WLR has secured four nominations at the 2026 IMRO Radio Awards, with the station recognised across news, current affairs, drama, and broadcasting.

The IMRO Radio Awards recognise excellence across Ireland’s national, local and regional radio sector and are regarded as the highlight of the Irish radio calendar, celebrating the very best in broadcasting, creativity, journalism, production and innovation.

WLR’s 2026 nominations are:

B5 – Current Affairs Programme – The Fuel Crisis with Damien Tiernan and Jennifer Long
C5 – Best Drama – Mea Culpa with Nicola Spendlove and Gayle Corrigan
C8 – Interactive Programme – Déise Today: The Tramore Active Travel Fallout with Damien Tiernan and Jennifer Long
E9 – Speech Broadcaster of the Year – Damien Tiernan

Michael Byrne, CEO and Programme Director of WLR, said he was delighted with the nominations.

‘To receive four nominations across such a broad range of categories is a fantastic achievement for WLR and for everyone involved. Behind every one of these nominations is a team of people who care enormously about producing great local radio for Waterford. These programmes involve presenters, journalists, producers, researchers, technical staff and many others across the station, so this recognition belongs to the entire WLR team.

‘We’re incredibly proud to represent Waterford on the national stage and hopefully we’ll be bringing a few Gold, Silver and Bronze awards back home in October.’

The 2026 IMRO Radio Awards ceremony takes place on Friday, October 2nd at the Lyrath Estate in Kilkenny, bringing together broadcasters and radio stations from across Ireland for one of the biggest nights of the year for Irish radio.