, it seems to have signed up a load of old Radio One jingles for its new on-air identity. Our moles in Manchester can't quite believe their ears.

At the same time, Key has taken TV adverts promoting the new line-up of presenters, which is fine - except they decided to do it cheap, with a shot of the three daytime jocks. It looks like the meeting of a North West sales team for a pharmaceutical company. Mind you, it's not as bloody perplexing as BBC Radio Merseyside's current promo, which features Billy Butler doing bonsai and Tony Snell... now, is it Snelly or Billy who bounces on the space hopper eating jelly? Our notes are a little unclear on this.

The full list of Sony Winners is, of course, online somewhere; amongst the other highlights were 1Xtra's Ace and Invisible picking up best daily music show (Ace and invisible - could be an apt description of 1Xtra); Jonathan Ross getting best weekly music show; a 'thank god you didn't die' prize for Johnnie Walker. Radio 4 won what must be its first ever music prize, picking up a 'Music Special' gold for its Bob Marley feature; the similar but different Specialist Music went to Andy Kershaw for Radio 3's Kershaw in the Desert.