COMMUNITY RADIO NURTURING AUSTRALIA’S OPEN SOCIETY STRONG DEMOCRACY VIBRANT CULTURE ALMOST 5 MILLION PEOPLE LISTEN TO COMMUNITY RADIO EVERY WEEK “There’s something about community broadcasting that’s more genuine, and speaks right to the experience of people without doctoring it, without censoring it, and then celebrates the truth of that... it’s great.” YEN ERIKSEN 2XX CANBERRA LISTENERS SPEND 15 HOURS TUNING IN TO COMMUNITY RADIO IN AN AVERAGE WEEK. YOUNGER PEOPLE AGED 15-24 LISTEN THE MOST TO COMMUNITY RADIO, AVERAGING 19 HOURS PER WEEK. Listeners aged 28-39 tune in for 15.5 HOURS PER WEEK People aged 55+ listen for 14.6 HOURS PER WEEK “Every single person has their own saga, their own story unfolding, and I love listening to radio because you have the opportunity where you actually get to hear glimpses of these people’s lives, and their stories, and what they’re passionate about.” People aged 40-54 listen for 12.3 HOURS PER WEEK 26% OF ALL RADIO LISTENERS LISTEN TO COMMUNITY RADIO MASON SMITH 2RRR SYDNEY Community radio stations operating in towns and cities across Australia 95% of community radio listeners find community radio and its services to the Australian community valuable SINCE 2012 THE CONSUMPTION OF DIGITAL RADIO HAS DOUBLED. THREE IN TEN COMMUNITY RADIO LISTENERS OWN A DIGITAL RADIO, COMPARED WITH TWO IN TEN IN THE GENERAL POPULATION “I listen to community radio because it speaks to me, as a community member. I get something out of it that I don’t get from other radio services... I hear real voices, real stories, and real people.” TESS LAWLEY, SYN MEDIA MELBOURNE 41% 34% 25% regional areas metropolitan & suburban rural areas LOCAL INFORMATION AND LOCAL NEWS IS THE NUMBER 1 REASON WHY PEOPLE LISTEN TO COMMUNITY RADIO “It’s about hearing local people. It’s about hearing our stories for ourselves, by ourselves... and then sharing them with others, and sharing them with the world.” JOY TAYLOR, 8CCC ALICE SPRINGS ON AVERAGE “We showcase Australian music in a number of ways... the first way is the incorporation of Australian music into our every day playlists.” OF AUSTRALIAN MUSIC IS AIRED ON COMMUNITY RADIO EVERY DAY Since 2002 the level of Australian music aired on community radio has increased from 32% to 39%. JACK MILLER FRESH 92.7 ADELAIDE 22K ACROSS PEOPLE VOLUNTEER THEIR TIME FOR COMMUNITY RADIO EACH YEAR 444 44% OF COMMUNITY RADIO VOLUNTEERS ARE FEMALE of that, 74% work in on-air or production roles. COMMUNITY RADIO STATIONS “Community radio... shows the value of just what committed, genuinely interested people can achieve.” BOB RAU, NORTH WEST FM, VICTORIA “This is a place where everyone can feel safe, can have a say, and that’s democracy.” MARNIE ROUND, RADIO ADELAIDE COMMUNITY RADIO LISTENERS 56% 44% 17% AGED 15-24 27% AGED 25-39 25% AGED 40-54 32% AGED 55+ 30% OF PEOPLE WHO REGULARLY SPEAK A LANGUAGE OTHER THAN ENGLISH IN THEIR HOUSEHOLD LISTEN TO COMMUNITY RADIO DURING A TYPICAL WEEK. “We meet such a diverse range of people every day, and I think there are those people who sometimes feel like they’re outliers in society, are holding strong to what they believe in and what they want to pursue out of this world... in my eyes the existence of an open society is encouraging them to understand that community radio is a safe house for these ideologies.” EMMA COUCH RADIO SKIDROW SYDNEY 6500 on average almost PEOPLE RECEIVE TRAINING EACH YEAR IN COMMUNITY RADIO “There’s always someone to throw around ideas with and learn from... it’s the energy. You always walk away feeling so excited.” JESSICA PANTOU, 3MBS MELBOURNE THE COMMUNITY BROADCASTING ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA (CBAA) CHAMPIONS COMMUNITY BROADCASTING BY BUILDING STATIONS’ CAPABILITY AND BY CREATING A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT FOR THE SECTOR TO THRIVE. COMMUNITY BROADCASTING IS A VITAL PART OF THE AUSTRALIAN MEDIA LANDSCAPE. BROADCASTING ACROSS AUSTRALIA, 444 COMMUNITY RADIO STATIONS PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN PROVIDING A VOICE FOR COMMUNITIES THAT AREN’T ADEQUATELY SERVICED BY OTHER BROADCASTING SECTORS. STATISTICS FROM 2015 MCNAIR NATIONAL LISTENER SURVEY; 2013 MCNAIR STATION CENSUS AND CBAA. www.cbaa.org.au