Community radio takes major steps to multiplatform delivery

Australian community radio has taken a major step to multiplatform delivery, with long-term funding and a digital partnership in place.

The Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA) has received four-year funding from the Community Broadcasting Foundation (CBF) to provide community media audiences with personalised digital experiences that allow them to enjoy and engage with content regardless of where they live, time of day or preferred device.

According to a survey commissioned by the CBAA and released in 2020, there are 450+  stations across the country, listened to by 5.8 million people, who spend an average of 14.7 hours a week tuning in.

Very few of these stations have the significant resources needed to develop or buy technologies, test potential listening markets or measure audience behaviour.

“To ensure our continued relevance every community radio station in Australia needs to be available in the places that listeners expect – live via AM, FM and DAB+ and online, on-demand, and as podcasts,” CBAA chief executive Jon Bisset said about the sector’s digital future.

“Through this initiative, we will increase listener access to community radio and future-proof community radio stations to remain competitive in a disruptive media landscape. 

“The solutions will streamline day-to-day station operations and workflows, build online audiences, and maximise station online revenue.”

The CBAA has struck deals with Triton Digital, a global technology and services leader to the digital audio and podcast industry, and with All in Media (AIM), a part of Xperi, a global supplier of smartphone apps, smart speaker integrations and broadcast systems for the radio industry. 

The CBAA will launch a community radio aggregation app in the first half of 2021 along with smart speaker skills.