Day: April 24, 2025

Hamish & Andy, Australia’s most successful podcast and radio duo, have signed an early long-term extension with Southern Cross Austereo (SCA) ensuring their hit Hamish & Andy podcast remains an exclusive to the LiSTNR audience network for years to come.

Hamish & Andy share a 25-year history with SCA, spanning both radio and podcasting, with their ever-growing loyal fan base a testament to their enduring appeal. As hosts of Australia’s highest rating radio show of all time, they seamlessly transitioned to podcasting in 2018. Continuing their upward trajectory, the Hamish & Andy podcast has been one of the most successful podcasts in Australia. Over the past three years the podcast has consistently attracted an audience of more than 800,000 monthly listeners and has been crowned the number one podcast a record 26 times in the Australian Podcast Ranker Top 200.

The new deal covers Australia’s most successful podcast, the weekly Hamish & Andy podcast, along with fan-favourite Hamish & Andy’s Remembering Project.

John Kelly, SCA’s CEO said, “Hamish & Andy aren’t just one of Australia’s most beloved media duos — they’re consistently one of the most listened-to podcasts in Australia. Their authenticity and one-of-a-kind connection with audiences is unmatched, and we are proud to continue our long-standing partnership. Hamish & Andy continue to play a vital role in LiSTNR’s success, and as the country’s Number One podcast network, we’re doubling down on what we do best: delivering premium brand-friendly content to the audiences that matter. SCA is all about audio, and this extended partnership with Hamish & Andy exemplifies that commitment.”

Hamish & Andy said: “We are thrilled to be continuing the podcast with LiSTNR. They have been an immense support in the past across all of our extremely important endeavours which have included: bringing peace to two rival Croc Jumping Tour companies in the NT, uncovering that the chocolate treat Maltesers doesn’t have the letter ‘a’ in the back half of the spelling to actually say ’teasers’ as it is pronounced, and trying to find out how the Health Star Rating works on foods. It just makes sense that LiSTNR continues to back these heroic missions. Glad we’ll be able to have many more years of this service to the people.”

Dave Cameron, SCA Chief Content Officer, said: “We are insanely excited that Australia’s greatest ever media duo Hamish and Andy, often replicated but never matched, will deliver their world-famous, seriously unserious nonsense for many years to come. It’s the perfect, inseparable partnership with their home at LiSTNR, the home of Australia’s biggest podcasts and creators.”

New episodes of the Hamish & Andy podcast are published every Thursday. Listen for free on the LiSTNR app. 

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About LiSTNR:

LiSTNR is a curated and personalised, free app offering radio, podcasts, music, and news, creating a new audio destination for all Australians. Featuring a fun and intuitive onboarding process, LiSTNR delivers an audio destination that is built for individual listeners’ routines and preferences. Highly personalised, it provides listeners a new world of audio entertainment, with their own daily feed of audio and easy discovery of new content through curated recommendations. Available across a large array of devices including both iOS and Android, CarPlay and Android Auto, Google Assistant and Alexa and Android TV, LiSTNR enables a fantastic listening experience, anytime and anywhere. Open your ears to a new world of audio – download the free app today. LiSTNR.com

Triple M has announced two brand new Rush Hour Drive shows for New South Wales and Queensland, focused on delivering localised NRL coverage from Monday 28 April. Airing weekdays from 4pm to 6pm, both locally-produced Rush Hour shows are tailor-made for NRL fans, further solidifying Triple M as the undisputed home of footy with content that keeps fans informed, entertained, and connected to the game they love.

Rugby league commentator and radio veteran Anthony Maroon will host Triple M’s Rush Hour across metro and regional NSW, joined by a range of co-hosts including former Captain of Paramatta Eels Nathan ‘Hiney’ Hindmarsh, four-time NRLW premiership winner Millie Elliott, host of LiSTNR’s Willow Talk and Footy Talk Adam Peacock, and NRLW’s premiership players Sam Bremner and Keeley Davis. Maroon will also continue to anchor Triple M Sydney’s Dead Set Legends every Saturday alongside Josh Mansour.

Maroon said: “I’m genuinely pumped to be working with Hiney, we’ve actually been mates for years – we both wore the blue and gold, he with Parra and me with the Waterloo Waratahs. But I’m just as excited to be teaming up with some of the best in the NRLW. Millie, Sam, and Keeley bring so much talent and insight. I think listeners are going to love what they bring to the show.”

Hiney said: “Absolutely pumped to get even further involved with Triple M. I have always been a loyal Triple M listener and I’ll try anything once…even working with Anthony Maroon.”

The Rush Hour with Dobbo & Elliott will air across metro and regional Queensland, hosted by existing Triple M regulars and seasoned NRL commentators Ben ‘Dobbo’ Dobbin and Elliott Lovejoy. Dobbo, a former Rush Hour host and regular on Triple M Breakfast with Marto, Margaux & Dan, teams up with commentator and broadcaster Elliott who was previously part of regional QLD’s Rush Hour. The duo will be joined by a rotating lineup of respected NRLW stars, including Brisbane Broncos Captain Ali Brigginshaw – a three-time NRLW premiership 10-time Origin and three-time World Cup winner; Brisbane Bronco’s two-time NRLW premiership and Origin winner Romy Teitzel: Gold Coast Titans, Australian Jillaroos, NSW SkyBlues and Indigenous All Stars representative Jaime Chapman; and North Queensland Cowboys NRLW Premiership winner Mackenzie Weale.

Dobbo said: I’m excited to be driving listeners home again in 2025. Rugby league and sport have always been my passion and to be able to share that with listeners on a daily basis is an honour. Elliot is one of the real good guys in this industry but make no mistake, we have some very different opinions and we won’t be shy to  take each other on. The addition of some of the toughest, smartest minds in the NRLW to the lineup brings a fresh perspective and their insight is going to take Rush Hour to another level.”

Elliott said: “I’m struggling to put into words how appreciative I am to broadcast right across Queensland, a place I’ve called home after growing up in the Torres Strait and living in Brisbane, Cairns and everywhere in between. Sharing the biggest stories from the sport I love alongside someone I’ve called a friend for a long time, Ben Dobbin, is a real privilege. And now with some of the most accomplished women in rugby league joining us – it’s going to be an exciting show. I can’t wait to push Dobbo’s buttons every afternoon and bring Queensland a show where everyone’s welcome.”

Building on the outstanding success of The Rush Hour with JB & Billy, which has fast become one of the most beloved Drive shows across footy obsessed states – Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania. James Brayshaw and Billy Brownless started in 2025 with audience growth in Adelaide and Perth, following a record-breaking 2024 that saw them achieve an  18-year ratings high in the 4-6pm slot on Triple M Melbourne. Their popularity extends beyond broadcast with their LiSTNR podcast now ranked inside the Top 50 Australian podcasts and continuing to grow*. The enduring appeal of JB & Billy highlights the power of the Rush Hour brand – now set to be replicated in NRL states with localised, fan-first editions tailored to metro and regional listeners in NSW and QLD listeners.

Demand for rugby league content continues to grow, and Triple M’s current NRL coverage is a clear testament to that. Reaching a combined weekly audience of 376,000 listeners across Sydney and Brisbane — well ahead of other commercial competitors — Triple M is the #1 station for NRL across all key demographics, including P10+ and P25-54**. These numbers highlight the strength of Triple M’s live sport coverage and the deep trust it has earned with fans across both heartland markets.

Given the clear demand for sport content, the addition of the new NRL Rush Hours across NSW and QLD, alongside the popular AFL focused Rush Hour with JB & Billy, rounds out a national Drive sports offering around the country with compelling content for fans and commercial partners.

Dave Cameron, SCA Chief Content Officer, said of the launch of the new Drive shows: “Triple M’s Rush Hour brand is already synonymous with delivering compelling sport-focused shows nationally for the drive home. Creating these two new shows specifically for Triple M New South Wales and Queensland NRL fans continues Triple M’s commitment as a premium partner to the NRL – alongside our existing Rush Hour show in Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania which continues to deliver AFL-focused content with JB and Billy. Triple M remains the home of Australia’s biggest sporting codes with these new show launches for NSW and Queensland.”

The Rush Hour can be heard weekdays from 4pm – 6pm from Monday April 28 on Triple M and on the free LiSTNR app.

Although we are one of Australia’s biggest media sectors, the contribution of community broadcasting is not always well understood by policymakers.

In recent years, the CBAA advocated for our sector’s contribution to news to be properly recognised in the ACMA’s Media Diversity Framework, which is a major foundation for many government policy and funding decisions.

Over 2024, the CBAA’s Advocacy Team worked closely with the ACMA to ensure that its first report on that Framework would accurately capture our sector’s contribution.

News Media in Australia 2025 Report, released in March, reflects some important aspects of our sector’s contribution. It notes that radio is the second most prevalent form of media outlet after websites/apps and, of the 880 radio outlets the ACMA counted for the report, 51% are community radio. We continue to work with the sector to improve measurement around news, and this is covered in a community broadcasting case study in Appendix D.

Importantly, in a section on the impact of media, the ACMA has included a great 4-page case study about the excellent work done by Ngaarda Media and how important its news content is for the community.

The next report will be published in 2 years and we will continue to work with the ACMA to improve how our sector’s contribution to media diversity is understood