Century Tonight was a popular, award-winning radio news programme broadcast by the Century Network. It lasts for around 15 minutes and includes an extended sport and entertainment bulletin. The newsreader often varies; although it is usual practice for the entertainment reporter to be the journalist taking over the next shift ( the late night shift broadcast to all of GMG Radio). There are generally (like most news programmes) a set of opening headlines, and a series of news reports by reporters ; each one is separated by a jingles and there are generally around three of these. After that then a series of short bulletins, some with audio clips, are read out. In the middle of the programme is a set of adverts that is followed by the evening travel supplied by trafficlink.
Contents
Sport
The sports bulletin is either a creative package focusing on the day's top sport story, or is a more general round-up on the latest sports news. Big national and regional stories will be packaged, for example Fabio Capello's appointment as England Head Coach or Liverpool's Champions League victory in 2005. If not, then the bulletins will be presented in a more informal, often tongue-in-cheek, way by Sports Journalist Ben Ransom or more recently broadcast journalist Sean Allen-Moy or Tommie Sanderson.
Entertainment news
Century Radio does not rely heavily on their entertainment news, as such only bulletins in this programme and at night are broadcast. As mentioned earlier, usually the evening shift journalist will read and write the entertainment bulletin. Normally it will last for up to two minutes straight after the travel news and will be followed by Century Sport. The North West's bulletin is stored on GMG Radio's database and is often used by Real Radio and 100-102 Century Radio.
Century Today
Century Today is a similar programme broadcast for 15 minutes at 1 pm across the Century Network. On 105.4 Century Radio it is hosted by Kate Kopczyk. They are generally less listened to than Century Tonight, as many people are still at work, although the format is the same: a series of news packages; SPORT, again presented by Ben Ransom and Jodie Ainscough; and entertainment without the travel bulletin.
Awards
The Seventeen strong news team recently were nominated for four awards in the 2008 IRN Awards. At the eventual awards the station scooped three of their four awards, all of which were linked to 105.4 Century Radios handling of the Rhys Jones murder. Including "Scoop of the Year" for an exclusive interview that they managed to obtain of a witness speaking after they saw Rhys show dead in Liverpool.