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LiSTNR has teamed up with Cold Chisel to document the explosive history of Australia’s most loved rock band. In a LiSTNR exclusive, the band tell their remarkable story in their own words in a five-part audio docuseries titled Cold Chisel, hosted by The Superjesus’ Sarah McLeod.

Made in partnership with Cold Chisel, the docuseries features brand-new, in-depth interviews with original band members Jimmy Barnes, Ian Moss, Phil Small and Don Walker and drummer Charley Drayton, who took over from the late Steve Prestwich. Covering pivotal moments of the band’s history, the series explores the highs and lows of their extraordinary story including their reflections on the legendary The Last Wave of Summer comeback tour in 1998, which Jimmy Barnes struggled through. “I was pretty out of it and wild and had a death wish,” Barnes said. “But I’d get into the middle of Cold Chisel singing and that was the only time I felt comfortable. It must have been painful for the guys to be around. I was like a Tasmanian devil, I just never stopped.”

Cold Chisel has sold over seven million albums and are currently thrilling audiences of all ages on their The Big Five-O national tour. The tour has sold over 120,000 tickets and follows their recent no.1 compilation album 50 Years – The Best Of.

“This podcast is OUR story, from late 1973 through to today,” says Cold Chisel frontman, Jimmy Barnes. “It’s warts and all, highs and lows, as told by us and by some of our friends and colleagues who joined us on the ride. 50 friggin years! Who would have thought it? We certainly didn’t.

“And it’s brilliantly hosted by our good friend, Sarah McLeod. Strap yourself in.”

Sarah McLeod fronts the ARIA-winning band The Superjesus, which is opening for Cold Chisel on their current tour as they play sold-out shows across Australia. “I’ve always felt a connection with Cold Chisel,” McLeod said. “Not just because their songs speak to me, as they do most Australians, but also because we’re also from Adelaide and The Superjesus were signed to WEA, the same label as Chisel.

“We were signed by Chisel’s tour manager Mark Pope, who would tell us colourful stories about life on the road with them. We admired the band, their grit, rock n’ roll stamina and fortitude to do it their own way. They are the real deal, a proper rock band. To watch them re-emerge all these years later has been inspiring to witness, it’s such a killer story, so of course I want to tell it!”

LiSTNR Music Features Journalist, Cameron Adams, said: “Doing extensive interviews with the band and people in their orbit has been eye-opening. This is a wild story – incredible highs and devastating lows. They also made some incredible business moves, including owning all their own music and setting a career blueprint for other artists to follow. It is also a testament to a band who knew they had something special and always played by their own rules.”

Executive Head of LiSTNR Audience and Growth, Grant Tothill, said: “There are not many Australians who haven’t listened to Cold Chisel’s music. To be able to work so closely with the band and management – John O’Donnell and John Watson – to create this audio docuseries is a real honour.

“Cold Chisel tells the story of the band from the early days in Adelaide through to the moment everything changed. From constant rejection, and not being able to afford to eat, to becoming one of Australia’s most loved and successful bands that are still together after 50 years. Even if you think you know the story, I can assure you, you don’t know it until you’ve listened to all five episodes and discover what’s special about Cold Chisel and why they keep coming back together to create live performances that are intoxicating.”

Episodes one and two of Cold Chisel are available now exclusively on LiSTNR. Download the LiSTNR app and sign-up to listen for free. Three subsequent episodes will be released over the following weeks.

 

Cold Chisel, LiSTNR’s exclusive audio docuseries, explores:

• Cold Chisel being rejected by every record label in Australia for having “no commercial potential” before being signed for $700.
• The Australian classic song Khe Sanh being banned from radio due to offensive lyrics and the song’s producer revealing whether Chisel recorded a ‘clean’ version.
• Chisel imploding on their first American tour in 1981 after having to start from scratch and battle indifference and homesickness.  “When you’re in business class in your home country and you have to go back to the back of the bus it’s undignified…maybe ego plays part of it,’ says tour manager Mark Pope.
• The tensions that led to Cold Chisel splitting in 1983, after the fractured recording of the No.1 album Twentieth Century and the legendary Last Stand farewell tour. “It was a relief for me because the band was an unhappy place,” Don Walker says. “I was angry about a lot of things. I thought we should have been the biggest band in the world. I thought that had been sabotaged. It was an overwhelming relief for me to get away from it.”
• Cold Chisel’s surprise reformation for The Last Wave of Summer comeback tour and album – which Jimmy Barnes struggled through. “I was pretty out of it and wild and had a death wish. But I’d get into the middle of Cold Chisel singing and that was the only time I felt comfortable. It must have been painful for the guys to be around. I was like a Tasmanian devil, I just never stopped.”
• The tragic passing of the band’s original drummer Steve Prestwich – and Chisel’s decision to carry on “As time went on,” bassist Phil Small says, “everyone just sort of felt that if Steve was here, he’d probably would want us to continue.”
• The band recruiting powerhouse drummer Charley Drayton, whose wife – the late Divinyls frontwoman Chrissy Amphlett – would make an emotional appearance on stage with Cold Chisel. “When she walked out on stage, I’d never heard an applause like it. The place went apeshit, it was incredible, and she felt it and that was exactly what she needed. I was there with her guidance to look out for Chisel, and they were there for me to look out for me for us all having to let Chrissy go.”
• The modern era of Cold Chisel, releasing more chart-topping albums and undertaking huge tours while finding a new way to work together. “These days we’re very careful of each other, to the best of our capacity,” Don Walker says. With each of us our top skill is not social. I don’t think we could be a full-time band again. That wouldn’t go well at all.”
• The future of Cold Chisel after their 50^th anniversary. “I don’t see this as the last tour at all,” Jimmy Barnes says. “I see it as a gateway to what we’re going to do until we hit eighty.”

About LiSTNR:

LiSTNR is a curated and personalised, free app offering radio, podcasts, music, and sport, 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

As he calls time on an incredible 26 years, ABC Radio Sydney Drive host Richard Glover is the number 1 talk program in the Sydney Drive market according to GfK survey 7 released today.

His strong result helped boost ABC Radio Sydney to their highest share result in 2 years adding +2.3 share points for an audience share of 7.4%.

ABC Director Audio Ben Latimer said: “After giving his heart and soul to ABC Radio Sydney and his faithful drive audience for 26 years, it is fitting and greatly deserved that one of our most cherished broadcasters will finish his run at the top.”

Richard’s final program will be on Friday 29 November.

ABC Radio Melbourne Breakfast host Sammy J also announced this week he would depart his program at the end of the year after 5 years.

This morning, Sammy welcomed journalist Sharnelle Vella and former AFL captain Bob Murphy onto the program to announce them as the new program hosts for 2025.

“It is a community of listeners that listen every single day and I just want you to know we’re going to take care of them,” Sharnelle told Sammy.

“It’s a privilege to join the ABC and to be able to have a conversation with the city that’s been my home my entire life.”

Bob referred to the role as that of “custodians”, adding their “patch to the great quilt of Brekky on ABC”.

Sharnelle and Bob will start on the program in January.

 

B105 Brisbane: #1 STATION and #1 BREAKFAST SHOW

Triple M is Adelaide’s #1 BREAKFAST SHOW

THE FOX is Melbourne’s #1 DRIVE SHOW

SCA continues to win the ‘audience that matters’, having secured a record-breaking 27^th consecutive win^ of the key 25-54 buying demographic to maintain its position as Australia’s no.1 25-54 radio network* in today’s GfK Radio360 Metro Survey #7 2024 results. In addition, SCA’s Hit Network was again no.1 for women 25-54, while the Triple M network was no.1 for men 25-54.

SCA’s Hit and Triple M metro station wins for Survey 7 include:

#1 Brisbane Station and #1Breakfast show – B105 and Stav, Abby & Matt

#1 and #2 Brisbane radio stations – B105 and Triple M Brisbane

#1 Melbourne Drive show – The Fox’s Carrie & Tommy

#1 Adelaide Breakfast show – Triple M Adelaide’s Roo, Ditts & Loz

SCA Chief Content Officer, Dave Cameron, said: “Today sees more stunning results for SCA Brisbane, with both B105 and Triple M remaining the city’s number one and two stations and Stav, Abby & Matt achieving seven out of seven number one Breakfast results in 2024.

“In Melbourne, Australia’s most competitive radio market has seen The Fox and Triple M both increase their share, with another extraordinary growth result for Fifi, Fev & Nick up once again in Breakfast as Melbourne listeners continue to insist on family-friendly fun and intensely local and loved personalities to wake up to. And now with the local laughs being dialled up even more with Mick Molloy’s return to Breakfast radio on Triple M with Nick Riewoldt, Titus O’Reily and Rosie Walton, 2025 in Melbourne is going to be an unbelievably exciting year for local shows to fire.

“In coming weeks, we will announce our exciting Sydney approach that will see SCA delivering Sydney-based Breakfast shows that are super focused on our local listeners, as SCA proudly leads the charge of driving new voices for the industry. With so little change in two decades, Sydney is a market that is simply screaming for a fresh approach to Breakfast entertainment.

“Triple M’s Roo, Ditts & Loz continue to dominate Adelaide with their 17^th consecutive win as Adelaide’s number one FM Breakfast show, and we are excited to now deliver a fun and fresh approach to SAFM Breakfast in 2025 with Bernie & Emma G.

“We are well advanced with our plans for 2025 on both Triple M and the Hit network. Many changes are already announced and on-the-air, and we will have other key announcements over coming weeks to maintain our domination in the 25-54 audience that matters right across the country.”

SCA Chief Commercial Officer, Seb Rennie, said: “Today’s results once again prove that SCA remains Australia’s no. 1 radio network as the home of the audience that matters – 25-to-54-year-olds.

“SCA’s extensive understanding of this commercially critical buying demographic is further evidenced by our recent market update, which showed that both our metro radio and digital audio have delivered three consecutive quarters of share growth. Furthermore, SCA’s Total Audio revenue for Q1 FY25 of $100.4 million was up 4.8% compared to Q1 FY24, driven by growth of 48.2% in Digital and 1.1% in Broadcast Radio.”

Sources:

* GfK Radio 360 Metro Survey #7 2024.  P10+/P25-54/M25-54/F25-54, Mon-Sun ROS/Mon-Fri 05.30-09.00/Mon-Fri 06.00-09.00/Mon-Fri 15.00-18.00/Mon-Fri 16.00-19.00. Total Radio. Market Share/Commercial Share/Cume Reach.

^ 27 surveys since Survey #5, 2021, FM & DAB+.

** GfK Radio Ratings. Metro Survey 7, 2024. Melbourne – Friday 1800-2230, Saturday 1200-2230, Sunday 1300-1930. Adelaide – Friday 1730-2200, Saturday 1130-2200, Sunday 1230-1900. Perth – Friday 1745-2030, Saturday 1000-2030, Sunday 1100-1730. P10+.  Cume / Market Share %

^^ GfK Radio Ratings. Metro Survey 7, 2024. Sydney / Brisbane. – Thursday 1900-2200, Friday 1800-2000, Saturday 1200-1700, Sunday 1200-1600. P10+ / People 25-54. Cume Reach / Market Share %

 

About SCA (Southern Cross Austereo)   Southern Cross Austereo (SCA) is one of Australia’s leading media companies reaching more than 95% of the Australian population through its radio, television, and digital assets. Under the Triple M and Hit network brands, SCA owns 154 stations across FM, AM, and DAB+ radio.  SCA also provides national sales representation for 56 regional radio stations. SCA broadcasts 96 free to air TV signals across regional Australia, reaching 3.6 million people a week, with Network 10 programming and advertising representation across Australia’s East Coast, Seven Network programming in Tasmania and Darwin, and Seven, Nine and Ten programming in Spencer Gulf. SCA also features Sky News Regional in 17 markets across regional Queensland, southern NSW, and Victoria. SCA has an exclusive national sales representation agreement with WIN in northern NSW (including the Gold Coast) and TDT (Tasmanian Digital Television). SCA operates LiSTNR, Australia’s free, personalised digital audio destination for consumers featuring radio, podcasts, music, news, and sport. SCA provides Australian sales representation for global open audio platform SoundCloud and Sonos Radio. SCA’s premium brands are supported by social media, live events and digital platforms that deliver national and local entertainment, news, and sport content. www.southerncrossaustereo.com.au

Commercial Radio & Audio (CRA) welcomes the latest GfK Survey 7 data for 2024, with commercial radio continuing to reach a weekly audience of 12.3 million, highlighting its enduring popularity amid shifting listener habits.

Commercial radio’s share of listening continues to climb, reaching 75.3%, the highest it has been in a decade.

“Radio remains an indispensable medium for delivering timely news, entertainment, and connection. The continued growth we’re seeing speaks to its deep engagement with Australian audiences,” said Lizzie Young, CRA’s Chief Executive Officer.

Notably, nearly half (49.9%) of commercial radio’s audience is now under 40 – an increasingly valuable demographic for advertisers seeking to reach the next generation.

Time spent listening (TSL) at-work for commercial radio saw a significant increase, with listening up by 1 hour and 27 minutes YOY, now averaging 12 hours and 42 minutes per week. Over 10 million listen in car each week, a 2.7% YOY rise, representing 81% of the total commercial radio audience.

Industry focus on delivering a content distribution strategy to meet audience needs means that whilst listening on AM/FM devices is still the dominant platform and accounts for 69%* of radio listening, streaming continues to surge, now reaching 3.3 million commercial radio listeners and representing over a quarter (27%) of that audience. It’s particularly resonating with younger audiences, with 33% of listeners under 25 accessing commercial radio through streaming.

“This strong performance across demographics and devices demonstrates radio’s unique ability to adapt to changing consumer preferences, maintain loyalty and grow our listener base in the demographics that matter to advertisers,” added Ms Young.

Source: GfK 360 Radio Ratings, SMBAP S7 2024, All people 10+, Mon-Sun 12mn-12mn, Cume (000’s), unless otherwise stated. Weekly Time Spent Listening (hh:mm). All numbers refer to commercial radio results unless otherwise stated.

*Calculated based on Average Audience (000s)

TOTAL RADIO 

Melbourne’s 3AW has solidified its No.1 position as the city’s go-to station, while Sydney’s 2GB dominates the talk scene in today’s GfK Radio 360 Survey 7.

Ross and Russ reign supreme across Melbourne’s airwaves in 3AW Breakfast with a commanding 20.8 share, while Tom Elliott maintains his lead in Mornings with a winning 15.7. The station overall remains unbeatable, achieving a 14.0 share.

In Sydney, 2GB retains the top spot as the city’s No.1 in Talk, delivering a 9.8 share. Ben Fordham continues to dominate in Talk across Breakfast with a 12.3 share (up 0.1), and Ray Hadley is also No.1 Talk in Mornings with 11.1.

Nine Radio’s Head of Content, Greg Byrnes, said: “Survey 7 highlights the dominance of 3AW and the trust that’s linked to talk radio at a time when the audio market has never been more competitive, particularly in Sydney.”

“Ross and Russ are unrivalled. Today’s breakfast result is extraordinary, and when you combine that with Tom Elliott, Tony Moclair and Jacqui Felgate across the day, 3AW has a rock solid foundation.

“Right across the country we aim to deliver the best news, information and opinion each and every day and are set for a strong finish to the year.”

COMMERCIAL RADIO SHARE	TOTAL RADIO CUME
15.4 (4 markets)	1.801 million listeners each week

STREAMING

Nine Radio is the undisputed No.1 destination for live audio listeners nationwide, achieving a commanding commercial streaming share of 28.1 and a cume audience of 415,000.

Sydney’s 2GB and Melbourne’s 3AW continue to dominate overall commercial streaming, securing shares of 29.5 and 28.7, respectively.

Breakfast remains a powerhouse for both stations. Ross and Russ on 2GB hold the top spot with an incredible 53.6 commercial streaming share, while Ben Fordham strengthened his No.1 position in Breakfast streaming at 2GB with a remarkable 38.7 share.

Mornings also delivered outstanding results, with Ray Hadley leading with a 34.7 commercial streaming share on 2GB, while Tom Elliott tops Melbourne with 27.0.

These results reinforce Nine Radio’s position as the nation’s premier platform for streaming live and local news, sport, entertainment and opinion.

Greg Byrnes, said: “We’ve seen big increases in listener numbers across digital devices survey to survey and year-on-year. It’s the best way to stay connected with our live and local content and the results across all sessions, but particularly in breakfast, show streaming is now part of the daily listening habits for the talk audience.”

COMMERCIAL STREAMING SHARE	STREAMING CUME
28.1	415,000

PODCASTS 

The Nine Podcast Network recorded over 1.52 million listeners and 3.8 million downloads in October 2024.

The network’s latest investigative series, Rotten Apple, debuted strongly, landing in Nine’s top 10 podcasts with 79,000 listeners and 124,000 downloads. Fan favourites The Missing Campers Trial and The Ultimate Sacrifice kept audiences hooked, attracting 64,000 and 56,000 listeners respectively. Adding to the success, Just Married: The Anthea Bradshaw Mystery earned the prestigious Best Podcast Series award at the South Australian Press Club.

Nine’s radio podcasts also delivered stellar results, with Ben Fordham Live reaching 165,000 listeners and 366,000 downloads, while The Ray Hadley Morning Show recorded 57,000 listeners and 129,000 downloads. In Melbourne, Breakfast with Ross and Russ hit 95,000 listeners and 164,000 downloads, and Mornings with Tom Elliott achieved 61,000 listeners and 144,000 downloads.

Mia Stern, Head of Podcasts and Digital Content, said: “The Nine Podcast Network results go from strength to strength, with October highlighting an 18% year-on-year growth in listeners across the network. As we expand our Originals content slate and evolve our Radio podcast strategy, we’re thrilled to be driving audience growth in Australia’s fastest-growing media channel.”

TOTAL DOWNLOADS	TOTAL LISTENERS
3.8 million	1.52 million

Source: GfK Radio360 Ratings, Survey 7 2024, 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.

Source: Triton Podcast Metrics, September 2024, Downloads, Listeners, Nine Entertainment, unless otherwise specified.

3AW leads Melbourne’s airwaves as the city’s clear No.1 radio station.

The release of GfK Radio 360 Survey 7 results today reveal 3AW has a winning audience share of 14 (up 0.5 year-on-year) and a dominant commercial streaming share of 28.7%.

Every week, the station’s engaging blend of live, locally-focused talk radio attracts a cumulative audience of 781,000 listeners across Melbourne.

In the 25-54 demographic, 3AW has a cumulative audience of 211,000 listeners – up 14.7% on Survey 6.

Ross and Russ lead Melbourne’s breakfast radio scene with a 20.8 share – a substantial 10.1 point advantage over their closest competitor. Each week, 516,000 Melburnians listen to this award-winning team. The duo also secured an impressive 53.6% share of the commercial streaming audience.

In his seventh survey in the morning slot, Tom Elliott has solidified his position as Melbourne’s top choice, capturing a leading 15.7 share and a cumulative weekly audience of 519,000. He also leads with a commercial streaming share of 27%.

Tony Moclair is the No.1 Afternoon talk program with a 9.5 share – 5.4 points ahead of his closest talk rival.

Jacqui Felgate has strengthened her standing as Melbourne’s No.1 Drive talk program, securing an 8.9 share – her best result since taking the helm of the Drive slot. Her fresh and engaging approach to talk radio attracts 297,000 Melburnians each week.

Denis Walter is No.1 in Melbourne’s evening radio listening, holding the top spot with a 17.1 share.

Weekend Breakfast hosted by Darren James also dominates the airwaves on Saturday and Sunday mornings. 3AW Football finished the 2024 season winning every timeslot – Friday, Saturday, Saturday night and Sunday.

3AW Station Manager, Stephen Beers said: “Survey 7 reinforces 3AW’s position as Melbourne’s top radio station. Ross and Russ remain unrivalled in breakfast, while Tom Elliott commands the morning slot. We’re especially thrilled to see Jacqui Felgate achieving her highest ever share and 3AW Football finishing number one across all shifts. These results reflect the hard work of our on-air talent and the incredible teams behind the scenes. We’re immensely thankful for our loyal listeners’ continued support – something we value greatly.”

Source: GfK Radio360 Ratings, 3AW Melbourne Survey 7 2024, 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-Thurs 8pm-12MN, Weekends 5.30am-12MN, Cume (000s), Market Share % Total Radio, Commercial Streaming share %, AP10+ , unless otherwise specified.