#Funding

The Kyle & Jackie O Show are making history with Kyle & Jackie O’s $5 Million Dawn Dig, the most thrilling competition ever to hit Australian breakfast radio. With a jaw-dropping $5 million buried beneath the sand, one lucky listener could walk away with a life-changing fortune!

Starting Monday February 24, listeners can tune in to The Kyle & Jackie O Show every morning for a chance to enter this once-in-a-lifetime event. The stakes are high, and only the luckiest entrants will secure a spot at the highly anticipated Dawn Dig event.

Then, on Friday April 11, the Kyle & Jackie O Show will be broadcasting live from Melbourne’s St Kilda West Beach, where the competition will reach its peak. Among 200 buried bags, each containing various cash prizes, only one will hold the ultimate $5 million jackpot. The chosen winner will dig for their future—but will they strike gold?

But the excitement doesn’t stop there. Listeners who head down to St Kilda West Beach to catch all the action and meet radio’s most famous duo will also have the chance to dig for thousands worth in cash and exclusive prizes.

Melbourne is home to some of the country’s biggest events. And now, in their first outside broadcast in Melbourne since beaming into the southern state, the city will be home to the country’s biggest-ever competition, hosted by none other than the Australia’s most iconic radio duo in a major live event.

On this morning’s announcement, Jackie ‘O’ Henderson said: “We’re going back to where it all started, digging for cash. We’ve had success with digging. But this time, it’s not a million dollars. That’s small fry. You need a big chunk of cash like $5 million!”

Kyle Sandilands added: “We thought we should make it $2 million, but you’ve got nothing left if you buy a house. We thought we’d make it $3 million, but we’ve never liked the number three. $4 million sounds like a better number, and then we thought that we should make it $5 million buried on the beach.”

Will Australia’s next millionaire be revealed on St Kilda West Beach? There’s only one way to find out!

Don’t miss your chance to be part of history. Tune in to The Kyle & Jackie O Show from 6am Monday on KIIS 1065 in Sydney, KIIS 101.1 in Melbourne or on the free iHeart app, and be ready to call for your shot at the dig of a lifetime.

Total digital audio market expands 18% year-on-year, as CRA members capture greater market share with 30% YOY growth 

Commercial Radio & Audio (CRA) has welcomed the latest data from IAB Australia, which shows total digital audio advertising revenue reached $313 million in CY24, growing by 18% year-on-year (YOY), and reaching $90 million in the December quarter of 2024.

According to Milton Data, CRA members reported 30% YOY growth in total digital audio revenue¹, outpacing the broader IAB total digital audio market, which grew 18% YOY.

The Australian Internet Advertising Revenue Report (IARR), compiled by PwC, confirms podcast advertising expenditure as the fastest-growing reported format for the second consecutive quarter. Podcast ad spend grew 24.3% YOY, totaling $33.6 million in Q4 2024, reflecting increasing advertiser confidence.

“It’s pleasing to see CRA members driving digital audio growth and capturing a larger share of the market. This momentum highlights a shift in market dynamics towards premium locally produced content, demonstrating the growth of digital distribution reaching audiences on their terms, and the opportunity for advertisers to leverage scale and engagement that is efficient and effective” said Lizzie Young, Chief Executive Officer, CRA.

The growth in podcast advertising reflects strong audience engagement, with 11 million Australians tuning into podcasts monthly². Notably, 56% of 25–54-year-olds listen to podcasts at least once a month², presenting an exceptional opportunity for brands in this unique on demand environment.

The IAB data also showed that streaming audio advertising experienced double-digit growth YOY, maintaining steady progress and generating $56 million in Q4 2024. Additionally, as a subset of this format, online radio streaming also continues to make strides, with 42% of 25–54-year-olds listening to online radio streaming in the last month – a figure that has almost doubled since 2021³.

The full IAB Australia IARR report can be found here.

Sources:

(1): Milton Data

(2): Edison research, The Infinite Dial Australia 2024, Listened to a podcast in the last month, All People 10+ unless otherwise stated

(3): Edison Research, The Infinite Dial Australia 2024, Listened to AM/FM/DAB+ radio stations online in the last month, P25-54

As more Australian adults are diagnosed with ADHD, more questions are naturally arising. To shed light on coming to terms with a late diagnosis, the impacts, personality traits, gifts and challenges of ADHD, Cloud, a Life Uncut Production has now launched.

Hosted by broadcaster, podcaster and Life Uncut producer Keeshia Petit, Cloud is a 10-part mini-series podcast that will explore the intersection of ADHD with identity, relationships, career, and well-being. Each episode offers insight into a different aspect of ADHD from guests like Mark Manson, the author of ‘The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck,’ psychiatrist Dr Kieran Kennedy, focus and attention expert Johann Hari and international dating expert Logan Ury.

Inspired by Keeshia’s own late diagnosis with hyperactive and inattentive ADHD a year and a half ago, Cloud looks at how ADHD is a difference, not a deficit. The name derives influence from the experiences of many late-diagnosed women, including Keeshia, who describe finally feeling like a “cloud was lifted” after learning more about the different ways that their brains work and how they ‘fit’ into society.

Keeshia Pettit, Host of Cloud said: “I spent a lot of my life feeling as though I wasn’t fully present for it. There is a lot of airtime going to ADHD right now, but Cloud feels like a different type of conversation. This series breaks down some of the existing narratives about what people with ADHD are like and focuses on the ways that we can lift the cloud on the different ways our brains are wired so that we can live fulfilling and present lives.”

Cloud marks the first production from the team behind Australia’s #1 Relationship and award-winning podcast Life Uncut, which was founded by co-hosts Brittany Hockley and Laura Byrne in 2019.

Brittany Hockley and Laura Byrne, Life Uncut co-founders said: “For the past six years Life Uncut’s primary focus has been to have the conversations that people have been having in private; conversations that empower and uplift women, which is why it is so exciting to expand the business with the launch of Life Uncut Productions. Kicking off this new venture with our first miniseries Cloud – hosted by our executive producer Keeshia Pettit – felt like the perfect way to do it. We all feel so very proud of this series and the incredible guests and conversations that it contains.”

The first two episodes of Cloud are now available on iHeart or wherever you get your podcasts, with a new episode dropping each week.

Alive 90.5 FM YOUR community radio station serving Parramatta, Cumberland and the Hills since 1992 https://www.alive905.com.au/.

Our station is run by volunteers, to entertain, inform, promote inclusiveness and resilience in our communities. Our programs include Breakfast and Drive with regular news, weather and traffic updates, special guests, plus a range of special interest programs. You’ll also hear a wide range of special interest programs catering to different music interests, cultures, languages and communities.

Key Activities: Broadcasting news, events and special interests of residence of Parramatta, Cumberland and the Hills Shire council. Our goal is to be the town square across a broad range of multicultural, first nations people, youth, older and LGBTQI communities. We undertake outdoor broadcasts where our volunteers engage directly with the community at a number of charitable and community events where Alive 90.5FM aims to ensure that Every Voice Matters and Every Beat Connects Us! We aim to empower and highlight voices of our communities through engaging interviews with local sport teams, community changemakers and local councils to ensure our listeners remain engaged with our community!

The Alive FM Board meets monthly between a virtual session and our physical station (Seven Hills Road, Balcombe Heights Estate, Baulkham Hills NSW 215. There are 10 to 11 Board meetings per year, with board papers being provided by the first Thursday of each month. Committee meetings (Programming, Information Technology and Social media and marketing) occur every Month. Meetings are held in person and online.

Alive 90.5FM is committed to providing a transparent and inclusive platform for all residents of Cumberland, Hills Shire and Parramatta City Council. We believe in fostering an open channel of communication, ensuring that everyone in our community has the opportunity to connect and express themselves through our accessible services. Our diverse range of programming reflects our dedication to serving the varied interests and needs of our audience.

Responsibilities

Alive 90.5FM Cumberland Community Radio invites applications from eligible individuals who wish to be considered to fill a Casual Vacancy on the Board. The role of a director is a voluntary position.

The Board is seeking to balance the skills across the Board and hence is considering a variety of capabilities to fill this position. Those capabilities being considered include:

• Community Engagement
• PR & Communications
• Information Technology
• Sponsorship, Media and Partnership Management

Selection Criteria

The nomination process is being run by the Nominations Committee who will conduct the interviews in Quarter 1 2025 Candidates should possess the following personal attributes:

• A commitment to the highest standards of governance and integrity
• Demonstrated passion and time to make a genuine and active contribution to the Alive 90.5FM Community, Board and committees
• Well-developed strategic thinking capabilities and ability to contribute to the effective decision-making of the Board
• Excellent communication skills with a collaborative approach
• Experience in broadcasting is preferred but not mandatory

Candidates will be expected to provide the following if shortlisted for the position:

• Working with Children check; National Police Check;
• Alive 90.5 Membership

The official Australian Podcast Ranker has been released by Commercial Radio & Audio (CRA) and Triton Digital. Below are the top five charts for January. The complete charts can be viewed here.

January 2025 reached an average weekly listenership of 5.5 million, reflecting a 15% increase compared to the same period in 2024. This growth has been driven by an expanding and diversifying roster of participating publishers, showcasing the increasing appetite for on-demand audio content.

About the Australian Podcast Ranker

The Australian Podcast Ranker is a monthly snapshot of the top 200 podcasts listened to by Australians, the top 200 Australian podcasts, the 20 biggest publishers and the 20 most successful podcast sales representatives.

The Australian Podcast Ranker is an industry initiative commissioned by CRA and published by Triton Digital. Results comply with IAB Podcast Measurement Technical Guidelines.

December to February was the ABC’s strongest summer on record for listeners across our on demand audio content.

Engagement with our audio on demand content has grown throughout January with the first two weeks of February the strongest ever for on demand content. There were 2.38 million stream starts in the week commencing 2 February and 2.37 million in week commencing 9 February via the listen app, according to our internal measures*.

ABC SPORT was a significant driver of audiences across December and January. Audiences peaked in the week commencing 29 December during our coverage of the Australia v India test series with 744,000 live stream starts. Across the summer period there were a total 59.7 million streaming minutes for ABC sport content**.

ABC and Australian exclusive Bluey Listen Along, audio-only versions of favourite Bluey episodes delivered 1.76 million listening minutes via the ABC listen app across January*.

ABC Director Audio, Ben Latimer said: “The ABC prioritised original, distinctive Australian content for our audience across the traditional non ratings summer period. We’re delighted our content has connected with more Australians than ever.”

The latest Triton results***, released today also demonstrate the strength of the ABC’s podcast offering. The ABC continues to be Australia’s 3^rd most listened to podcast network adding 140,000 listeners for 2.5 million listeners across January, up 275,000 listeners when compared to January 2024.

The ABC has more titles in the top 200 than any other publisher, with 27 of our titles featuring in the January ranker. ABC News Top Stories was the second most listened to podcast in January and we had 3 podcasts in the top 10 for the first time since October 2024, with Conversations improving by one rank to #6 and ABC News Daily climbing three ranks to #8.

Other highlights from our podcast slate were The ABC Tennis Podcast which returned to the ranker at #85 thanks to our partnership with the Australian Open and ABC SPORT Daily up 44 places to #36. Radio National Breakfast also jumped 31 places to #104 and added 15,000 listeners.

The full Triton Australian Podcast Ranker can be found here.

Audiences can enjoy all the ABC’s podcasts, live radio and sport content for free and ad free on ABC listen.

*Source Snowplow.

**Summer period defined as (15/12/24 – 25/01/25).

*** The Triton Australian Podcast Ranker is a regular monthly snapshot of Australia’s most popular podcasts. The Ranker has been reporting podcast listening in Australia since 2019 and includes a wide cross section of Australian podcast publishers, from both radio and non-radio backgrounds.

Wednesday February 19, 2025 – SCA today announced the promotion of Carla Mathisen to Head of Sales Brisbane.

Mathisen will oversee the strategic direction and growth of SCA’s sales teams in Brisbane, driving revenue and fostering relationships with clients and agencies. She will play a key role in solidifying SCA’s position in Brisbane as a market leader in the audio and media industry.

Having spent a decade at SCA, Mathisen’s career trajectory has seen her rise through the ranks from Account Manager to Group Sales, and most recently to Head of Agency Sales in 2023.

Mathisen steps into the role held by Hamish Rose, who has spent 13 years with SCA including the last five years as Head of Sales in Brisbane. Rose has made the decision to embark on a new path, to become a valued SCA client, joining McDonald’s as a future licensee.

Throughout his tenure Hamish has led Brisbane’s sales team, served as national lead of SCA’s Boomtown Radio Specialist team and was instrumental in securing representation of the ACE Radio Network. Hamish departs SCA Brisbane with a strong reputation, both internally and externally.

Carla Mathisen said, “I am both excited and humbled to take on this role as the next step in my career with SCA. The Brisbane market – clients, agencies and colleagues – are what make it such a rewarding and collaborative industry. I’m very grateful to Hamish, for his mentorship and guidance. As I embark on this new chapter, I’m filled with a sense of pride and responsibility to make a meaningful impact, and I look forward to sharing my passion and energy with the team to drive continued success and growth.

Hamish Rose spoke to his change of career, “My time at SCA has been nothing short of amazing and I’m truly grateful for the variety of opportunities I’ve had to expand my career. Radio has always been in my blood and always will be. The team at SCA is one of a kind and their unwavering support has meant the world to me. Now, the time feels right for a fresh challenge, and I’m thrilled for this next chapter. I couldn’t be more excited to hand over the reins to Carla, an immensely respected colleague and a truly outstanding leader. I have every confidence that under her guidance, the team will continue to thrive and reach new heights.”

Luke Minto, SCA’s National Head of Audio Sales said, “Brisbane SCA is an audio powerhouse and a market leader for audience ratings and revenues. With Carla stepping in as Head of Sales, we are fortunate to have a well-respected and strong people leader who will continue to drive growth for our clients alongside our talented sales teams.

“Hamish has been both a brilliant executive and a good human, building strong business acumen across various roles within SCA. We wish him the very best in his new venture and I’m grateful for his kind offer to host my next birthday party at his new workplace. I have no doubt he’ll achieve great success in his new career.”

Carla Mathisen will report to Luke Minto, SCA’s National Head of Audio Sales, and will commence in the new role on April 28.

Spots & Space spotsandspace.com.au are looking for a full time Campaign Administrator to join our close-knit team in Redfern.

About us: in business for 30 years, we represent Australia’s diverse media sectors for advertising sales. The majority of our clients are national and government advertisers, seeking to communicate with diverse audiences including First Nations, disability media, community radio & TV, and, non-English speaking Australians.

About you: The Campaign Administrator is the primary contact person for our many media partners.  Based full time in our Redfern office, and reporting to the Financial Director, the key responsibilities of the job are:

• All aspects of acquitting a media campaign from start to finish – generating media bookings, placing and confirming the bookings with the media, monitoring live campaigns, assisting with materials dispatch and post-campaign reporting.
• Liaise with media partners, maintaining accurate contacts, and recording communication and activity within company CRM system
• Gathering and maintaining up to date information about the media including rates, audiences, key events and personnel
• Assisting to engage and contract new media partners
• Contributing as part of the team, attending meetings, reporting and planning sessions.
• General office administration tasks, including answering phones, data entry and other tasks as needed.

Spots & Space has well-established processes and you will be fully trained to use our systems. This is a detail-oriented administrative role requiring the maturity to work autonomously and as part of a small team.  The work is deadline driven so your ability to prioritise and manage your workload is critical. Your strong organisational skills, excellent communications and attention to detail will make you successful in the role.

Essential

• A high level of attention to detail with proven ability to complete work accurately and with minimum supervision
• Highly organised with the ability to multitask and meet deadlines
• Clear and concise written and verbal communication skills including negotiation and problem-solving
• Excellent computer skills, particularly with Excel
• Team player with a positive attitude and eagerness to learn

  Desirable

• Familiarity with Mac Operating Systems
• Some experience with basic bookkeeping and the features of accounting software

Think you’re a good fit for us? We would love to hear from you! Please submit your resume and a cover letter to mailto:accounts@spotsandspace.com.au

A competitive salary reflecting your experience will be negotiated with the successful candidate. (circa $65,000 – $75,000 per year) All candidates must have unrestricted working rights in Australia.