Amplifying Content
CBAA provides a content hub that gives stations access to journalism, music and shared programs they could not produce alone. By amplifying diverse voices and building collaboration, we connect communities across Australia with stories that matter.
new Community Radio Network (CRN) programs
10
stations using Digital Delivery Network (DDN)
120
stations participating in the news collaboration group
>20
plays of music from amrap.org.au
from Oct 2024 – May 2025
256,000
broadcasters download 10,000 tracks per month
2,000+
artists upload up to 2000+ tracks per month
800+
estimated value of Australian music airplay at one community radio station (ARC Research Project)
$450k
pieces of original content on Powerd
1,000
Stronger journalism
We expanded reporting capacity with specialist journalists covering politics, disability rights and First Nations issues. Their work has brought authenticity and authority to national stories - including Emma Myers’ Walkley-recognised investigation on disability and natural disasters.
Collaboration between The Wire, National Radio News, Powerd Media and over 20 stations has broadened reach for diverse voices. The process is still evolving, but it marks important progress toward stronger sector-wide journalism.
Collaborative innovation
Pilots such as The Weekender (with Bay FM, Ngaarda Media and members of the Local and Independent News Association) tested new ways to share local perspectives in national news. The From Pillar to Post podcast showcased stories from over 20 stations, distributed via the Community Radio Network.
National Radio Newsremains a cornerstone of trusted community news, delivered in partnership with Charles Sturt University. With an expanded contributor base strengthening regional representation, NRN continues to provide high-quality bulletins while creating pathways for emerging journalists.
Building skills
Our professional development program gave members practical training in collaboration with the ABC, NIRS and First Nations reporters. Sessions covered SEO for storytelling, disability reporting and statewide coverage, building confidence and capacity across the sector.
CBAA reporters Emma Myers, Noah Secomb and Micah Kickett
Brett from Aussie Trove on Phoenix FM Bendigo and the Community Radio Network
Community Radio Network (CRN)
The Community Radio Network is a cornerstone content-sharing platform for community broadcasters, distributing more than 110 live and on-demand programs each week to 130 stations nationwide. It continues to deliver trusted and diverse content that strengthens local services and connects communities.
With the appointment of Matt Field as Head of Content, we are reviewing how CRN can evolve to better serve subscribers. Priorities include refreshing programming, improving discoverability and ensuring the platform meets the future needs of stations and audiences.
Championing Australian music
Through AMRAP, community radio remains the go-to platform for discovering new Australian music. This year we launched airplay tracking with APRA AMCOS - a game-changer for measuring reach and strengthening artist pathways. As artist DOBBY put it:
“Now, thanks to this new feature, we can more accurately reflect the flow and trend of Australian music. That’s a really valuable tool for listeners and creators alike.”
First Sounds Vol. 11 and 12 launched in partnership with Koori Radio and Music Australia, amplifying First Nations voices, with Vol. 11 receiving 2426 community radio plays from February-June 2025.
The Community Hubs initiative, supported by Sound NSW, strengthened live music networks and diversity. Across six events, 98 artists — First Nations, multicultural, disability, LGBTQIA+, faith-based and regional/remote — performed for a combined audience of 900, with nearly half from regional and remote communities.
The crowd at Sounds Like Community Radio at 4ZZZ,
photo by Mark Chandler
Expanded music industry presence
CBAA strengthened community radio’s profile in the music industry through events such as BIGSOUND 2024, Sounds Like Community Radio with 4ZZZ, and listening sessions linking artists with community radio music directors.
Andrew Khedoori at BIGSOUND 2024
Case Studies
Community media journalists bring 2025 Federal Budget to community radio and beyond
On Tuesday 25 March, a dedicated journalism team hit the halls of Parliament House to deliver timely, inclusive and relevant coverage of the 2025 Federal Budget to community radio listeners around the country.Representing community-focused newsrooms from across the sector, the team included:-
- Noah Secomb, Federal Politics Reporter, CBAA and National Radio News (NRN)
- Emma Myers, Disability Rights Reporter, CBAA and Powerd Media
- Micah Kickett, First Nations Affairs Reporter, CBAA, NIRS and Koori Mail
- Sophia McCaughan, Narromine Star
- Dechlan Brennan, National Indigenous Times
- Alexi Boyd, Host, Small Biz Matters
“It’s been another wild ride in Parliament House covering this year’s federal Budget with folks from across the country. We’ve managed to cover disability, First Nations affairs and regional funding more comprehensively than ever before." - Noah Secomb
(L-R) Noah Secomb, Sophia McCaughan, Alexi Boyd, Micah Kickett, Dechlan Brennan and Emma Myers
For Noah, this year marked a return to the press gallery - and another milestone in delivering independent coverage to regional, remote and culturally diverse audiences.
“It’s been another wild ride in Parliament House covering this year’s federal Budget with folks from across the country,” Noah said. “We’ve managed to cover disability, First Nations affairs and regional funding more comprehensively than ever before. It’s been a bit hectic running around grabbing interviews and frantically reading some of the driest content in Australia, but being busy is when this job is at its best, and we’re able to do some of our best work.”
Micah Kickett, covering the Budget for the first time, shared his pride in ensuring Indigenous perspectives were represented:
“It's definitely an experience that I will remember, and being on the ground to be able cover it in real time and be the voice for Indigenous mob is an experience that is humbling.”
Emma Myers, who focused on disability and access issues, reflected on the intensity and impact of the experience:
“It’s a very surreal experience. Challenging, but worth it.”
Our thanks and admiration go to the entire team for their professionalism, energy and deep commitment to accessible journalism that puts community first — not just on the night, but throughout the Budget lead-up and aftermath.
Collaborating to build stronger newsrooms
Collaboration is transforming the way community broadcasters deliver trusted news. Since its launch in 2023, the community broadcasting newsroom collaboration, led by CBAA’s News Network Director Martin Davies, has given stations and journalists a platform to share stories, pool resources, and strengthen their voice in an increasingly competitive media landscape.
News producers collaborate in the following ways:
- Daily exchanges of news stories online
- Weekly meetings to brainstorm and share news opportunities among network members
- ‘Fun Factory’ professional development sessions featuring expert guidance from journalists in both community and public broadcasting
Members are diverse, with stations including:
- Canberra disability media broadcaster 1RPH
- Ngaarda Media based in the Pilbara, WA
- Alice Springs broadcaster 8CCC
The contributions of CBAA reporters have also been central to the collaboration:
- Political reporter Noah Secomb provides sharp analysis from Parliament, building links with community stations across the country.
- Emma Myers, Disability Rights and Political Reporter, has brought new perspectives from within the Press Gallery in her work both across the sector and for Powerd Media.
- And Micah Kickett, former First Nations Affairs Reporter, during his time in Canberra, delivered fresh content that travelled well beyond The Wire to other stations including Ngaarda Media and the National Indigenous Radio Service.
For The Wire, community radio’s flagship national current affairs program, this collaboration has been a boon. Executive Producer Dr Eduardo Jordan explains,
“The collaboration has increased the number of stories that The Wire can publish, but more importantly, it’s about working together to make the sector stronger. It shows we are different from commercial and public media because we bring community voices to the forefront.”
The impact is clear. In 2023–24, around 20 to 25 per cent of The Wire’s output, more than 200 stories, came directly from the collaboration. Figures for the most recent financial year are still being finalised but are expected to show a similar trend. This growth has allowed The Wire to amplify diverse voices and extend its reach, with around 50 stations regularly broadcasting the program through the Community Radio Network.
On the horizon for the collaboration are projects including stories produced with and for community television station Channel 31 as well as coverage of not only Federal but state political events such as Budget announcements and elections.
This is a strong example of how, by helping broadcasters to join forces, the newsroom collaboration is ensuring community radio can tell deeper, broader and more relevant stories, keeping audiences informed, connected and heard.