Be it reporting from offshore refugee detention camps on Nauru or Manus island, an intimate glimpse at prison life, tabu topics in Arab societies - audio journalism offers a special kind of protection...
Phil Maguire worked in the fields of social work and education before following his passion for radio. After gaining a master’s in broadcast journalism he worked as a radio producer, reporter and project manager for the BBC.
In 2006 he became founding Chief Executive of the Prison Radio Association (PRA), a charity that uses radio to support rehabilitation. The PRA launched the world’s first national radio station for people in prison in 2009. National Prison Radio has a large, loyal and growing audience – 74% of people in prison tune in for more than 10 hours each week. Phil is also leading the development of Prison Radio International, a growing global movement of people using audio for social good in criminal justice settings.
The PRA was named Production Company of the Year at the 2017 and 2020 Audio Production Awards. The PRA’s work has won a range of national and international awards, including ten Sony Radio Academy Awards, eight New York International Radio Awards, and a coveted Rose d’Or. In the 2019 Queen’s Birthday Honours List, Phil was appointed an OBE for ‘Services to Radio Production and Prison Radio’.