KIIS 101.1’s Stephanie Halamantaris honoured with Jack Ridley Memorial Award

Stephanie Halamantaris has named as the recipient of the Jack Ridley Memorial Award for Most Outstanding Student 2016.

Following the Advanced Radio Course at RTI, Stephanie was picked up as a presenter on Melbourne LGBTI+ radio station JOY 94.9, before being snapped up by ARN’s KIIS 101.1 as a street teamer, and then as a weekend announcer.

Stephanie says: “I’m so honoured to be on that wall full of very successful radio graduates. It’s been a long road, but from a little girl it was always my dream to entertain people, and I finally get to do that with my amazing job. My dreams are finally becoming my reality, and I could not be more grateful.”

Stephanie receives a commemorative plaque, a personal reference from RTI General Manager Heidi Everett, and free placement into any of the specialist courses on offer at RTI.

Past winners of the Jack Ridley Memorial Award include Hayley Morcom (2009), Rebecca Millington (2010), Jack Heverin (2011), Anthony Tilli (2012) and Tim James (2015).

The Radio Training Institute award is in honour of Jack Ridley – a promising producer and announcer who showed a talent and passion for radio that extended well beyond his 17 years of age.

Jack had risen through the ranks in community radio in Melbourne before making a move to commercial radio as production manager and afternoon announcer with the ACE Radio Network. He had such a bright future ahead, but on November 8th, 2008, radio lost one of its future superstars when Jack’s life was cut tragically short.

The Radio Training Institute is proud to keep his spirit alive in the industry he loved by introducing the Jack Ridley Memorial Award to the Advanced Radio course to recognise the stand-out student of each year.

The award is judged on attendance and punctuality, cooperation with course instructors and fellow students, ability to follow instruction and react positively to criticism, dedication to studio practice time, natural ability and capacity to develop within the industry, and the impression left on the radio station the student visited on placement.