Tim Bowden

ABC Managing Director David Anderson has paid tribute to former radio and television broadcaster and author Tim Bowden, who has died aged 87.

Many Australians will be saddened to hear Tim has died. He was for several decades one of our pre-eminent journalists and broadcasters, a storyteller whose curiosity for the world around him was valued by so many of our audiences.

Tim was a correspondent based in Asia and North America during the turbulence of the 1960s and helped Australians understand the overseas events that were having such an impact on Australia and our neighbours in the region. Tim was part of the generation of ABC journalists who brought those events and their meaning into Australian homes every night.

In 1969 Tim was the first executive producer of the radio current affairs program PM, before becoming a producer with the ground-breaking television current affairs program This Day Tonight.

In 1975 Tim joined the ABC’s Radio Drama and Features Department and began making radio documentaries. In the mid-1980s he set up Radio National’s Social History Unit and presented radio documentary and feature programs, Talking History and That’s History.

Tim was perhaps best known as the host of much-loved ABC TV program Backchat from 1986 – 1994 and for his amazing documentaries on Australian research in the Antarctic that produced footage still seen today. He received an Order of Australia for services to public broadcasting in June 1994.

Tim was part of the fabric of the ABC for decades and made a huge contribution to the national public broadcaster and to the nation. He was generous to his colleagues and was known as much for his sense of humour as his passion for journalism and the ABC.

Our condolences go to Tim’s family and many friends and colleagues.

Online Audio: digital’s fastest growing reported revenue channel, up 24% in FY24

Commercial Radio & Audio (CRA) has welcomed figures that show podcast and streaming audio advertising expenditure increased 23.6% year on year in FY24, to $290 million.

Total online audio advertising is the fastest growing display category, according to the Australian Internet Advertising Revenue Report (IARR), compiled by PwC and released today by IAB Australia.

The report also shows strong quarterly growth, with the total of $78.9 million for the June Quarter 2024 surpassing the December Quarter 2023 peak of $77.8 million.

Lizzie Young, CRA Chief Executive Officer, said the results were particularly pleasing off the back of GfK Survey 5 data which showed commercial radio share had reached its highest level since 2014.

“Commercial radio continues to grow its audiences, and one of the reasons is audio is everywhere – whether listeners are tuning into broadcast radio, DAB, or a podcast, audio is in their cars, at home, and with them via their phone,” said Ms Young.

“The FY24 results from IAB are incredibly strong, with total online audio ad spending up 23.6% on FY23, making it the fastest growing display category.

“Advertisers are increasingly investing in online audio because it delivers both audience trust and accessibility.”

The total Australian online audio advertising market in FY24 was $290 million ($185 million streaming and $105 million podcast), representing 4.7% of total general display ad spending for the year.

“The IARR report also shows expenditure on podcast advertising increased by a massive 32% in the June Quarter compared to the March Quarter,” said Ms Young.

“We expect to see more advertisers investing in podcasts, as their popularity continues to increase, as we saw in our first Australian Podcast Bi-Annual Report, released last week.”

The report showed average monthly podcast listeners up increased almost 9% in the first half of 2024 compared to last year.

AFTRS is ‘Right Here, Right Now’ with a pop-up broadcast

AFTRS FM (L-R) Kyle Bachner, Ella Carter, Grace Cooper and T Michaelides

For the third time this year, AFTRS Graduate Diploma of Radio and Podcasting students are taking to the airwaves with a pop-up broadcast. From Monday 2 September to Friday 14 September, AFTRS FM will tackle the issues that impact students – like cost-of-living, social media, pop culture, and more.

Following the 30th year of Show Radio in April, and regional broadcast 2NRS in June, AFTRS FM will see students produce and package a daily 30-minute factual talk broadcast, with support from guest air checkers, mentors and coaches from across the industry including Greg Byrnes from 9 Entertainment, Fiona Ellis Jones and Naomi Lynch from ARN, and Rob Mailer and Jodie Gunders from the ABC.

AFTRS FM will stream live on iHeart weekdays from 3pm, and appear as an on-demand podcast, from Monday 2 September to Friday 14 September, with ‘best ofs’ airing Saturday 7 and 15 September from 7am to 7:30am. Students will also publish stories online and across social media channels.

AFTRS Discipline Lead, Radio and Podcasting, Andrea Ho says, “So much great audio comes from generating ideas and landing talent, and working to deadline. AFTRS FM sets the students a real workout with all of these skills, while they give voice to issues that matter to them and the broader audience.”

Head of Content, Nine Radio and AFTRS alum Greg Byrnes will support the students with airchecks. Greg says, “All broadcasters feed off adrenaline when the mic goes live. There’s nothing like it and when AFTRS FM launches this week students will be experiencing that buzz, some for the first time. It’s a wonderful opportunity which allows them to put all that theory into real time deadlines. News content is a key programming ingredient and I’m looking forward to working with the class of 2024 on their writing and presentation during this year’s broadcast.

Graduate Diploma of Radio & Podcasting student Ella Carter says listeners can look forward to a cutting-edge daily talk program, podcast, and online news platform that blends news and current affairs with diverse perspectives, fostering a strong sense of community.

“As our third collaborative broadcast of the year, AFTRS FM will showcase the skills we’ve honed through previous coursework. Over the next two weeks, we’ll be crafting audio packages, writing for social media, working as a team, and operating the studio panel at AFTRS. It’s going to be a hectic yet rewarding experience!” Ella says.

Each unique collaborative broadcast provides us with an epic hands-on experience that not only boosts our skills in radio, but our individual confidence. We’re pumped and ready to go!”

Tune into AFTRS FM here.

Applications for the Graduate Diploma in Radio & Podcasting – offered flexibly, in person and online – close on 29 October 2024. There are a variety of scholarships available on offer that recognise excellence and assist with the costs associated with higher education. Available for 2025 are the ARN Radio and Podcasting Scholarship, CRA Regional Radio Scholarship, Equity Scholarships, supported by the Kenneth Myer Fellowship Trust, First Nations Scholarships, supported by the Kenneth Myer Fellowship Trust, the Glenn Daniel Smooth FM Scholarship, the Glenn Wheatley EON Innovation Scholarship, and the Pariya Taherzadeh Radio & Podcasting Scholarship.

For more information visit Graduate Diploma in Radio and Podcasting.

LiSTNR, AUSTRALIA’S NO.1 PODCAST SALES REPRESENTATION NETWORK, HAS A NEW BFF AND HE IS A PRETTY BIG DEAL

LiSTNR, Australia’s largest sales representation podcast network^, has just welcomed one of the world’s biggest podcasts (and most famous boyfriends) to the LiSTNR audience network, with all episodes now available on LiSTNR. Travis Kelce, the star of Kansas City Chiefs and boyfriend of Taylor Swift, and his brother Jason Kelce, the former center of the Philadelphia Eagles, have signed their top-rated podcast New Heights to Wondery in a landmark deal.  LiSTNR’s exclusive sales representation partnership in Australia for all Wondery titles, allows Australian marketers to position their brands alongside one of the world’s hottest podcasts.

LiSTNR’s Australian ad-sales rights with the New Heights podcast, also includes the show’s back catalogue. With the third season kicking off in time for the new NFL season, the weekly podcast gives fans ‘next-level’ access to life in the league. The famous football brothers and Super Bowl champions provide insights and share unique perspectives on trending NFL news and sports headlines, plus they drop entertaining stories about their off-field interests and welcome special guests. The podcast has also found an entire new audience segment since Travis began dating Taylor Swift and started sharing news about their life.

Since LiSTNR partnered with premium podcast studio and publisher Wondery in 2022, as its exclusive Australian sales representative, the partnership has flourished. In July 2024, LiSTNR represented the sales of 59 titles in the Australian Podcast Ranker Top 200 Podcasts* (55% more than its closest competitor), which included many Wondery titles such as Morbid, MrBallen, RedHanded and British Scandal. This dominance will continue with an exciting new slate of podcasts scheduled for 2025.

LiSTNR continues to out-pace other digital audio brands in Australia with SCA’s FY24 full-year results confirming that LiSTNR achieved underlying EBITDA profitability in the fourth quarter of FY24 and a 42% increase of annual digital revenue on FY23. Furthermore, digital revenue in H2 FY24 was up 57% on H2 FY23^^.

“With more than 2 million signed-up listeners^^, sales and content partnerships with some of the world’s biggest publishers, and our advanced AdTech Hub, LiSTNR provides our clients new innovative and targeted audience capabilities, setting us apart as one of the most experienced, data-led and privacy compliant digital audio companies in Australia,” Executive Head of LiSTNR Podcasts, Grant Tothill, said.

“The best-in-class LiSTNR AdTech Hub has been a genuine game-changer for the Australian digital audio industry, business owners, marketers and media agencies, offering an irresistible audience-focused proposition with proven results,” concluded Tothill.

Weekly episodes of New Heights, and the entire back catalogue, are now available on LiSTNR.

Sources:

^Australian Podcast Ranker – Top Sales Representatives – July 2024

*Australian Podcast Ranker Top 200 Podcasts – July 2024

^^SCA FY24 Investor Presentation

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

2024 Community Broadcasting Awards Finalist Schedule

It’s a big year for the 2024 Community Broadcasting Awards, taking place at the CBAA Conference on the Gold Coast on October 19. We’ve had over 300 entries in over 20 categories, in a new format designed to better recognise the structures and people in the sector. We’ll be announcing the finalists on our Facebook page over the coming week, be sure to follow if you haven’t already!

Day Category Time (AEDT)
Tuesday 3/09/24 Best Program: Music 10am
  Best Program:  New 12pm
  Best Program: News & Current Affairs 2pm
  Best Program: Talks 4pm
Wednesday 4/09/24 Excellence in Special Events & Outside Broadcasting 10am
  Outstanding Fundraising & Sponsorship Contribution 12pm
  Excellence in Station Resilience & Development 2pm
  Excellence in Production 4pm
Thursday 5/09/24 Excellence in Australian Music 10am
  Excellence in Community Engagement 12pm
  Excellence in Disability Content & Engagement 2pm
  Excellence in Fundraising & Sponsorship 4pm
Friday 6/09/24 Excellence in Indigenous Content & Engagement 10am
  Excellence in Multicultural Content & Engagement 12pm
  Outstanding Presenter 2pm
  Outstanding Presenter News & Current Affairs 4pm
The Troy Garner Award – Best Program: Sports 6pm
Saturday 7/09/24 Outstanding Production Contribution 10am
  Outstanding Technical Contribution 12pm
  Outstanding Volunteer Contribution 2pm
  Outstanding Youth Contribution 4pm
Outstanding Station Leadership 6pm

Online Audio: digital’s fastest growing reported revenue channel, up 24% in FY24

Commercial Radio & Audio (CRA) has welcomed figures that show podcast and streaming audio advertising expenditure increased 23.6% year on year in FY24, to $290 million.

Total online audio advertising is the fastest growing display category, according to the Australian Internet Advertising Revenue Report (IARR), compiled by PwC and released today by IAB Australia.

The report also shows strong quarterly growth, with the total of $78.9 million for the June Quarter 2024 surpassing the December Quarter 2023 peak of $77.8 million.

Lizzie Young, CRA Chief Executive Officer, said the results were particularly pleasing off the back of GfK Survey 5 data which showed commercial radio share had reached its highest level since 2014.

“Commercial radio continues to grow its audiences, and one of the reasons is audio is everywhere – whether listeners are tuning into broadcast radio, DAB, or a podcast, audio is in their cars, at home, and with them via their phone,” said Ms Young.

“The FY24 results from IAB are incredibly strong, with total online audio ad spending up 23.6% on FY23, making it the fastest growing display category.

“Advertisers are increasingly investing in online audio because it delivers both audience trust and accessibility.”

The total Australian online audio advertising market in FY24 was $290 million ($185 million streaming and $105 million podcast), representing 4.7% of total general display ad spending for the year.

“The IARR report also shows expenditure on podcast advertising increased by a massive 32% in the June Quarter compared to the March Quarter,” said Ms Young.

“We expect to see more advertisers investing in podcasts, as their popularity continues to increase, as we saw in our first Australian Podcast Bi-Annual Report, released last week.”

The report showed average monthly podcast listeners up increased almost 9% in the first half of 2024 compared to last year.

Australia Listens Up as Podcast Audiences Reach New Peaks

Podcast popularity continues to climb, with average monthly listeners up almost 9% in the first half of 2024 compared to last year, as detailed in the first Australian Podcast Bi-Annual Report released today by Commercial Radio & Audio (CRA) and Triton Digital.

Once primarily used during commutes and downtime, podcasts are now becoming an integral part of daily routines. While Thursday has emerged as the peak day for listening, audience engagement remains high throughout the entire week.

This shift is driven by the seamless integration of podcasts with mobile devices, which have become the preferred platform for on-the-go listening, allowing content to accompany users effortlessly.

CRA chief executive officer Lizzie Young said, “For Australians navigating a fast-paced lifestyle podcasts deliver unparalleled convenience with on-demand, personalised content that’s ready anytime and anywhere.”

Beyond capturing the morning crowd, podcasts are also reshaping the broader entertainment landscape. Society and Culture, True crime, and News continue to lead in popularity, while health and fitness, education, and family-friendly content are rising, reflecting the medium’s expanding diversity.

The data, compiled using Triton Digital’s Demo+ Podcast Audience Profiles, showed when it comes to genre preference, men are more inclined to listen to Comedy and Sports while women gravitate towards True Crime, Society and Culture, Health and Fitness, Education and Kids/Family. Notably, new podcast listeners are more likely to be people aged 18-34.

Although younger audiences continue to be a driving force behind the podcast boom, there’s been an increase in listening among various age groups, particularly men aged 25-54. This demographic expansion highlights podcasts’ broadening appeal and potential to reach audiences traditional media often overlooks.

Head here for the full Australian Podcast Bi-Annual Report: CRA – Australian Podcast Bi-Annual Report

SBS Board statement regarding SBS Non-Executive Director Mr Aaron Fa’Aoso

SBS Non-Executive Director Mr Aaron Fa’Aoso has advised the SBS Chairperson and Board of his intention to seek preselection as the Labor Party candidate for the seat of Mulgrave for the upcoming Queensland State election.

Noting SBS’s important role in providing independent and impartial coverage across its services and platforms and to avoid any perceived or actual conflict of interest, Mr Fa’Aoso has requested the Chair grant him a leave of absence from the Board for the relevant period, which has been agreed to.  The leave will come into effect immediately.

ABC signs MOU with Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI)

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been signed between the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and Indonesia’s public radio broadcaster Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI).

RRI President Director Hendrasmo and ABC International Head Claire M. Gorman signed the new agreement at the ABC offices in Sydney. A delegation of senior leadership from RRI and ABC International were in attendance to welcome the partnership.

The establishment of the MOU identifies the shared commitments of the ABC and RRI as public broadcasters in serving their national audiences with informative, educational and entertaining content and services.

The key tenets of the agreement endorse the strengthening of the relationship between the ABC and RRI through content sharing across programming, training of teams and personnel, media capacity building and the exchange of technical information.

ABC International Head Claire M. Gorman said: “We are proud to be partnering with RRI in this next chapter with future opportunities for collaborative endeavours through content and information exchange. This MOU expresses our mutual commitments as public broadcasters and the shared understanding of how we can best fulfil our obligations to our audiences across the region.”

President Director of RRI Hendrasmo said: “In this era of disruption, the key word is collaboration. We want to strengthen our institution, both in terms of content and human resources. This is one of the reasons why we are collaborating with the ABC. Moreover, developing human resources is our current priority, as we aim to remain strong and resilient in facing the era of change that is causing the media to experience difficult times.”

About ABC International Services

Since 1939, the ABC has been broadcasting to audiences overseas. The International division reaches an estimated 14,224,065 unique monthly overseas audiences through owned and operated platforms including ABC Australia, ABC Radio Australia and ABC websites and apps including ABC Pacific and ABC Asia. The ABC’s international audiences come from all corners of the globe. ABC Australia, the ABC’s international television service available in 37 markets throughout Asia and the Pacific, has a monthly viewership of at least 3,905,050. ABC Radio Australia, the ABC’s international radio service available via FM in the Pacific and Timor Leste, has a monthly listenership of at least 321,225. Outside Australia, ABC websites and apps have an average global monthly usership of 9,997,790 which includes approximately 7,505,085 users across the Americas, Europe and Africa and 1,865,655 users in Asia.

*Figures based on the ABC 2022-23 Annual Report

ABC Local radio grows in GfK survey 5

ABC Local Radio grew metro audiences for the third survey in a row in GfK survey 5. We are now reaching 1,746,000 Australians across the 5 cap cities every week, the highest reach this year.

Survey 5 also saw ABC Radio Adelaide join ABC Radio Brisbane as the number one reaching talk stations in their respective markets.

Breakfast on ABC Radio Brisbane grew +0.4pts for a 11% share making it the 1 AM Breakfast program in Brisbane.

In Adelaide, Sonya and Jules have gone from strength to strength since they started as co presenters of Breakfast at the beginning of the year.

Theirs is now the number 2 Breakfast program in the market with a12.8% share audiences tuning in to hear the pair bring all the highlights from the Paris Olympics.

The ABC continues to be Australia’s undisputed No.1 digital live streaming network across the five capital cities with a 25.9% share. The ABC has held the number 1 position since it became a measure in GfK.

ABC Head of Audio Ben Latimer said: “I am delighted to see the ABC increasing our audience this survey for our best result since Survey 8 2023.”

“The ABC reaches 7,498,000** Australians across our linear and digital live streaming each week, more than any other broadcaster and it is testament to the quality of the programming our teams are delivering.”

*All audience figures are based on GfK 5 Cap Cities, 24hrs. Sun to Sat unless otherwise stated.

** Based on GfK 5 City Metro and 3 regional markets. 24hrs; Mon-Sun; P10+; Inc DAB+; Latest survey results available (GfK Metro = S5 2024; GfK Regional = S2 for all markets). And Xtra Insights: 24hrs, Mon-Sun; Reach; Reach; Latest ratings results for all markets surveyed from 27/08/21 – 27/08/24; ABC Total Network including DAB+ when applicable.