Radio Industry News

CBAA’s submission to the inquiry into Australia’s live music industry, that spotlights the vital role that community broadcasters play in nurturing emerging talent, helping artists build their audience and income, promoting events and festivals, developing local live music capacity and innovating to bring more live music to their communities.

Read more about the incredible work our sector does for live music  here or on our submissions page.

• Have a close and co-operative relationship with local artists, live music venues, concert promoters and organisers.
• Manage programs, events and initiatives that are vital for artist development and career pathways.
• Support artist income with music licensing fees and event bookings and promotions.
• Host events and undertake activities that support skills development in music production, sound engineering, AV, promotions and event management that build local capacity in event and festival production

For the first time we have accompanied our written submission with a video submission. The video submission shares just a fraction of the incredible work community broadcasters do to connect their communities through live music. The video captures some of the brilliant examples of the mutually supportive relationship between live and local music and community radio:

Music credit: ‘Alive and Kicking’ by Noah Dillon (@NoahDillonmusic)
As performed live at RTRFM’s In the Pines 2023
Audio: CCA Productions
Audio Engineering: Eddie Curtis

Featuring:
– Dancingwater
– Cuckoo Coco
– Ethan Enoch
– Dameeeela
– MC Chosen
– Genesis Owusu
– Angie McMahon
– Amyl and the Sniffers
– New Boys
– Nikodimos
– Melanesian Pride
– Riley Clemmons
– Dina Indrasafitri
– Midnight Rangers
– Don Glori

Featured stations:
– 4ZZZ
– Triple R 102.7 FM
– RTRFM Perth
– PAKAM Radio
– PBS1067FM
– 99.9 Live FM
– 8CCC Radio

Survey Summary Reports (including DAB+)

Australian commercial radio continues to experience sustained year-on-year (YOY) growth, according to GfK Survey 4 2024, with 12.4 million listeners tuning in for an average of 12 hours and 47 minutes each week.

Commercial Radio & Audio (CRA) welcomed the latest results, revealing a notable increase of 168,000 listeners in commercial radio’s total audience. Of particular significance, the 25-54 age group showed a steady 2.9% rise YOY, reaching 6.1 million.

The appeal of breakfast radio and in-car consumption continues to be on the rise, with both maintaining their growth momentum. Breakfast saw a 3.4% increase, adding 290,000 listeners year-on-year, bringing the total to 8.9 million listeners. Meanwhile, in-car listeners grew by 5.1% year-on-year, reaching 10.2 million listeners. Over 82% of radio listeners tune in while driving, accounting for 34.9% of all commercial radio listening.

Streaming continues to thrive, with over a quarter (27.8%) of commercial radio’s audience opting to listen in this way. The survey shows an additional 147,000 listeners survey on survey embracing commercial radio streaming, totalling 3.4 million. This 4.5% rise highlights the growing importance of radio streaming.

“As digital platforms evolve, so does radio’s ability to reach audiences. Whether through streaming or traditional broadcasts, radio’s adaptability meets diverse listener needs,” said Jo Dick, CRA Chief Commercial Officer.

“The surge in streaming reflects a broader shift in consumer behaviour towards digital platforms. Commercial radio’s ability to innovate in this space underscores its enduring relevance,” she added.

All demographics saw an increase in streaming audiences survey on survey, with a 9.6% increase among listeners aged 40-54, and a nearly 6% increase in those aged 25-54.

Across the workday, streaming saw a robust 5% increase, with mornings and afternoons experiencing jumps of 5% and 6.5% respectively, versus previous survey.

Listeners to Commercial DAB+ only stations showed increased engagement, with Time Spent Listening (TSL) extending to 6 hours and 8 minutes. Mornings have experienced a significant lift, with nearly 7% more listeners and TSL extending by 13 minutes year-on-year.

Source: GfK 360 Radio Ratings, SMBAP S4 2024, compared to S4 2023, 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.

105.1 Triple M Melbourne has today confirmed a temporary Breakfast show: Triple M Breakfast with Wil Anderson, Dale ‘Daisy’ Thomas and Rosie Walton. The show will run through the AFL season until Friday, 4 October, featuring an all-star line-up of footy and great local comedy. A permanent Triple M Breakfast lineup will be announced at a later date.

Starting Monday 15 July, Wil Anderson, one of Australia’s most revered comedians, and Collingwood premiership player, Daisy Thomas, will bring their charm and down-to-earth humour to the Breakfast show. Joining them is Rosie Walton, a Triple M mainstay for more than 20 years, who is beloved by listeners and well-known for her work on The Hot Breakfast.

Triple M Breakfast will also include appearances from regular guests, including Melbourne Football Club captain Max Gawn, AFLW star Sarah Hosking, with more guests to be revealed.

Triple M Breakfast kicks off Triple M’s weekday lineup, including Workdays with Dangerous Dave, The Midweek Rub and for the drive home The Rush Hour with JB & Billy, which recently saw its best survey results since 2019*.

Wil Anderson said: “I am a huge fan of Rosie, Daisy, and Triple M. I’m ready to take off the sub vest and help the team charge towards a run deep into the finals. I reckon listeners are going to love what we’ve got ahead.”

Daisy Thomas said: “I’m pumped to be setting an early alarm and having a laugh with the Triple M family every day for breakfast.”

Rosie Walton said: “I grew up listening to Triple M Melbourne and it’s a privilege to be part of the station I love. I’m so excited to share the mornings with Wil and Daisy.”

Triple M Melbourne Content Director, Jay Mueller, said: “We are thrilled to have the expertise of Wil, Daisy and Rosie to guide Triple M Breakfast through to the end of the footy season. These are three fantastic people, passionate about radio, music, and footy, who will create a show Melburnians will absolutely love.”

Mark your calendar for Monday, 15 July. Listen to Melbourne’s Triple M Breakfast with Rosie, Wil, and Daisy, weekdays from 6-9am on 105.1 Triple M and LiSTNR.

Source: GFK Radio 360 Metro Survey #4 2024. P10+, Mon-Fri 16.00-18.00. Melbourne. Market Share (%).

About Triple M:

For more than 40 years, Triple M continues to be one of Australia’s best-known radio entertainment brands and the only radio network that provides its listeners with a unique combination of Greatest Hits, Sport and Comedy. With 49 stations across Australia, including six digital stations, Triple M 80s, Triple M Classic Rock, Triple M 2000s, Triple M Country, and Triple M 90s, Triple M has become known for playing Rock’s Greatest Hits, and its iconic talent and shows that get people talking.

The iconic brand entertains more than 4.6 million radio and on demand listeners each week and is home to some of Australia’s biggest sporting heroes, comedians and music gurus including Mick Molloy, Marty Sheargold, Mark Geyer, Gus Worland, Margaux Parker, Wendell Sailor, Ryan Girdler, Leisel Jones, James Brayshaw, Billy Brownless, Gorden Tallis, Greg Martin, Mark Ricciuto, Laura O’Callaghan, Chris Dittmar, Peter ‘Spida’ Everitt and Andrew Jarman to name just a few! All Triple M’s content is available live or on demand on the LiSTNR app.

#1 STATION AND #1 BREAKFAST SHOW: B105 Brisbane and Triple M Adelaide

#1 The Fox most listened to station in Melbourne – 5 in a row

#1 Hit Network Carrie & Tommy Drive show – 3 in a row

#1 in AFL and NRL footy

SCA has taken the win for the first half of 2024 as the no.1 home of the 25-54 key buying demographic, a title it has held for 24 consecutive surveys^ and maintaining its reign as Australia’s no.1 25-54 radio network.

SCA continues its winning streak as the no.1 radio network in the 25-54 men demographic and no.1 in women 25-54 demographic in today’s GfK Radio360 Metro Survey 4 2024.

SCA’s Hit and Triple M metro stations added to the wins for Survey 4 including :

• #1 station B105 Brisbane and Triple M Adelaide overall
• #1 Breakfast shows B105 Brisbane and Triple M Adelaide
• #1 Hit Network Carrie & Tommy Drive show
• #1 The Fox – most listened to station in Melbourne for 5 consecutive surveys with more than 1.22 million listeners
• #2 Triple M Brisbane overall and #2 Breakfast show

The close competition in the AFL and NRL footy season has seen SCA continue to dominate as the country’s no. 1 footy radio network:

•  #1 AFL broadcast in metro markets, reaching 733,000 people 10+ across the weekend in Melbourne, Adelaide & Perth**
• #1 AFL broadcast in metro markets, reaching 442,000 people 25-54 across the weekend in Melbourne, Adelaide & Perth (up 4.2%)**
• #1 NRL reach for people 10+ at 415,000^^
• #1 NRL reach for people 25-54 at 243,000 (up 6.6%)^^

SCA Chief Content Officer, Dave Cameron, said: “SCA has delivered another monster result nationally, increasing our lead in the commercially critical 25-54 ‘audience that matters’, well ahead of our competitors. B105 Brisbane and Triple M Adelaide have again held the number one crown, powered by their market-dominating Breakfast shows of Stav, Abby & Matt, and Roo, Ditts & Loz.

“In Melbourne, it’s becoming crystal clear that breakfast listeners are decisively committing to wanting locally relevant, family-friendly fun, with The Fox’s Fifi, Fev & Nick holding on to their ongoing strong results, likewise The Marty Sheargold Show achieving terrific growth in its final survey in Breakfast.

“At the other end of the day, SCA wins the drive home, with Carrie & Tommy cementing their position as Australia’s number one national Drive show for the third time in a row, alongside every one of Triple M’s state Rush Hour shows increasing their share. It’s also exciting to see Triple M hitting number one for the first time ever with Dave Gleeson in national Nights, and both Triple M’s AFL and NRL sports results achieving leadership domination.”

SCA Chief Commercial Officer, Seb Rennie, said: “SCA remains the no. 1 home of 25-to-54-year-olds – the audience that matters – once again this survey. The recent Infinite Dial*** report shows that radio has grown its audience to 81% of the population, or 18 million people: a rise of 2% on 2023. The 25-54 demographic are the biggest consumers of radio at 84% and online radio streaming among this demographic has doubled in three years. This is a compelling reason for advertisers to reach and engage with this important demographic at SCA.

“Combined with our SCA-ACE represented metro stations, the metro 25-54 audience share is 37.4%, extending our lead ahead of our nearest commercial competition by 12.7 share points.

“The NRL and AFL footy seasons are producing some fantastic tight games, and Triple M continues to provide the best commentary of the codes, our broadcasts are number one nationally and in their respective markets, with a strong connection with male audiences.”

Sources:

*GfK Radio 360 Metro Survey #4 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.
^24 surveys since Survey #5, 2021, FM & DAB+

** GfK Radio Ratings. Metro Survey 4, 2024. Melbourne – Thursday 1800-2230, Friday 1800-2230, Saturday 1200-2230, Sunday 1300-1930. Adelaide – Thursday 1800-2200, Friday 1730-2200, Saturday 1130-2200, Sunday 1230-1900. Perth – Thursday 1800-2030, Friday 1745-2030, Saturday 1000-2030, Sunday 1100-1730. P10+ / P 10-69 / P25-54 / P 10-69 / P25-54. Cume / Market Share %

^^ GfK Radio Ratings. Metro Survey 4, 2024. Sydney / Brisbane. – Thursday 1900-2200, Friday 1800-2000, Saturday 1200-1700, Sunday 1200-1600. P10+ / People 10-69 / People 25-54. Cume Reach / Market Share %

*** The Infinite Dial Australia 2024 – Edison Research and Commercial Radio & Audio (CRA)

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

TOTAL RADIO 

Nine’s talk stations have claimed triple gold in GfK Radio 360 Survey 4, with listeners declaring Sydney’s 2GB and Melbourne’s 3AW their No.1 station, and the stations’ Breakfast and Mornings programs sitting on top of the podium in commercial radio and streaming. 

In Sydney, 2GB recorded a 14.0 share (up 0.7) and in Melbourne, 3AW recorded 13.7 – stamping Nine’s live and local programs as the definitive agenda setters for listeners every day.

In the Breakfast shift, 2GB’s Ben Fordham Live is No.1 in Sydney with a share of 17.0 (up 0.4) and 3AW’s Breakfast with Ross and Russ is No.1 in Melbourne with 19.6.

The Ray Hadley Morning Show is No.1 for the 158th time – marking Hadley’s incredible 20th year of consecutive survey wins in Mornings, with a 16.4 share (up 1.1). Mornings with Tom Elliott also remains No.1 with Melbourne listeners, recording a dominant 15.7 share.

Nine Radio’s Head of Content, Greg Byrnes, said: “These results show Australians have turned to talk in big numbers, and as the home of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Nine’s talk stations have laid the foundations for another dominant year in 2024.

“The number one results in Sydney and Melbourne, along with the record cume result in Perth, highlight the strength of our always on, live and local content.

“Talk radio is relentless. what Ray Hadley has achieved today is truly remarkable and he’d be the first to thank his hundreds of thousands of listeners who tune in every day right around the country.”

STREAMING

Nine Radio is the No.1 destination for live audio listeners across the country, with a commercial streaming share of 26.9.

2GB and 3AW are No.1 in overall commercial streaming, with a 29.7 and 26.5 share respectively, as well as across all main standard sessions.

Breakfast and Mornings saw significant listener numbers, with Ben Fordham out in front with a commercial streaming share of 43.9 (up 3.3) and Ross and Russ recording a dominant commercial streaming share of 35.8.

Mornings at 2GB and 3AW also recorded a No.1 commercial streaming share with a 28.8 for Ray Hadley and 33.6 for Tom Elliott (up 4.2), respectively.

Greg Byrnes, said: “For over a year now the Radio360 data has highlighted Nine Radio’s dominance in streaming. Listening via a connected device is fast becoming the preferred way to consume talk radio – it sounds better, it’s easily accessible and more and more Australians are finding that out for themselves.”

PODCASTS 

Australians’ appetite for Nine’s ratings-leading talk and opinion remains high with more than 644,000 listeners tuning into Nine Radio catch up podcasts in June, and the network recording more than 1.7M downloads.

As winter hits in the southern states, Nine’s premier sporting content is firing listeners up, with the 3AW Football catch up podcast reaching more than 72,000 listeners – up a remarkable 46% MoM – and 3AW Wide World of Sports posting an impressive 36% MoM increase, with more than 34,000 listeners. The Continuous Call Team also posted a 45% MoM increase in catch up listeners.

Nine’s Head of Podcasts and Digital Content, Mia Stern said: “Sport is a key pillar of our content programming and with the Olympic Games just 17 days away, we’re thrilled to see the appetite from listeners continue to grow across our sport catch up programs.

“Aussies are some of the most passionate sports fans in the world and Nine Radio will be the number one destination for catch up listeners later this month, as we deliver every moment of the Olympic and Paralympic as Australia’s official broadcaster.”

Source: GfK Radio360 Ratings, Survey 4 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, June 2024, Downloads, Listeners, Nine Entertainment, unless otherwise specified.