The ABC is delighted to announce the establishment of the ABC Science Journalist Fellowship Program, a new initiative within the ABC Radio National Science Unit. 

The recurring annual fellowship will provide a science journalist or content maker with an opportunity to develop science programming for ABC Radio National and the broader ABC network, including digital platforms, with the support and guidance of the ABC Radio National Science Unit.

The Fellowship has been made possible by a generous $1 million private donation from Ms Margaret Bales, a lifelong ABC listener and former librarian from Victoria. 

Ms Bales, who was particularly inspired by the work of pioneering ABC science and medical reporter Dr Gael Jennings, made the donation to support more groundbreaking science reporting at the ABC, with a particular focus on engaging younger audiences.

“I’m 83 and I have been listening to the ABC all my life. The presenters are national treasures.” Ms Bales said.

The donation was facilitated by ABC Friends Victoria and was announced by ABC Managing Director Hugh Marks at an ABC Friends dinner event in Melbourne on Friday evening.

“We are deeply grateful to Ms Bales for her extraordinary generosity and her passion for public broadcasting.” Mr Marks said.

“Her support will help ensure that science journalism continues to thrive at the ABC, informing and inspiring audiences across Australia.”

The ABC will sign an MOU with ABC Friends Victoria, a registered charity, who will hold the funds. The ABC will receive annual funding allocations aligned to the cost of each upcoming fellowship appointment.

Pam Creed, President of ABC Friends Victoria welcomed the announcement, saying: “This Fellowship is a wonderful example of how passionate supporters of public broadcasting can help champion its future. 

“We’re proud to partner with the ABC to ensure this funding directly supports their high-quality science journalism.”

Additional details about the ABC Science Journalist Fellowship including how interested individuals can apply will be announced in 2026. 

ABC has once again cemented its position as Australia’s number one digital live streaming network, increasing its margin of dominance in GfK Survey 7. Since digital live streaming became a standalone GfK metric in 2023,  ABC has consistently held the top spot for 21 consecutive surveys — and this latest survey marks its strongest performance of the year.

ABC’s share has risen to 28.8%, up 2.8%  from the previous survey and our highest share result ever. This was driven by a +17.6% year‑on‑year lift in streaming reach and underscores ABC’s continued leadership in digital audio and its ability to connect audiences across platforms.

“I’m delighted to see ABC not only maintain our number one position in digital live streaming, but also achieve our highest share of the year,” said Ben Latimer, ABC Director Audio. 

“These results demonstrate the ABC leading the way in engaging audiences on digital platforms.”

The momentum was further boosted by the opening Ashes Test, which delivered record streaming figures. On Friday 21 November, ABC Sport recorded 249,000 stream starts (live and on demand), with 186,000 stream starts on Saturday, 22 November — a +554% uplift on the 2025 daily average. With a packed summer of cricket ahead, ABC expects strong growth in live streaming audiences to continue.

Outside our live streaming, ABC’s overall network performance also showed impressive gains across the year to wrap up the last survey before the new year:

• Network share is up +0.8 points year on year
• Overall reach is up +10.3% year on year, reaching 4.769 million listeners weekly across the 5 capital cities
• Radio National is up +6.4% to 512,000
• News Radio is up +22% to 911,000
• triple j has seen enormous growth in their 50^th year up +18% year on year to reach 1.81 million
• ABC Classic had their highest reach of the year this survey with 801,000 and an increase of +19.6% year on year

These results highlight ABC’s sustained growth across the year, with audience growth across our broadcast and digital offering.

Source: GfK Radio360 Ratings, SMBAP, Survey 7 2025, Mon-Sun 12MN-12MN, Share %, Reach (000s), TSL (HH:MM), Total Radio, Streaming, AP10+, unless otherwise specified.

Commercial Radio & Audio (CRA) has welcomed the latest GfK Survey 7, 2025 results, with commercial radio reaching 12.4 million weekly listeners, up 139,000 year-on-year (YOY).

Breakfast delivered exceptional growth, increasing by 172,000 listeners YOY to 8.8 million, reaffirming its role as a key daypart and contributing significantly to commercial radio’s growth.

The critical 25–54-year-old demographic also showed strong momentum, growing by 84,000 listeners YOY to 6.1 million, while the 40-64 age group added 49,000 listeners to reach 4.3 million.

In-car listening continued to be an important audience habit for millions of Australians with listeners growing by 188,000 YOY to 10.2 million.

Digital adoption continues to grow, with 3.5 million Australians streaming commercial radio weekly, up 80,000 YOY. Breakfast streaming audiences reached 1.3 million with an additional 19,000 listeners YOY.

“Commercial radio offers something increasingly rare in a fragmented media landscape: engaged audience attention, proven ROI, and the certainty that your investment supports Australian communities, jobs and critical infrastructure,” said Lizzie Young, CEO of CRA.

“For advertisers looking for the best media returns in 2026 the power of audio cannot be underestimated – these numbers demonstrate commercial radio’s unique ability to consistently connect with audiences anytime and anywhere, and drive results for brands,” continued Young.

For the full 2026 survey dates head here: https://cra.au/metro-ratings

For historical data and the 2025 metro survey schedule, visit: https://cra.au/metro-ratings

Source: GfK Radio 360 Ratings, SMBAP S7 2025, compared to S7 2024, All people 10+, Mon-Sun 12mn-12mn, Cume (000’s), unless otherwise stated. All numbers refer to co

Little Black Book and Commercial Radio & Audio Launch new podcast series exploring the power of audio for brands.

Commercial Radio & Audio has partnered with global creative and marketing publication Little Black Book to launch Heard Mentality – a new podcast series exploring one big question: What does creativity sound like?

Hosted by Brittney Rigby, Managing Editor at Little Black Book, Heard Mentality dives into how the world’s most creative brands and agencies are using sound to make people think, feel, and act. Each episode features candid conversations with leading marketers, creatives, and audio innovators about the craft, strategy, and emotion that make great audio work unforgettable.

“Aussie Audio reaches more than 15 million Australians every week and has an unmatched ability to forge deep emotional connections between brands and audiences,” said Lizzie Young, CEO of Commercial Radio & Audio.

“Heard Mentality celebrates the brilliant creative work happening across the industry and aims to inspire marketers to think differently about the role of audio – the one element you can’t afford to overlook in your marketing mix.”

“We wanted to create a space where creativity in audio took centre stage,” said Brittney Rigby, host and Managing Editor at Little Black Book. “The conversations are honest, insightful, and sometimes surprising, showing that  being strategic, creative, and consistent with sound genuinely builds brands.”

Episode one kicks off with Stewart White, Head of Marketing at Sushi Hub, alongside Charlton Hill at Uncanny Valley, talking about the rise of the Sushi Hub brand, creating theatre of the mind through the power of sound, and why consistency is the key to brands becoming synonymous through audio. The episode also unpacks how, from an ad-recall point of view, audio is – as Hill puts it – “It’s Pavlovian. It’s anticipation. You hear it and you’re ready for the story to start.”

Upcoming episodes feature an array of marketing and creative voices from across Australia’s audio landscape, including talent from Chemist Warehouse, Uncanny, Studio Tonic, Original Audio, as well as Mark Ritson and many more.

Listen to the first episode of Heard Mentality at lbbonline.com, cra.au/heard-mentality or wherever you get your podcasts and sign up to the LBB newsletter so as not to miss editorial coverage accompanying each episode. 

Source:  Edison Research, Infinite Dial 2025, National, P10+

TOTAL RADIO 

Nine Radio has cemented its position as the undisputed leader in Australian radio, sweeping the final GfK Survey 7 ratings for 2025. Both Sydney’s 2GB and Melbourne’s 3AW finished the year as the outright No.1 radio stations in their respective markets. This dominance was felt across the schedule, with both stations claiming the No.1 spot in Breakfast and Mornings, and with Ben Fordham Live (2GB) and Breakfast with Ross and Russ (3AW) crucially winning the coveted Breakfast battle.

2GB Highlights

• 2GB delivered the No.1 share overall across Sydney’s airwaves with 13.8
• Ben Fordham Live is No.1 in Breakfast with a 16.8 share
• Mornings with Mark Levy had its best result of the year, claiming the No.1 title with a 15.8 share (up 0.9)

3AW Highlights

• 3AW is the clear No.1 station for Melburnians, delivering a 14.7 share (up 0.1)
• Ross and Russ claimed the No.1 Breakfast position with a 21.0 share 
• Mornings with Tom Elliott was No.1 with a 16.9 share (up 1.4) 

Greg Byrnes, Nine Radio’s National Content Manager, said: “To finish the year with such a powerful overall performance truly reinforces Nine Radio’s strength in the metro markets. 2GB in Sydney and 3AW in Melbourne remain the clear number one choice, driven by our deeply engaging Breakfast and Morning programs.” 

“Beyond that, we’ve seen a solid uplift in Brisbane and Perth, which positions us well for an exciting slate of lineup changes coming in 2026. This success reflects the hard work of our dedicated content teams. It’s their commitment – and the trust of our listeners who turn to us daily for trusted news, opinion, and entertainment – that makes these results possible.

COMMERCIAL RADIO SHARE	TOTAL RADIO CUME
15.9 (4 markets)	1.7 million listeners each week

STREAMING

Nine Radio continues to cement its absolute dominance in digital streaming, reflecting its accessibility to listeners on the go, around the house, in the car, or anywhere they choose to tune in. The network has once again claimed the No.1 national share, as well as leading across key dayparts in Sydney and Melbourne.

• 2GB No.1 overall: 27.4 share
• 3AW No.1 overall: 33.9 share
• Breakfast with Ross and Russ No.1: 50.3 share
• Ben Fordham Live No.1: 42.1 share
• Mornings with Tom Elliott No.1: 36 share
• Mornings with Mark Levy No.1: 28.9 share

Greg Byrnes said: “This is more than growth – it’s market acceleration. Our talk content streaming on connected devices has delivered 10% year-on-year growth – recognition of the product innovation we drove throughout 2025. With Radio360, we established undisputed market dominance and continue to hold that position as the platform that is defining the connected experience for modern listeners.”

COMMERCIAL STREAMING SHARE	STREAMING CUME
28.7	447,000 (up 4% on Survey 6)

Source: GfK Radio360 Ratings, Survey 7 2025, Mon-Sun 5.30am-12MN, Market Share % Total, Market Share Streaming %, Commercial Streaming Share %, Cume (000s) Total and Streaming, 3AW Breakfast Mon-Fri 5.30am-8.30am, 3AW Mornings 8.30am-12pm, AP10+, Nine Radio – 2GB, 3AW, 4BC, 6PR, unless otherwise specified.

Sydney’s 2GB has capped off 2025 with a clear victory in the final radio survey of the year, securing its position as the undisputed No.1 radio station in the city. The station delivered a dominant performance with a 13.8 share – claiming the top spot across Breakfast, Mornings, Evenings, and Weekends.

The commanding performance was led by Ben Fordham Live, which posted a decisive victory, reaching a 16.8 share to claim its place as Sydney’s most listened-to Breakfast program for the year. The winning momentum carried through most dayparts, which was evidenced by Mornings with Mark Levy, which maintained the No.1 spot with a 15.8 share (up 0.9) – Levy’s best result of the year!

2GB has also cemented its status as the outright No.1 in live audio streaming, with its unmatched ability to connect with audiences across all platforms. The station recorded a 27.4 commercial streaming share – a dominance that spanned all dayparts, including the competitive Breakfast and Mornings slots, which recorded massive shares of 42.1 and 28.9 respectively.

2GB Station Manager, Greg Byrnes said: “It’s been a tough year in a challenging market, but Sydney has delivered 2GB an early Christmas present! We end the year dominating all key time slots, thanks to the hundreds of thousands of listeners who join our real conversations daily. A 50% jump in listener engagement since last year shows Sydney is tuning in longer — wonderful recognition for the hard work of our content teams.”

Highlights from GfK Survey 7 include: 

• Afternoons with Michael McLaren posted a 10.6 share
• Sydney Now with Clinton Maynard recorded a 7.9 share
• Wide World of Sports with Adam Hawse recorded a 8.0 share 
• Money News with Evan Lucas posted a 10.8 share
• Nights with John Stanley remains the clear No.1 with a 26.3 share
• Weekends with Luke Grant is No.1 posting a 14.6 share (up 0.8)
• Overnights with Phil O’Neil is also No.1 recording 17.7 share

Source: GfK Radio360 Ratings, 2GB Sydney Survey 7 2025, Mon-Fri 5.30am-9am, Mon-Fri 9am-12pm, Mon-Fri 12pm-3pm, Mon-Fri 3pm-6pm, Mon-Fri 6pm-7pm, Mon-Thur 7pm-8pm, Mon-Thur 8pm-12am, Sat-Sun 9am-1pm, Mon-Fri 12am-5.30am, Market Share % Total Radio, Streaming share % AP10+ .

3AW has decisively cemented its status as Melbourne’s premier radio destination, yet again proving it is the undisputed leader in the market.

The latest GfK Radio 360 Survey 7 results, released today, confirm the station’s robust appeal, underscoring its role as the city’s essential source for live, local and engaging talk content.

The station’s dominant performance is reflected across all platforms, securing a substantial overall audience share of 14.7 (up 0.1), alongside an exceptional commercial streaming share of 33.9%.

Every week, 719,000 Melburnians tune into 3AW, captivated by its unparalleled blend of up-to-the-minute news, incisive commentary, compelling sports discussion and vibrant local interaction. 

3AW‘s stronghold on the market is evident across the schedule, successfully retaining the coveted No. 1 position in breakfast, mornings, evenings and weekends. 

In the highly competitive breakfast slot, Ross and Russ once again proved unbeatable, claiming a massive 21 share. This dominance places them at more than 10 points ahead of their closest rival. Their must-listen show reaches 533,000 listeners weekly and leads the digital charge with a staggering 50.3% commercial streaming share.

Tom Elliott has maintained his success in mornings, delivering a winning share of 16.9 and connecting with a weekly audience of 450,000 listeners. His lead is equally strong in the digital space, maintaining an impressive 36% share of commercial streaming.

Afternoons saw Tony Moclair achieve a solid 10.8 share in the afternoon slot – up by 1.3 points on the same survey last year and placing him second in the slot.

Jacqui Felgate recorded an 11.9 share in the drive slot – up a full 3 share points on the same survey last year and also landing her second in the slot.

In evenings, Denis Walter reaffirmed his market-leading status, securing a substantial share of 19 – up 2.9 share points on the previous survey.

On the weekends, Darren James‘ Weekend Breakfast remains Melbourne’s undisputed preferred choice for starting the weekend, proving its consistent appeal.

3AW Station Manager Stephen Beers said: “To finish the year with such a powerful result is a testament to the hard work and passion demonstrated by everyone on the 3AW team, from our talent to our producers and news team. We are deeply thankful to our Melbourne audience for their commitment, which is the driving force behind this success. This result solidifies our unique connection with the city, proving that when Melbourne wants live, local, and credible talk, they turn to 3AW.”

Source: GfK Radio360 Ratings, 3AW Melbourne Survey 7 2025, Mon-Sun 5.30am-12MN, Mon-Fri 5.30am-8.30am, Mon-Fri 8.30am-12pm, Mon-Fri 12pm-3pm, Mon-Fri 3pm-6pm, Mon-Wed 8pm-12MN, AFL Thur-Fri 7pm-12MN, Sat 12-8PM, Sun 12-7PM, Weekends 5.30am-12MN, Cume (000s), Market Share % Total Radio, Commercial Streaming share %, AP10+ , unless otherwise specified. 

Sydney, 25. November 2025

METRO MARKETS:

Sydney Radio 360 Survey 7, 2025

Melbourne Radio 360 Survey 7, 2025

Brisbane Radio 360 Survey 7, 2025

Adelaide Radio 360 Survey 7, 2025

Perth Radio 360 Survey 7, 2025

REGIONAL MARKETS:

Canberra Survey 3, 2025

Gold Coast Survey 3, 2025 

Newcastle Survey 3, 2025

Archive:

Archive of Previous Surveys

r

Posted 14h ago14 hours ago, updated 14h ago14 hours ago

ABC NEWS has maintained its spot as Australia’s No 1 digital news provider for the month of October.

Its monthly audience was 12.8 million people with an average read time of 28 minutes, according to the latest Ipsos iris data. 

Local and national news stories which drove audiences online included the search for missing four-year-old Gus in South Australia and the NRL Grand Final and Dally M Awards.

Global news including the death of actor Diane Keaton, the scandal surrounding former Prince Andrew and coverage of the ongoing conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine.

Chris Bath has decided to leave the ABC Radio Sydney Drive program after what she says has been a big year. 

Chris shared the news with listeners during her program today saying: “Timing in life is a funny thing, and I’ve decided to step down from Drive to pursue some passion projects and different opportunities away from the news cycle that have been beckoning for years. I know I’m leaving Drive Listeners and my team in safe and kind hands with Tom Oriti.”

“The great thing is that I’ll get to gasbag with listeners about some of those passion projects and perhaps explore theirs too on the radio on Sunday mornings on ABC Radio Sydney. The new show will be an antidote to the relentlessness of the news cycle, celebrating people doing great things across NSW, and creating that sense of community that ABC local radio does so well.”

The new program will air on Sunday morning from 10am to 12pm AEDT and will be heard on ABC Radio Sydney and across NSW.

Chris has hosted Drive since the beginning of 2025, stepping into the role following Richard Glover’s departure after a 26-year tenure. 

One of Australia’s most recognised media figures, Chris began her journalism career at Sydney’s Radio 2UE, then over the next seven years, held news reading and reporting roles at Prime TV in Albury, followed by NBN Television in Newcastle. She spent two decades at the Seven Network in Sydney, anchoring live and rolling coverage of national and global news events, hosting public affairs programs, and reading the nightly news bulletin. For the past seven years, she’s anchored the Ten Network’s national weekend bulletin.  But she says one of her career highlights, was her time hosting Evenings on 702 ABC Radio Sydney from 2017-2019 because of the show’s incredible sense of community.

In 2026, the Drive microphone will be handed to Thomas Oriti, currently host of the national Breakfast program on ABC NewsRadio and Background Briefing on ABC Radio National. Thomas brings a wealth of experience as a presenter and senior reporter across the ABC’s flagship current affairs programs—AM, PM, and The World Today and recently as co-host of Weekend Breakfast on ABC TV. Thomas has called the ABC home for 17 years with previous roles with the Sydney TV newsroom, triple j, and in regional NSW.

Thomas first joined the ABC as a cadet journalist in Sydney in 2009 and spent several years reporting on the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Thomas grew up in the Blue Mountains and attended school in western Sydney. He now lives in Sydney with his wife, ABC National Disability Affairs Reporter Nas Campanella and their son Lachie.

“ABC Radio Sydney has always been part of my life—I grew up listening to it, and it’s shaped the way I think about journalism and storytelling. To now be joining the team as Drive presenter is a real privilege. I’m excited to connect with listeners across the city and continue the tradition of thoughtful, engaging radio.”

ABC Head of Capital City Networks, Anthony Frangi, praised both presenters:

“Chris has done a remarkable job stepping into the Drive slot. It’s a testament to her warmth and talent that she’s been so embraced by our audience. I’m sure Sunday mornings will be all the richer for her presence.”

“Thomas is a wonderful talent and we’re excited to welcome him to ABC Radio Sydney Drive in the new year.”

As part of the 2026 lineup, Rae Johnston will move to Saturday mornings, from 10am to 12pm AEDT. James O’Loghlin and Kathryn Robinson will remain at the helm of the Afternoon program, while James Valentine continues his recovery away from the mic during the early part of the year.

ABC Radio Sydney looks forward to an exciting year ahead, with fresh voices and familiar favourites continuing to connect with audiences across the city.