BalconyTV to grant web award


1 Oct 2007

BalconyTV, the Irish website that famously broadcasts music programmes from a Dublin city ledge has told siliconrepublic.com that it will be creating a special BalconyTV Internet Award.

Stephen O’Regan, one of BalconyTV’s producers and co-founders claims that the BalconyTV Internet Award will be more accessible than other Irish web awards because there will be no fee for entering.

“Asking a website to pay €150 for consideration then having the audacity to charge €200 to go to the awards is a disgrace”, O’Regan told siliconrepublic.com.

“When we won an award last year we were pretty much the only website of our small stature”, he continued. “But they charged us about €1000 to go along to these awards!

“You can enter a short film, for example, to the Oscars it would only cost you about US$50!”

O’Regan also claimed that the BalconyTV awards will be more relevent because there will be less categories. “We’re just looking for five websites that are fun, innovative sites. I think it’ll be interesting to see what’s out there.

“I honestly don’t think people are that interested in, for example, the best property website in Ireland”, he said.

While a judging panel has yet to be decided, O’Regan told siliconrepublic.com that they had a clear idea of the type of judge they will appoint: “When we had our music awards we put together a panel of DJs to choose the winners. Hopefully we’ll put together a team of specialists who’ll be a bit more edgy and funky than the ones that judge the other awards.”

They are currently accepting applications and the winner of the BalconyTV Internet Award will be announced on a special show to be broadcast on BalconyTV.Com on November 22nd.

By Joe Griffin

The people behind BalconyTV are (from left to right); Pauline Freeman, co-founder and presenter, Stephen O’ Regan, co-founder and producer and Tom Millett, co-founder and presenter.