Listening and watching audiences and the technology they use is always evolving. We understand the projects we fund also need to evolve to ensure a resilient future for community media in Australia.
Expanding radio audiences using technology
The nature of audience engagement is constantly evolving. To ensure community media organisations can continue meeting their audience’s needs, we have partnered with the CBAA to develop the Community Radio Plus app. This app is a centralised location for stations to stream their content, where listeners can hear community radio from across the country on-demand. Since its launch, 98% of Australian community radio stations are available to stream via the app.
Smart speaker technology and car-play services are also in development as part of this project.
Broadcasting digitally – Digital Radio Project
For some community radio stations, digital radio is an opportunity to broadcast the same diverse mix of content broadcast on their usual AM or FM channel, while for others, digital is used to broadcast exclusive content that can’t be heard elsewhere.
CBF funding supports the Digital Radio Project, managed by the CBAA. This project helps community broadcasters across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Canberra, Darwin, Hobart and the Gold Coast, access the infrastructure needed to broadcast digitally. Currently, over 57 DAB+ and digital radio services are supported through the project. Further regional extension is imminent with small scale sub-metropolitan trials in place and regional development plan across the country.
Satellite sharing of content – Digital Delivery Network
We proudly partner with community media, investing in technology that helps stations remain relevant and operate efficiently. The Digital Delivery Network allows stations easier access to other content via satellite to include in station programming, expanding and enhancing their offering to the community.
This system simplifies the sharing of programs between stations using the Community Radio Network. This includes The Wire, a daily current affairs program that has been broadcasting exclusively on community and First Nations radio stations across Australia since 2004.
Enhanced National News Project
In partnership with the CBAA and Charles Sturt University, the Enhanced National News Project (ENNP). This project centrally develops and distributes the National Radio News (NRN) reaching a weekly national audience of 1.9 million people.. With 80 bulletins produced each week, a National News Director ensures high-quality news gathering and production, and the ENNP Federal Press Gallery journalist produces news stories with a community lens.
Importantly, the project also supports the Collaborative News Network which brings together over 13 station newsrooms to collaborate and share news ideas, knowledge, content and resources, increasing the capacity and capability of news production across the sector.
Streamlining station promotions – Radio Website Services
We understand how challenging it can be for stations to run on a shoestring budget and always explore ways we can support stations in their day-to-day operations. In partnership with the CBAA, the Radio Website Services project helps stations easily build a professional and mobile-friendly website using free, pre-set templates for program guides, music playlists, audio streaming and social media feeds. Supporting stations with back-end infrastructure ensures the dedicated teams at stations can invest their time in what they do best, making good content!
‘It’s so much easier for 3MDR to manage our website and get broadcasters involved more with our online presence. The program pages have really added a more personal connection with our presenters for our listeners, which has helped us build our community.’ Ren Cuttriss-Garry, 3MDR