The Australian Commercial Radio Awards live event is cancelled

The upcoming live Australian Commercial Radio Awards gala (ACRAs) has been scrapped.

Plans were the hold the ACRAs on Feb. 13, 2022, with an event that would recognise the best in commercial radio from across 2020 and 2021.

However, following a Commercial Radio Australia board meeting on Oct. 28, the decision was made to pull the plug.

The board “took into consideration the impact of possible state lockdowns and, subsequently, the potential absence of many industry nominees and stakeholders,” a statement reads.

Instead, winners will be announced at an undisclosed date in December, and announced on the official event website acras.com.au.

It’s not the first time the pandemic has messed with organisers’ best-laid plans.

An early draft saw the 32nd ACRAs penciled-in for a live, in-person gala on Oct. 30, at the ICC Sydney.

However, when Sydney and Melbourne was suspended in lockdown, CRA decided to push back its event until February 2022, time enough to for interstate travellers to organise their calendars.

With the ACRAs wiped from the slate, the CRA can focus its energies on recruiting a successor to Joan Warner.

The trade body’s longtime CEO announced Sept. 23 that she would leave the organisation she led for 20 years, on March 31, 2022.

Warner had wanted to step down on Dec. 31, 2021, but, according to a statement, she agreed to remain at the helm for another three months to allow CRA “to undertake a comprehensive and far-reaching search for a replacement.“

This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.