Radio Industry News

National broadcaster SBS mounts case that media buyers need to focus on 35-64s demographic at SBS 2025 Upfronts.

Launches “The Premium Effect” highlighting the incremental reach that a media buy with SBS achieves.

Highlights uncluttered ad environment with only five minutes per hour of advertising and the unique audience achieved across SBS and SBS On Demand.

Hybrid funded national broadcaster SBS has used its 2025 Upfronts to challenge the industry over their ongoing focus on “outdated” narrow demographics, such as 25-54s, when it comes to buying audiences on television and broadcast video on demand.

Speaking at the Sydney Town Hall event, Keiran Beasley, National Sales Manager – TV and Digital, argued that smart brands were increasingly changing their briefs to media owners to recognise that the historical 25-54s demographic is no longer the pre-eminent category for driving consumer spend.

“It is no secret that Australians are facing a challenging economy and, in particular, a cost-of-living crisis which is particularly affecting younger people,” said Beasley. “Our challenge for this room amid a difficult economic environment is: why are we continuing to make the historical – and daresay I say outdated – demographic of 25-54s the keystone of television buying?

“Smart marketers are already seeing the benefits of briefing us against a 40+ or 35-64s demographic. The research clearly highlights that 40+ demographics have a strong disposable income and are looking to spend.” Beasley highlighted recent research from CommBank which showcased how total spend was going backwards among younger demographics, but was strong among older age groups.

“The numbers don’t lie. In the current economy those aged 25-34 have reduced cash for discretionary items and are eroding their savings for daily essentials. Now compare that to those aged 40+ who have higher disposable incomes and greater financial security.”

SBS also launched “The Premium Effect” research, which highlights the cost-per-reach efficiency across TV and BVOD that can be achieved by allocating 10% of a client’s linear TV budget and 27% of the BVOD budget to SBS, delivering 19% and 18% campaign cost savings respectively.

“This independent research once again proves the value of including SBS as an important part of your campaign,” said Beasley. “We have updated our research – to validate the findings for a VOZ world. At a time of transformation in the TV landscape SBS remains an essential part of any TV and BVOD schedule.”

Commenting on the need for a demographic rethink and the new “The Premium Effect” research, Jane Palfreyman, SBS Chief Marketing and Commercial Officer, noted: “For marketers and agencies, SBS needs to be part of their media schedule. We have a high value, hard to reach audience that is difficult to find elsewhere.”

The network also highlighted its unique advertising proposition of an uncluttered environment with only five minutes of advertising per hour and an audience which is very different to its free-to-air TV rivals.

“When you buy SBS you are buying a different type of consumer,” said Beasley. “The research shows clearly it’s not the same viewer as our traditional counterparts and especially with SBS On Demand we are playing in a premium pool of viewers who are not always easy to reach elsewhere.”

Having signed a new, seven-year agreement that retained Triple M Network’s exclusive FM metro broadcast rights and digital audio and metro DAB+ rights for cricket, Triple M has now unveiled its unrivalled cricket commentary team for summer.

For the first time in Australia, India will take on the Aussies across five Test matches and Triple’s M stellar commentary line up will be there for every ball, boundary and wicket. Leading the network’s ‘first XI’ commentary team is cricketing icon, former Australian captain and Triple M’s Mark Taylor AO, who will be joined behind the mic by James Brayshaw and Mark Howard along with Australian cricketers Merv Hughes, Greg Blewett, Mark Waugh AM, Brad Haddin, Callum Ferguson and Isabelle Westbury. The line up is bolstered by international cricket royalty Lord Ian Botham OBE and Triple M’s Dan Ginnane, with further names to be announced soon.

Throughout a hot summer of cricket, Triple M and LiSTNR will broadcast the Australian men’s international games played in Australia, including Tests, One Day Internationals and T20 internationals, and the three Australian women’s T20 international games against England. The games will be broadcast on Triple M stations in the five metro cities and are available to stream on LiSTNR, meaning cricket fans never have to miss a minute of the action on Triple M.

The first match to be broadcast on Triple M and streamed on LiSTNR will be played on Monday, 4 November, when the Australian men’s team takes on Pakistan in a One Day International at the MCG.

Mark Taylor AO said: “I’m looking forward to what will be an exciting summer of cricket, both on the field and in the Triple M commentary box. The cricket will no doubt be very competitive with the Aussies looking to avenge recent series losses to India here in Australia. I’m personally looking forward to watching it all unfold and the fun that we will have commentating on it. Bring it on!”

SCA Head of Sports Content, Ewan Giles, said: “Triple M’s cricket coverage this summer is going to be huge. We have five tests of the Aussies v India, the one-day-ers and T20 games. Plus, the team is excited to be calling the women’s matches. Whilst it gets hot out on the pitch, it also heats up in the commentary box and I know the team is fired up for the first match next week when the Aussies take on Pakistan in the day-night One Day International.”

Don’t miss a moment of Triple M Rocks Cricket across the metro Triple M network and also hear it all anytime, anywhere on LiSTNR. To catch the cricket action on LiSTNR, simply download the LiSTNR app and sign-up to listen for free.

Find images here

 

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 Rock’s Greatest Hits, Sport and Comedy. With 49 stations across Australia, including DAB+ stations, Triple M 80s, Triple M 90s, Triple M 2000s, Triple M Almost Acoustic, Triple M Classic Rock and Triple M Country, Triple M has become known for playing the greatest hits, good times and its iconic talent and shows that get people talking.

The iconic brand entertains more than 3.17 million radio and on demand listeners each week and is home to some of Australia’s biggest sporting heroes, comedians and music gurus including Marty Sheargold, Mick Molloy, Mark Geyer, Margaux Parker, Leisel Jones, James Brayshaw, Billy Brownless, Gorden Tallis, Greg Martin, Mark Ricciuto, Laura O’Callaghan, Chris Dittmar and Peter ‘Spida’ Everitt to name just a few! All Triple M’s content is available live or on demand on the LiSTNR app.

How did Australia go from a White Australia policy to a multicultural country? Journey through the milestones that created a nation of immigrants with host and journalist Janak Rogers.

Australia Fair is the new SBS podcast with some challenging history lessons for everyone who calls Australia home, chronicling the key moments contributing to our national identity.

Interviewing academics and high-profile Australians, host Janak Rogers travels back in time to examine everything from ‘blackbirding’ South Pacific Islanders and settling ‘Ten-Pound Poms’, to attitudes towards the first Vietnamese refugees arriving on Australian shores by boat and African youth ‘crime gangs’. The series charts Australia’s growing pains through successive waves of immigration, and our nation’s ongoing efforts to make multiculturalism work.

“Australia Fair is a podcast that examines the contradictions of being a modern multicultural country where some racist attitudes continue to prevail. The podcast looks for ways forward while shedding light on what is, at times, a very dark history,” he said.

“I’ve always thought deeply about my own identity and connection to this country. I was born in Australia, but my mother was an Indian socialite and my father a British soldier. No one looked like me growing up, so I couldn’t help but question whether I belonged here and what it means to be Australian.

“As a storyteller, I also think it’s crucial we consider what stories we tell and who tells them. Australia Fair has a wide line-up of guests who all have a story and a voice in this conversation, from politicians and experts, to refugees, activists, and more.”

Australia Fair also includes a huge range of archive audio and news clips documenting the changing voices of the nation over time.

Australia Fair is available to listen now on the SBS Audio app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, LiSTNR and wherever else you stream podcasts.

Australia Fair was soft launched on Monday 21 October, and officially released on Monday 28 October.

For further information or interview requests please contact:

Deb Han | deborah.han@sbs.com.au | 0451 855 711

Episode summary:

The eight-episode series captures key moments in Australian history:

• Episode one starts with those who were here first – Australia’s First Nations peoples. Featuring lawyer and environmental activist Jacqui Katona, Senator Lidia Thorpe, former Australian Race Discrimination Commissioner Tim Soutphommasane, and more, Rogers delves into the economic and racial motivations behind maintaining a white majority.

• The discovery of gold brings gold fever and anti-Chinese sentiments that continue today. From invasion fears to discrimination during the COVID-19 pandemic, Rogers speaks with screenwriter and director of SBS’s award-winning series New Gold Mountain, Corrie Chen.

• What did Australians think of the White Australia policy in the years following Federation? Rogers delves into the shameful history of ‘blackbirding’ South Pacific Islanders, where people were tricked or forced into indentured labour, interviewing guests like founding chair of the Association of South Sea Islanders, Emelda Davis, who shares her family’s personal story.

• Post-war Australia was focussed on racially-driven policies to ‘populate or perish’, including settling British migrants for 10 pounds, later known as the ‘Ten-Pound Poms’. Rogers also speaks with Holocaust survivor Peter Gaspar and visits Bonegilla, where hundreds of thousands of post-war migrants were held on their arrival to Australia. Rogers also shares his own family story of immigration.

• The Vietnam War led to a wave of migration as refugees fled and the White Australia policy was abandoned. Prominent Vietnamese-Australians join the conversation including Ms Dai Le MP, former journalist and Member for Fowler; Tu Le, lawyer and former politician; and Tam Tac Lam, who arrived on the first refugee boat from Vietnam in 1976.

• Episode six captures key moments in history under the Howard Government including 9/11, the 2001 Tampa affair, and the ‘children overboard’ scandal. Assadullah Nazari, a survivor of Tampa, shares their reflections. Award-winning Kurdish writer and human rights activist Behrouz Boochani speaks of his years in detention on Manus Island, and we hear from refugees stuck in limbo for over a decade in Australia.

• Much closer to the present day, Rogers unpacks the narrative around African ‘gangs’ and crime waves exploring how media coverage directly affects communities. Communityactivist Bol Mayan, journalist Jim Malo,and filmmaker Mariam Koslay share their stories.

• The season finale of Australia Fair tackles the profound effects of the Israel-Gaza conflict on Australia’s social fabric and the surge in anti-Semitic and Islamophobic incidents. Independent Senator Fatima Payman joins Rogers to talk about her outspoken criticism of Israel and departure from the Labor Party.

Nine today announces the launch of Nine Audio: Finance, a new premium short-form advertising solution adjacent to the network’s finance reports that will enhance the Nine Audio offering and allow for brands to connect with audiences during crucial “lean-in” moments.

With finance content never being in more demand, Nine Audio: Finance is designed to meet growing demand in the finance category and will provide an additional 10 second high-frequency, standalone audio advertising solutions and prominently feature across Nine’s audio assets.

It builds on the success of the Nine Traffic Network (NTN) to expand the range of premium advertising contextual opportunities and create a compelling solution for clients.

Contextual advertising has proven to increase purchase intent by up to 37% (Nielsen Catalina 2024) and allows Nine Audio’s highly-respected finance reports to provide a premium environment for brands to tap into the daily finance conversation.

This new initiative will debut alongside existing premium finance content, with reports airing hourly. Brands will be able to leverage the Nine Audio: Finance reports, which include:

• Finance updates airing hourly from 6 am to 7 pm, and from 5:30 am to 8:30 am during Breakfast.
• Adjacent 10-second short-form ad spots, complementing 30-second ads and other finance assets such as Money News.

Additionally, Nine Audio: Finance will offer a range of content under its umbrella, including:

• Sponsorship and integration opportunities with the Money News Show.
• Money News Catch Up and Market Wrap podcasts.
• Finance updates in key programs across the day, including “UNPACKED,” a segment focused on finance topics such as investing.
• Digital audio coverage across news, business, and finance categories, targeting relevant audience data segments.
• Further premium ad products in finance, with upcoming extensions into sport and weather.

“Nine Audio: Finance is a game-changer for advertisers in the finance sector,” said Nine’s Director of Sales – Total Audio, Ashley Earnshaw. “It’s a premium, brand-safe environment that allows brands to leverage the higher trust and credibility associated with finance content while connecting with audiences during moments of high engagement.”

Nine Audio: Finance will launch on October 28, with additional audio verticals planned to follow in the new year. 

The disturbing case of a suburban grandmother who orchestrated the murder of her ex-partner via a woodchipper takes centre stage in the new LiSTNR exclusive docuseries, Crime In Focus: Killer Charm.

Host and acclaimed investigative journalist Tara Cassidy examines how and why Queensland woman Sharon Graham coerced two lovers to stage Bruce Saunders’ death as an accident on a friend’s rural property.

After five years of following the story Cassidy uncovered new information about Sharon Graham and the case, and secured interviews with Graham’s former best friend, as well as her daughter and several ex-lovers who are speaking out for the very first time.

In the six-part series, listeners get access to forensic evidence, witness statements, never-before-heard covert surveillance recordings and police interviews. The investigation exposes patterns of control, greed and coercion, and sheds light on the dangers of how these behaviours emerged in a seemingly harmless woman.

Graham, who was fondly referred to as ‘Muffin’ by those close to her, was more than 90 kilometres away from the scene when the murder took place. However, prosecutors were able to successfully prove that she convinced one of her lovers into committing the crime, and another to help cover it up.

Tara Cassidy was the only journalist who attended every day of Graham’s murder trial and mistrials, giving her unique insights into the case in order to piece together a narrative of multiple murder plots, a complex and tangled love quadrangle, and a long-standing trail of coercion. Her coverage delves into the dark motivations behind Graham’s actions and exposes the intricate web of deceit that ensued.

“This case has intrigued me from the moment it came to light,” Tara Cassidy said. “As an investigative journalist I have covered every step of it and, in this series, I explore what drives someone to such extremes and discover if there were signs that went unnoticed before tragedy struck.

“I was able to secure unheard surveillance recordings and interviews with some of the key people in Sharon’s life, including her own daughter, to give listeners a front row seat to one of Queensland’s most notorious murder cases in recent history.”

LiSTNR Head of Factual, Clair Weaver, said: “The LiSTNR factual team continues to deliver our audiences compelling investigative true crime stories including this extraordinary case. Crime in Focus: Killer Charm promises a fascinating exploration of human behaviour and the consequences of coercion.”

Episodes one and two of Crime in Focus: Killer Charm is available exclusively on LiSTNR. New episodes of the six-part series drop on Wednesdays. To listen to Crime In Focus: Killer Charm, download the LiSTNR app and sign-up to listen for free.

Sharon Graham and Gregory Roser have lodged appeals against their murder convictions.

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

ABC NEWS was once again Australia’s No 1 digital news brand for the month of September, according to the latest Ipsos iris rankings.

Across the month, more Australians got their online news from ABC NEWS than any other publisher.

More than 11.8 million Australians visited ABC NEWS online, spending on average 33 minutes per person.

The result follows the August rollout of the improved ABC NEWS website with a new design, features and functionality. An improved version of the ABC NEWS app is also currently in beta testing.

This year’s Community Broadcasting Awards were an exciting one for the sector, as we marked the 50th anniversary of both the CBAA’s formation and the birth of community broadcasting in Australia. We also marked the revamp of our awards, with a format better suited to capturing the diversity of our sector. Congratulations to everyone nominated, the finalists and of course the winners.

Best Program: Music (Sponsored by APRA AMCOS)

• Koori Radio – Tangata Whenua

Best Program: New (Sponsored by AFTRS)

• Eastside Radio 89.7FM – The Intersection

Best Program: News & Current Affairs (Sponsored by AVC)

• Vision Australia Radio – Studio 1

Best Program: Talks

• Vision Australia Radio – Happy Pants

Excellence in Australian Music (Sponsored by APRA AMCOS)

• 2SER – 2SER Australian Music Programming & Eventsect

Excellence in Community Engagement

• Bay FM 99.9 – Young Legends

Excellence in Disability Content & Engagement

• 3CR – Disability Day

Excellence in Fundraising & Sponsorship

• 89.9 TheLight – PositiveMedia Donor Engagement & Business Development Teams

Excellence in Indigenous Content & Engagement

• PAW & 8CCC – The Heat

Excellence in Multicultural Content & Engagement

• 88.9 WynFM

Excellence in Production

• 96five – The Rad-Vent Calendar

Excellence in Special Events & Outside Broadcasting

• Ngaarda Media & 3KND Kool N Deadly – Tamworth Country Music Program 2024

Excellence in Station Resilience & Development (Sponsored by the CMTO)

• 5THE FM – Rising Out of the Ashes of its Former Self

Outstanding Fundraising & Sponsorship Contribution

• 96five – 96five’s Building Hope Appeal

Outstanding Presenter

• RTRFM – Jeff Bullen

Outstanding Presenter News & Current Affairs (Sponsored by Deutsche Welle)

• Vision Australia Radio – Peter Greco

Outstanding Production Contribution

• JOY 94.9 – Elliot Attard

Outstanding Station Leadership

• 2DRY FM – Megan Williams

Outstanding Technical Contribution

• SWR 99.9 FM – Alex Agaciak and Matt Reid

Outstanding Volunteer Contribution

• Alive 90.5 FM – Rosh Vee

Outstanding Youth Contribution

• CAAMA Radio – Briana Alexander

Troy Garner Award – Best Program: Sports

• 3ZZZ – 3ZZZ Sports

Community Broadcasting Honour Roll

• David Marshall OAM – Harvey Community Radio
• Lorraine Clifford & Jane Armstrong – RTRFM
• Peter Weeks OAM – UGFM

Tony Staley Award for Excellence in Community Broadcasting

• 2DRY FM

Michael Law Award

• Phillip Randall

• Write and produce hourly news bulletins for National Radio News, the independent and valued national news service for the community broadcasting sector
• Reach a national audience of over 1.5 million listeners per week
• Work from the from beautiful Central West city of Bathurst

The Role

• Casual – Weekday and weekend work
• $48.66 per hour plus shift penalties where applicable
• Bathurst

You will be responsible for producing bulletins for hourly broadcast.

You will produce stories that reflect the principles of community broadcasting, showcasing diverse voices and serving under-represented audiences.

We are seeking to create a talent pool to fill casual vacancies as they arise. Applications will be reviewed as they are received.

To be successful you will have:

• An associate diploma level qualification in journalism or a related discipline with relevant work-related experience or equivalent level of knowledge gained through any other combination of education, training and/or experience.
• Knowledge of the community broadcasting sector audience
• High level writing and communication skills for a target audience
• Experience in presenting and producing radio news and/or current affairs

About Us

Charles Sturt University is a young and growing university committed to developing far-sighted people who help their communities grow and flourish. We make a significant contribution to the prosperity and vibrancy of our rural and regional communities, with a reach and impact across Australia and internationally. We work together with industry, communities and students to create new thinking, inspire each other and make a positive and progressive contribution to the world.

National Radio News (NRN) is the national news service for the community broadcasting sector, produced by Charles Sturt University in partnership with the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA). It reaches over 1.5 million listeners a week and has been produced on the Bathurst campus for over 25 years. NRN is a learning and teaching resource for the Bachelor of Communication in the School of Information and Communication studies. Cadet journalists are drawn from the course and students contribute to the service through their class work.

National Radio News provides timely, relevant and independent news from across the country. NRN is built on the community broadcasting sector’s principles of democracy, independence and access.

Charles Sturt University offers a great work-life balance, professional development opportunities and generous financial benefits.

Charles Sturt University is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion. This is demonstrated through our Workplace Gender Equality Agency Employer of Choice Citation and our Athena SWAN Bronze Institutional Award. Charles Sturt is also a participating member in the Australian Workplace Equality Index. Applications are encouraged from Indigenous Australians; people with a disability; women (particularly for senior and non-traditional roles); people who identify as LGBTIQA+; and those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Application Requirements 

Applicants are expected to apply online, upload your CV and provide a 1-2 page ‘statement of suitability’ demonstrating your skills, knowledge and/or experience relevant to the position (referencing the selection criteria in the position description).

Applicants are also required to submit a recent air check with their application. This should be in .mp3 format and no longer than 1 minute in length.

If you experience difficulties applying online or for further information on completing the application process please visit our how to apply page or contact us.

This position is open to Australian Citizens and Permanent Residents; or applicants who hold a current valid work visa commensurate with this position.

Further Information

Additional information is available in the position description or by contacting:

Rebecca Wotzko | Community Radio and NRN Manager | rwotzko@csu.edu.au | Ph: 02 6338 4774

Closing Date: 11 pm, 12 November 2024