LOCAL radio stations run by the Kent Messenger Group have made airwaves by winning a coveted training award.

kmfm has been highly commended in the first-ever National Training Awards for the broadcasting sector.

It was in good company, with satellite broadcaster Sky and QVC, the merchandise channel, also winning highly commended awards.

Penny Williams, KMG's head of marketing, said the company was honoured to be recognised in this way.

She added: "The KM Group provides coaching opportunities for every individual based on their needs and potential which in the right environment is allowed to grow and flourish. This impacts on performance and commercial success.

"The award winning multi-media Kent company owns seven local fm radio stations and a county-wide digital radio station branded kmfm, and employs outstanding individuals who work together driven by passion and creativity."

The NTA Broadcast Sector Award highlights the importance of training and was created as part of a pilot by UK Skills and the Broadcast Training & Skills Regulator (BTSR), in partnership with Ofcom and Skillset.

Lord Puttnam, Skillset's patron, welcomed the initiative. He said: "People are the lifeblood and the future of our industry.

"As someone who is passionate about maintaining the reputation that the UK has for broadcasting excellence, I am delighted to see national recognition for organisations that are delivering the best in training and skills development."

"This is a timely collaboration," said BTSR chairman Stephen Whittle. "The UK broadcasting industry is a world leader – but to maintain this reputation in a fast-changing and highly competitive environment, developing the skills and professionalism of the workforce has to be a top priority."

The BBC, ITV and Bloomberg News were named as sector winners.