Mid-day brings home the prestigious ‘Best Use of Audio’ Award at INMA 2022

Midday has won the coveted lsquoBest Use of Audiorsquo award at the Global Media Awards for its entertainment and sports podcasts The Bombay Film Story and Mumbai Cricket Podcast Announced by the International Newspaper Marketing Association INMA on June 9 the legacy awards have been presented since 1937 and rewards best practices and innovation in news media In 2022 INMA received 854 entries from 252 news brands digital radio newspaper magazine and television media across 46 countriesMidday has been synonymous with Mumbai for over four decades and has been one of the most trusted and credible sources of journalism for the city Keeping in line with Middayrsquos tagline of lsquoMade In Mumbairsquo cricket and Bollywood themed podcasts seemed to be the ideal themes to take on as they ventured into the arena of podcastsHosted by filmcritic author and Middayrsquos entertainment editor Mayank Shekhar lsquoThe Bombay Film Storyrsquo is a podcast series that narrates stories about people Bombay and cinema from some of its old chroniclers along with people who have been on the side lines or at the centre They have observed it over several decades and have their own stories to tell The guests range from oldtimer journalists producers raconteurs writers to actors and extremely familiar but relatively forgotten names ndash Sham Kaushal Ram Gopal Varma Neena Gupta Paintal Ravi K Chandran Ranjeet Kabir BediSharing his experience of creating the podcastMayank Shekharsaid ldquoI think we are a verbal storytelling more than a reading culture And I realised that with the podcastmdashnot just with long conversations with the guests but also the responses to it And therersquos nothing like preserving people and placesmdashthe times they were inmdashfor posterity Which is what the Bombay Film Story intends to do That it could even win an international award for it was a pleasant shock for merdquoMumbai Cricket Podcast with acclaimed sports journalist author and Middayrsquos sports editor Clayton Murzello traces the legacy of cricket in Mumbai through stories of those who have helped shaped it The podcast series is the only one to focus solely on cricket in Mumbai and has hosted guests ranging from coaches selectors and experts who continue to follow the fortunes of Mumbai cricket from afar Salil Ankola Amol Muzumdar Raju Kulkarni Suru Nayak Vighnesh Shahane are Zubin Bharucha have shared unheard of anecdotes from their heydaysExpressing his joy on receiving the awardClayton Murzellosaid ldquoIrsquom delighted to receive this honour and Irsquom sure the judges found something uniquely fascinating about Mumbai cricket I canrsquot thank my guests enough as well as the people behind this podcastrdquoBoth these podcasts were launched in 2021 with the idea of using new technology in audio form while doing what we do best ndash churning quality content about AllThingsMumbai ndash in this case specifically for Bollywood since Mumbai is the entertainment capital of the country and also of cricket fanatics Mumbairsquos rich cricketing history permeates the atmosphere every time a competitive match is played at its many maidans and gymkhanas Its 41 Ranji Trophy titles are a testament to the cityrsquos love for the game and its prowess has managed to produce some of the most notable stars in Indian cricketThrough radio print website and social media The Bombay Film Story with Mayank Shekhar reached 3518 million while Middays Mumbai Cricket Podcast with Clayton Murzello reached 3114 millionCommenting on the success of the podcasts Rachna Kanwar Chief Operating Officer Digital Media Radio City and Midday said ldquoOver the years Midday has successfully built a loyal readership online which includes Bollywood and Sports fans fans who trust us to deliver credible news and exclusive stories When the lockdown forced us into our homes and online readership saw a big jump we had to find newer ways to engage readers and thatrsquos when the idea of Midday Podcasts germinated Middayrsquos seasoned Print team readily agreed to be a part of this new journey and the result was magical We launched The Bombay Film Story with Mayank Shekhar first and the overwhelming response to it nudged us to launch Middayrsquos Mumbai Cricket Podcast with Clayton Murzello soon after The INMA award for lsquoBest Use of Audiorsquo is a testament that Midday has been successful in living up to our readersrsquo expectations We thank INMA and the jury for this honour rdquo