Commercial radio seeks crisis relief package from Government

Staff Writer

The commercial radio industry has urged the Government to put in place a crisis relief package to support broadcasters struggling with falling ad revenues.

Commercial Radio Australia canvassed a range of financial and regulatory measures with Communications Minister Paul Fletcher some weeks ago to ease the pressure on radio operators resulting from the coronavirus pandemic.

“The Australian Government can provide much-needed relief and certainty by easing regulatory constraints and the heavy compliance burden on local radio,” chief executive officer Joan Warner said.

“We also call on the Federal Government to divert a proportion of its marketing spend from global digital platforms to local Australian radio at a time when it is needed the most.

“Radio is the most local of all media. The targeted community service, sense of community and live and local content that we provide can’t, and won’t, be replicated by global platforms such as Google and Facebook.”

Radio ad revenues are expected to show a downturn when Deloitte ad revenue figures for the March quarter are released later this month, but Warner said the full impact of the pandemic is not expected to be seen until the June quarter figures are released.

“Many advertisers large and small have cancelled or reduced advertising. This has led to job cuts across the industry at a time when the increase in workload of providing live and local radio services to the 95% of Australians who listen to radio, with nearly 80% of those listening to commercial radio, is unprecedented,” said Warner.

CRA has called on the Government to implement measures to support the industry’s sustainability, including increase radio’s share of the current COVID-19 information campaign and provide immediate relief from spectrum licence fees for two years.

Also proposed is a change regulation to allow MPs’ to use their electorate communications allowances on local radio, especially in regional markets.

The current rules allow MPs to use their allocations on social media to inform constituents of news and events in their electorates but not radio.

Warner added that CRA is deeply disappointed that regional radio is still excluded from the Regional and Small Publishers’ Innovation Fund after the Minister’s announcement that $5 million is being released from that fund to support regional news and journalism.

While the Minister announced eligibility had been expanded, for some inexplicable reason local radio news is still excluded.

“With local print disappearing and TV content being scaled back, Australians will rely on local commercial radio more than ever as a trusted source to keep them informed, entertained and connected,” she said.

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Pull the other one it plays the ABC
9 Apr 2020 - 9:22 am

Are we for real right now?

Murdoch backed, Caralis backed, Cameron backed radio need help because revenue is falling?

CJ.
9 Apr 2020 - 11:18 am

Ha, ha … it’s the 21st century mantra “the government (ie the taxpayer) should pay for everything” …

LeofromFreo
15 Apr 2020 - 1:48 pm

I’d like to pledge a $10 donation to help support Ansett Airlines, please. Ahem.

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