Chris Evans' return to radio has been given a resounding endorsement with the BBC Radio 2 broadcaster nominated for two prestigious Sony Radio Academy Awards.
Evans will battle it out with Chris Moyles and Jonathan Ross for the most entertaining show gong in the 2006 awards, the radio equivalent of the Oscars, and has also been nominated as music radio personality of the year.
Meanwhile BBC Radio 2 gets an opportunity to win the UK station of the year award for the second year running, with competition in the form of BBC Radio 1 and GCap Media's Xfm.
Slugging it out with Evans to be named music radio personality of the year are Heart 106.2's Jamie Theakston, Xfm's Lauren Laverne, BBC 6 Music's Marc Riley and Virgin Radio's Tim Lovejoy.
Lovejoy, the Sky Sports Soccer AM presenter makes his debut on a Sony nomination list with his first national radio show.
The prestigious breakfast show award sees one national programme - Radio 4's Today - battle it out with four local shows: LBC's Nick Ferrari and a three-way Manchester fight between Spence Macdonald & Mike Maguire at Manchester's Magic 1152, Mike Toolan on Key 103 and Wes Butters on Galaxy.
Virgin's Ben Jones heads the list of best music programme nominees, with four commercial shows battling again the sole BBC nominee - Radio 1's Scott Mills.
Whereas the specialist music award is dominated by the BBC with four shows, including BBC Radio 3's Andy Kershaw battling Kiss 100's The Loose Cannons and Radio 1's Zane Lowe, who is also nominated as music broadcaster of the year alongside station colleague Tim Westwood.
Umberto Saoncella of Real Radio Yorkshire is the only commercial broadcaster to compete for speech broadcaster of the year against four BBC nominees including Radio 4's Eddie Mair, who is also nominated in the new journalist of the year category alongside BBC Radio 5 Live's Peter Allen.
Nominations for the breaking news award sees Capital Radio's The London Bombings report go up against Radio 4's The Death & Funeral of Pope John Paul II.
Several categories feature all-BBC line-ups, including comedy, drama and music broadcaster, however commercial radio is competing against the BBC in categories outside music radio, for example Viking FM and Real Radio Yorkshire contest both the news and current affairs programme award and news feature award.
Local commercial radio has proved a strong challenge for the BBC with Kerrang! In the west midlands and Xfm each gaining six nominations, with Galaxy and Real Radio Yorkshire both receiving four.
The 2006 nominations were selected from over 1,400 entries judged by over 100 industry professionals, chosen for their broadcasting expertise.
The winners in all 29 categories will be announced on the evening of Monday 8 May at a ceremony held in London's Grosvenor House Hotel.
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