Donnybrook Balingup Community Radio (DBCR) began broadcasting in 2016, serving the vibrant and close-knit community of the Shire of Donnybrook-Balingup in Western Australia. With a passionate team of around ten part-time presenters, the station delivers a diverse mix of music and local storytelling. Programs such as Business and Community Round-Up, Jackie’s Local, and More Than Books reflect the unique voices and stories of the region, alongside content created with local schools and regular segments like What’s On and Live and Local, promoting arts and music events.
While Donnybrook Balingup Community Radio is committed to serving its local community, the station faced a significant barrier: not all residents could reliably access the broadcast. Some people no longer have traditional radios, and the station’s FM signal didn’t reach every area within the Shire. For a community-focused station, this meant some locals were missing out.
Additionally, their previous streaming provider wasn’t compatible with widely used platforms like Google Chrome or the iHeartRadio app—limiting the ability for both locals and broader audiences to connect online.
With support from the CBAA, Donnybrook Balingup Community Radio upgraded to a new streaming service through Triton Digital. CBAA’s Alex Nagl and Andrew Morris, alongside tech support from Ben Menaglio, guided the station through the setup and training process. They now have a stable and accessible streaming solution that’s compatible across all major platforms.
The stream has helped expand access, and visitors who discover the station while in town have also become online listeners, drawn in by its eclectic and ad-free music mix – curated by program manager Neil Simpson. While some may view the music programming as primarily appealing to older audiences, the variety and lack of ads have built a growing base of younger listeners too.
With training from the CBAA team, station staff now use Triton’s analytics to track listener numbers and trends—vital data for shaping programming and growing their reach.
Thanks to the new streaming service and support provided, Donnybrook Community Radio is now more accessible than ever—reaching listeners across the Shire and beyond. For a community that values connection, the stream is a lifeline.
As Neil Simpson puts it:
“The functionality and metrics available on the Triton website are very useful once we were trained by Alex Nagl and will be a vital tool going forward in tracking our streaming listener numbers. The service is very stable compared to our previous provider.”