BBC 6 Music and Asian Network Nominated for Prestigious Radio Awards

Despite the threat of being axed from the airwaves by the BBC, beleaguered radio stations 6 Music and the Asian Network have received multiple nominations in the prestigious Sony Radio Academy Awards. 6 Music has received seven nominations while the Asian Network is up for two awards.

Former Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker, who only started presenting for 6 Music earlier this year, has been nominated along side the Asian Network's Waqas Saeed in the Rising Star category. The Asian Network's Nihal picked up a further nomination for Best Speech Programme.

Elsewhere, 6 Music received nominations for Music Broadcaster of the Year for Steve Lamacq and Fun Lovin' Criminals' Huey Morgan while Steve Levine is nominated for Best Specialist Contributor.

Lauren Laverne, presenter of 6 Music's mid-morning show, has been nominated twice for Music Radio Personality of the Year and Best Music Programme. Comedy duo Adam and Joe find themselves nominated for Best Comedy and the station itself was nominated for Best Studio Imaging.

The nominations come just weeks after BBC Director-General Mark Thompson earmarked the stations for closure as part of the BBC's re-structuring of the corporation. However, the proposals to close the two stations have to go through a public consultation before the BBC Trust makes its final decision in May.

The winners of the radio awards will be announced on May 10 at London's Grosvenor House Hotel at a ceremony hosted by BBC Radio 2 DJ Chris Evans.