9Podcasts’ Stories of Origin: Alfie has been awarded the prestigious title of Best Sports Podcast at the 2024 Australia New Zealand Podcast Awards, recognising the podcast’s excellence in storytelling and its impact on the sports media landscape.

The third instalment of the acclaimed Stories of Origin series, Stories of Origin: Alfie, is a pioneering podcast that delves into the compelling stories behind legendary NRL player Allan ‘Alfie’ Langer throughout his career.

With a focus on captivating storytelling and in-depth analysis, the podcast series, hosted by Nine’s Wide World of Sports’ Mat Thompson and driven by the 9Podcasts’ dedicated team of Executive Producer Matty White and Podcast Producer Jordan Weir, has become a fast favourite among sports enthusiasts.

Nine’s Head of Podcasts, Social and Digital, Mia Stern said: “We couldn’t be prouder of the team on their much deserved award win. Their unwavering commitment to crafting compelling narratives and their innovative approach has been pivotal in making Stories of Origin: Alfie such an engaging and memorable audio experience and we’re incredibly grateful to our listeners for their continued support.”

You can listen to Stories of Origin: Alfie everywhere you get your podcasts.

Dedicated to the memory of late SBS journalist Bridget Munro.

Australia’s most trusted news service has announced the launch of its journalism cadetship program for 2025, aimed at cultivating the next generation of Australia’s journalistic talent.

SBS is today announcing the launch of the 2025 SBS Journalism Cadetship, a 12-month program designed to develop the skills and experience of journalism graduates and prepare them for exciting and rewarding careers in the profession. From 2025 onwards, the Cadetship will be dedicated to the memory of late SBS News journalist, Bridget Munro.

The SBS Journalism Cadetship offers journalism graduates a unique opportunity to work in a dynamic and diverse environment. Throughout the year, cadets will gain hands-on experience in SBS’s cross-platform newsroom in Sydney, as well as placements in Melbourne and Canberra. Cadets will work across a variety of SBS programs including Dateline, Insight, NITV News and current affairs, and SBS multilingual programs, ensuring a comprehensive development experience.

The program acknowledges the best and brightest journalism graduates, giving them an opportunity to kickstart and develop their careers at Australia’s most trusted news organisation. Cadets will benefit from the coaching and mentorship of a team of experienced journalists.
In 2025, SBS will offer three cadetship positions, including one identified placement for an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander candidate, culturally and financially supported by NITV (National Indigenous Television).

All successful cadets participate in the same program of training and work experience.
SBS Director of News and Current Affairs, Mandi Wicks, said: “We are honoured to dedicate the SBS News and Current Affairs Cadetship to our late colleague and friend, Bridget Munro. Her passion for journalism and mentorship was infectious and has left an indelible mark on SBS. We aim to continue Bridget’s legacy through this program.”

About Bridget Munro
Bridget Munro, a talented, beloved and highly respected senior news producer at SBS, made a significant contribution to the field of journalism and the SBS community. The dedication of the cadetship in her memory honours her work and commitment to nurturing journalistic talent.
Aged just 34, Bridget Munro passed away suddenly from a short illness in November 2023, leaving behind her husband and two young daughters.

Bridget also left behind a powerful legacy. In the space of a decade, Bridget made a significant contribution to the industry through guiding, coaching and mentoring the next generation of journalists. The role of a daily news producer in a busy newsroom is not often celebrated; it is a role that requires a passion for news, a cool head under pressure and a commitment to make on-air colleagues shine. Bridget had all these qualities and more – other people’s success meant as much to Bridget as it did her own.
This posthumous honour will inspire journalists in their formative years, and beyond, to make the most of what you have, when you have it. Bridget’s contribution to Australian journalism will be measured by her quiet, yet enduring influence.

Application process and key dates
The SBS Journalism Cadetship is open to recent journalism graduates who are passionate about pursuing a career in news and current affairs. Interested candidates can apply through the SBS Careers website at: https://careers.sbs.com.au/job-details/query/2025-sbs-journalism-cadetship/in/australia-nsw/9362529/.
Aspiring journalists who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander may apply for the News and Current Affairs Cadetship, as well as the Indigenous Cadetship position here: https://careers.sbs.com.au/job-details/query/2025-sbs-indigenous-journalism-cadetship/in/australia-nsw/9362528/.
Applications for the SBS Journalism Cadetship are open until 6 September.
Applications for the SBS Indigenous Journalism Cadetship are open until 30 September, with the possibility of extension.
All Cadetships will commence in February 2025.

The ABC’s Director Audiences Leisa Bacon has announced she is leaving the national broadcaster after a decade leading its core marketing and strategic audience functions.

Leisa has led the ABC’s marketing and audience teams through a period of great change and transformation as the ABC has evolved its digital platforms while remaining committed to delivering high-quality content to the public. Tracking rapidly changing audience trends in today’s fragmented media landscape has required a creative and data-driven marketing leader and Leisa has met these challenges and delivered significant results.

Leisa’s achievements include initiating content collaborations across the ABC, leading the audience launches for the ABC Kids app, ABC listen app, ABC NEWS app, log in to watch on ABC iview and ensuring ABC brands and services have kept pace with the changes in audience expectations.

Leisa has been integral in bringing the Audiences team together into a truly cross-functional team structure, reinforcing a culture of collaboration and prioritisation across both the team and the broader ABC.

ABC Managing Director David Anderson said Leisa’s achievements and experience prior to joining the ABC in 2014 meant she has been able to provide a strong understanding of audiences, stakeholder management, marketing, communications, digital, experience design and change management to the organisation.

“Leisa came to the ABC with the task of centralising our marketing and audience requirements to meet changing audience engagement in an increasingly fragmented media market.

“The ABC needed a sharp and dynamic marketing professional to meet these significant changes in the industry and Leisa has always stepped up to the challenge.

“Leisa has developed and led strategies to ensure the ABC remains relevant to audiences everywhere. She is passionate about the ABC and has been committed to making sure Australians have been aware of the contribution we make to the community through the services that entertain, inform and educate.

“Leisa played a key role in managing the ABC’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring the ABC remained an important and central source of news, information, and entertainment during that challenging time for all Australians.

“I want to thank her for her hard work and many contributions she has made across 10 years in the role. She has been a valuable executive and colleague, and we wish her well for the next stage in an already impressive career.”

Leisa Bacon said: “Since joining the ABC I have always viewed this as the best job in the country. We serve the Australian public, contribute to culture, and literally produce the best content in the country.

“I will always be an incredible supporter of the ABC, my amazing Audiences team and my fabulous boss, David Anderson.

“However, all things need to keep evolving. After an incredible 10 years with the ABC, I am going to be leaving on a bit of a career high. We, the ABC, are #1 in digital news, BVOD, TV network reach and trust.

“For the first time in my career I have long service leave and I plan on using this to take an extended holiday.”

Leisa Bacon joined the ABC as Director of Audience and Marketing in March 2014 after senior roles across the consumer products and health sectors, and arts.

Leisa’s final day at the ABC will be 6 September. Karen Madden will be Acting Director Audiences for the interim while the ABC undertakes a recruitment process.

Sydney’s 104.1 2DayFM today confirmed that the Hughesy, Ed & Erin Breakfast show has ended.

Hughsey, Ed and Erin said: “We’ve loved our time together on 2DayFM Breakfast, however, due to some of our families living in different cities we are unable to commit to 2025, so with a heavy heart we are moving aside so 2DayFM can find the team to take them forward in Breakfast. We are so grateful to Sydney for their support, and to double the number of listeners in three years is something we are immensely proud of, and we will miss each and every one of them.”

SCA thanks Dave Hughes, Erin Molan and Ed Kavalee for their passion and commitment to the 2DayFM Sydney Breakfast show over the past three and a half years.

SCA Chief Content Officer, Dave Cameron, said: “We are incredibly thankful to Hughesy, Ed and Erin for their unwavering dedication in making the 2DayFM Breakfast show a fun way to wake up Sydney each morning since 2020, and we wish them the very best with the continuation of their outstanding careers.

“As we look to 2025, we are preparing for a change for the 2DayFM Sydney Breakfast show and will make further announcements in due course.”

For the remainder of 2024, the Hit Network’s Jimmy Smith and Nath Roye, from The Jimmy & Nath Show on the Hit national Nights shift, will temporarily move into the Breakfast timeslot.

Further details regarding the 2DayFM Sydney Breakfast show for 2025 will be announced at an appropriate time.

About the Hit Network

The Hit Network is Australia’s biggest radio network broadcasting across metro and regional markets with a unique collection of 50 FM and DAB+ stations. The Hit Network targets people aged 25 – 54, skews female and features a mood focused, ‘feel great’ pop music format alongside the most entertaining local breakfast and national drive shows. It is home to popular personalities including Carrie Bickmore, Tommy Little, Fifi Box, Brendan Fevola, Nick Cody, Abby Coleman, Matty Acton, Stav Davidson and many more.

The Hit Network entertains more than 6 million Aussie radio listeners across B105, 2Day, The Fox, SAFM, Mix94.5, Sea FM, 41 Hit stations plus DAB+ stations including Oldskool 90s Hits, Buddha Hits, Oldskool 80s Hits, RnB Fridays Radio and Dance Hits. All Hit Network’s content is also available live or on demand on the LiSTNR app.

Nine’s live audio streaming has witnessed a phenomenal surge in audience numbers during the first week of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, as fans across the nation tune in to experience the most exhilarating live commentary of Team Australia’s spectacular gold rush.

Since the very first day of competition, session starts across Nine Radio’s digital devices have jumped 48%, with the key hours of 4am-7am showing the most significant uplift. During these early morning hours, Aussie athletes have shone brightly, claiming gold in finals across a range of disciplines.

From the heart-pounding moments in the swimming pool to the adrenaline-fueled triumphs across kayak, canoe, BMX, skateboarding and more, Nine Radio’s expert commentators – led by Ray Hadley, Libby Trickett, Jane Flemming and Mark Levy – have captured every breathtaking second, bringing listeners closer to the action than ever before. With a commitment to delivering the best in live sports coverage, Nine has become the go-to destination for Australians eager to celebrate every medal and every victory.

Total listening hours have increased by 12% since the start of the Olympic Games coverage, as fans tune in to the Breakfast shift (5am-7am) for exclusive insights and analysis of the overnight highlights from our on-the-ground teams. Listeners are then returning from 7pm-11pm to hear Nine’s expert Wide World of Sports team kick off the next day of competition. Both time slots have shown remarkable growth across the network.

Catch-up listenership has also surged, with Nine’s exclusive Olympic podcast, The Olympics Today, seeing a 17% increase in podcast listeners since the start of the competition*.

Nine Radio Head of Content, Greg Byrnes, said: “This remarkable growth in our audience is a testament to the exceptional coverage our team is providing. We are thrilled to be the go-to audio source for Australians seeking in-depth analysis and vivid commentary as our athletes make history in Paris.”

As Team Australia continues to dazzle the world, Nine Radio remains committed to delivering unmatched Olympic coverage, bringing fans closer to the heart of the action.

Tune in each night from 7pm AEST to be part of the excitement with Nine’s live audio coverage of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games across 2GB, 3AW, 4BC and 6PR. 

Source: Triton Streaming Metrics, 2 August 2024 vs 27 July 2024, Session Starts, TLH, Nine Radio, Australian only web-traffic, Unless otherwise specified

*Source: Triton Podcast Metrics, 1 March – 26 July, 27 July – 2 August 2024, Nine; The Olympics Today, Listeners.

– How Australia funded a dictator, told by the men on the inside –

LiSTNR has today released the third series of Secrets We Keep, an exploration of Australia’s biggest corruption scandal when a trusted Australian company funnelled hundreds of millions of dollars to dictator Saddam Hussein in the lead-up to the Iraq War.

Secrets We Keep: Baghdad Nights follows multi-award-winning journalist Richard Baker and his investigation into Australia’s biggest-ever international trade scandal, told by the men on the inside. Listeners will hear a thrilling and personal account of how Australia conducts its dirty business in far-flung places and who pays the price when scandal erupts. The audience is taken into war zones, secret meetings, and the offices of the country’s most powerful people, whilst hearing what it is like to have the nation’s media bearing down.

The scandal, which unfolded in the early 2000s, revealed a complex web of corruption and deceit involving the United Nations’ oil-for-food program in Iraq. At the heart of the scandal was the Australian Wheat Board (AWB), a corporation responsible for selling Australia’s wheat crop to the world. AWB, once a pillar of the Australian agricultural industry, was implicated in a scheme to funnel $300 million to the regime of Saddam Hussein, which Australia and its allies ultimately declared war on.

The key players from AWB implicated in the scandal, are integral voices in the series. The trio, including former AWB Chairman Trevor Flugge, have never spoken about their work in Iraq nor what it was like to go from being trusted government insiders to the poster boys of a national scandal.

Richard Baker said: “Secrets We Keep: Baghdad Nights takes you behind the scenes of how Australia conducts itself on the world stage – in making money and making war. It’s about how our country deals with scandal, who is held to account and who gets away with it.

“In telling this story I’m hoping it will cause people to think about how quickly we leap to judgement to declare someone as good or evil. This especially applies to people like me in the media. The truth is there’s always more to the story.

“Stories like this matter. They matter because what Australian governments and companies get up to overseas, whatever’s done, it’s in all our names”.

LiSTNR Head of Factual, Clair Weaver, said: “Once again, the LiSTNR Factual team has resurfaced an important Australian story that impacted the fabric of Australia. The far-reaching consequences of the AWB scandal extended beyond financial loss and reputational damage. It eroded public trust in corporate governance and highlighted the urgent need for robust anti-corruption measures.

“Richard’s investigations and discoveries are a stark reminder of the importance of ethical conduct and transparency in business. It underscores the need for vigilant oversight and accountability to prevent such breaches of trust from recurring.”

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

About Richard Baker:

Multi-award-winning journalist Richard Baker has partnered with LiSTNR’s in-house Factual team to develop new original investigative documentary series, continuing his reputation for compelling, narrative content.

A long-time The Age and Sydney Morning Herald journalist, in recent years Baker has become renowned for his critically acclaimed podcast series, including Phoebe’s Fall, Wrong Skin, The Last Voyage of the Pong Su and The Confession, which sat at number one on the Australian and NZ podcast charts for several weeks in late 2022.

Baker’s podcasts have garnered worldwide audiences, along with accolades at the New York Festivals, the Kennedy journalism awards and the Melbourne Press Club. Baker has won five Walkley Awards, Australia’s most prestigious journalism honour.

The fourth annual call-out for distinctive podcasts in any language is open now! Pitch your podcast to join the growing collection of award-winning SBS podcasts for all Australians, including English language learners and soccer fans.

Calling all veteran and aspiring podcasters – SBS is looking for more exciting podcasts to share with its national multicultural, multilingual and First Nations audiences.

SBS Audio wants to hear your ideas across news, entertainment, society and culture, language, food and more to develop with our experienced team and share with Australia’s growing podcast audience.

With a keen eye for new and underrepresented talent, SBS is also seeking podcast ideas for new migrants settling in Australia, adult English language learners, and soccer fans with the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026™ which will be broadcast exclusively on SBS.

This is the fourth year SBS is inviting podcast pitches from the public which have led to the creation of award-winning series like Should You Really Eat That?, The Idiom, Bad Taste and My Bilingual Family.

Acting Director of Audio and Language Content, Pamela Cook, said: “SBS Audio lives and breathes the stories of multicultural, multilingual and First Nations Australia, and we’re the perfect home for podcasts that celebrate diversity and bring new voices and talent to the fore.

“We’re thrilled that SBS was named Best Publisher at the Australian Podcast Awards 2023 for a second consecutive year and part of that success comes from our open call-out for pitches.”

SBS Digital Audio and Podcast Manager, Caroline Gates, said, “We’re looking for stories that only SBS is able to tell, which means more distinctive voices and perspectives that connect with our audiences.

“It’s been wonderful to see podcast ideas incubated through SBS’s annual call-out become award-winning series and even grow into second seasons.”

A new season of My First Year in Australia with comedian Suraj Kolarkar is available now as well as a second season of Like Us featuring three women from different backgrounds discussing their relationship with Australia available from Wednesday 7 August.

Pitches are shortlisted and workshopped with the SBS Audio podcast team before the next stage, which involves creating a pilot episode.

SBS Audio broadcasts in more than 60 languages with a distinctive podcast offering that sees more than 4 million downloads each month.

Pitches can be made through the online form on the SBS Audio website and close Friday 30 August 2024. Listen to all of SBS Audio’s podcasts on the SBS Audio App, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, LiSTNR and wherever you stream podcasts.

The ACMA need to remake the following 2 apparatus licence tax determinations, which are due to sunset on 1 April 2025:

Radiocommunications (Transmitter Licence Tax) Determination 2015
Radiocommunications (Receiver Licence Tax) Determination 2015.

Their view is that the determinations are operating effectively and efficiently. They propose to remake them with minor changes. They will also consider other tax updates, including annual tax increases, as part of this process.

Full details, including the consultation paper and draft instruments, are available on the ACMA website.

They welcome your views by COB, Monday 2 September 2025.

https://www.acma.gov.au/consultations/2024-08/remaking-sunsetting-apparatus-licence-tax-determinations-and-other-proposed-tax-changes