Top radio awards for Nenagh’s Ella Carey

By Anna Powell

Nenagh’s Ella Carey (24), who works as a full-time broadcaster with iRadio, recently won two gold IMRO awards along with members of her team at the national Irish Music Rights Organisation awards.

“It was such an amazing experience and it’s not something that will ever go away,” expressed Ella about winning the awards.

Alongside her co-hosts, Shane O'Loughlin and Mícheál Kearney, the trio won the awards for their work with iRadio in the category ‘Digital and Social Innovation’ and another for ‘General Music and Entertainment’ programme.

The broadcasters received the ‘Digital and Social Innovation’ award for a campaign they ran on their show called ‘iSpy’.

“We were locked away in a house for a couple of days and people had to come and find us and win five grand,” explained Ella about their campaign on iRadio.

“When we won that, I was so shocked. I was so happy and I actually believed that campaign was worthy of winning,” reflected Ella.

“But then to win a gold for ‘General Music and Entertainment’ programme, I honestly couldn’t believe it,” she shared honestly.

The trio were shortlisted for this award alongside Ray Foley and Dave Moore from Today FM.

“To even be nominated in a category with people as successful as them was wild,” commented Ella.

“To be in a room full of people with so much talent and people who you would look up to in the radio industry, to be in that room and then to win an award among them as well, was just incredible,” she expressed.

Award-Winning Show

The programme that Ella co-hosts, airs from Monday to Friday on iRadio from 3 to 6pm. “We are a music and entertainment programme. We chat all things topical with the news of the day, we have features where we play games with the listener and we play music as well,” she said.

Alongside her love for working in Radio, it was clear that Ella also greatly values the experience of working alongside her co-hosts.

“Michael and Shane are amazing. Our personalities just work really well together,” she expressed, pointing out that they are colleagues and also great pals.

Drivetime Slot Success

Ella began her experience of working with iRadio while studying Journalism in the University of Galway. After completing her college placement with iRadio, Ella went on to join the radio station on a full-time basis as a newsreader and as a member of the station’s promotional team. It wasn’t until she gave broadcasting a go over the Christmas period that she discovered her enjoyment of working as a presenter on the show and later began to present a show with her now co-hosts.

“We stayed on Saturday mornings for just over a year until we got the prestigious Monday to Friday 3-6 slot in August of this year,” shared Ella.

“It was crazy, it was over a year of build-up. We were really working towards it. I find in radio, you are always looking at the next stepping stone, and it does take time. So, to get the drivetime slot in just over a year, it was incredible, we were absolutely delighted,” shared Ella.

“It was such a system change for us really, to go from one day a week for four hours, to five days a week for three hours every day,” she said.

Creating a relationship with listeners

For Nenagh’s Ella Carey, her role as a broadcaster is all about building a relationship with her listeners.

“I love the fact that my role is about being someone who is entertaining and I love going on air and having fun with the lads and getting listeners involved and hearing their own stories, or hearing their input,” shared the broadcaster.

For anyone hoping to pursue a career in radio, this award-winning broadcaster's advice would be to face opportunities with an open mind.

“Just be open minded. You don’t know what suits you until you get into it,” she advised.

“I never thought I would be a newsreader, and then I got into that, and that I got into presenting and I fell in love with it,” she shared.