Community radio audiences booming

Friday, 25 August 2006

37% of people in Adelaide aged over 15 - 340,000 people - are now regular community radio listeners. That's the result from the second comprehensive national survey of community radio audiences by respected firm McNair Ingenuity to be launched in Sydney today.

Up from 31% in September 2004, the results track listeners to Adelaide's six metropolitan stations - Radio Adelaide, 3D Radio, 5EBI, Fresh FM, Life FM and 5RPH - as well as four sub-metro stations, Coast FM, 5PBA, 5MBS and WowFM. On a national level, listener numbers have increased from 24% of people over 15 to 25%, or just over 4 million people around Australia.

"The results indicate that Adelaide has a particularly strong and popular community radio scene, and also that more and more people are tuning in for the alternative we provide," says Radio Adelaide's Station Manager, Deborah Welch.

"They like that we're local, that we provide unique and specialist programs and that we work to support the culture and communities where we live."

In terms of the weekly listening audience for Radio Adelaide, Ms Welch estimates it is now around 75,000 people.

"We've also seen a dramatic increase in our subscriber numbers this year, and that is another clear indicator that more people are listening to and appreciating the different kind of radio we offer," she says.

Of the survey respondents, 46% say their reasons for listening are "specialist talk and music programs", and 43% appreciate "support of Australian music and local artists" and that fact that "I hear something I don't hear elsewhere". Local voices, announcers who sound like "one of us", and local programming decisions also feature strongly as reasons for listening.

Radio Adelaide, Australia's longest-running community radio station, is part of the University of Adelaide.

Radio Adelaide can be found at 101.5fm and streaming online at www.radio.adelaide.edu.au
Full survey results can be found at www.cbonline.org.au

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