A note from CBAA's CEO Jon Bisset

Community radio and TV exist because local voices, local news, and local music matter! The act of sharing and listening builds connection and understanding within our communities. More than 5.4 million Australians tune in every week to media made by and for their community. The voices, culture and perspectives of many Australians would go unheard without it – and that's something worth protecting.

You have told us the operating environment isn't getting easier, and that is borne out in the data. Digital platforms and the commercial motivation and data that drive them, like Spotify, social media, search and AI, have been reshaping how Australians find and consume media, and the pace of change is only accelerating. What worked five years ago may not work today. What works today may not work tomorrow.

Funding is tighter. The commercial and workforce pressures on local and independent content are real. Total sponsorship levels are trending down. Although we have attracted new investment from Government, it is not keeping up with the increase in costs.

It is not all downside. New technologies like AI bring genuine opportunities for productivity gains, and many stations are using it to streamline back-end work and save valuable hours to rededicate to business growth, community engagement or programming. Social media offers the opportunity to promote station services, people and programs to new audiences and to support fundraising and community engagement.

In our most recent member survey, 89% of stations reported high levels of satisfaction with CBAA, and our Net Promoter Score came in at +50, well above benchmarks for organisations similar to ours. Late last year, Associations Forum named CBAA Association of the Year. It reflects the contribution of our members and the capability of our staff.

We do not take the confidence of our members or the recognition from peers for granted. It tells us our strategy – putting members at the centre – is sound. And it motivates us to keep raising the bar. Key to this effort is the Community Broadcasting Roadmap 2033 – the sector's shared framework for a sustainable and confident future. We are working closely with the Community Broadcasting Foundation (CBF) to deliver this vision.

We have made a strong case for community broadcasting’s achievements. New research from Monash and Griffith Universities has put hard numbers to the contribution our sector makes (more than $153 million annually) to Australian music industries, playing 37% Australian music against a 25% code requirement. Spotify and TikTok aren't going to champion emerging Australian artists. But community radio does, every day, and we know this is what many listeners want.

We added content that helps your stations stay relevant and distinctive. Community broadcasting can't survive by filling time with a jukebox – any listener can find a personal playlist on Spotify. According to our surveys, news and local information are consistently the strongest motivation for listeners. From 1 July, we're bundling the Community Radio Network's 100+ diverse programs with National Radio News and BBC World Service, giving stations more quality content choices to supplement their own programming.

What happens in Canberra impacts your station. We are fighting hard to deliver a clearer, more flexible regulatory environment that reduces administration. The government's Community Broadcasting Sustainability Review was the most significant policy process affecting the sector in years. Its findings - reforms to how Community Broadcasting Program grants work, modernisation of the Broadcasting Services Act, and a new First Nations Broadcasting Strategy - represent a real opportunity to reshape the sector's future. The ACMA has already responded with new streamlined processes for license renewals for permanent and temporary licenses. For most stations, this means the days of 100-page applications are over. Changes to the Broadcasting Services Act are still ahead of us. You have told us what you want and we're working closely with the Government to see it to fruition before the CBAA Conference.

The News Bargaining Incentive (NBI) is an important reform that aims to correct the imbalance of access to advertising revenue between digital platforms (like Google, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook) and news publishers. The Government’s proposed design excludes most community broadcasters – so we're pushing for changes that deliver fair outcomes for all stations – no matter their size or whether journalism is undertaken by staff or volunteers. We're actively pursuing new investment in local journalism, because the demand for community broadcasting as a trusted, diverse source of local news has never been stronger.

Everything CBAA does is guided by one question: does this make community broadcasters stronger and more successful? In the year ahead, our focus is on getting the sustainability review reforms across the line, securing new investment in local journalism, helping stations navigate the digital shift with confidence, and building the tools and resources that make the day-to-day easier for your team. This work includes developing enhanced AI tools in a way that specifically supports community broadcasters to find and access reliable information that your team can use with confidence. The aim is to lighten the load that falls on small teams and volunteers and reduce the risk of your teams finding inaccurate information on publicly available AI tools. Stay tuned.

There is a lot to look forward to. I hope to see many of you at the CBAA Conference in Geelong -- to share, learn, and celebrate our impact through the annual Community Broadcasting Awards.

Have a question or need support with something? Reach out to [email protected] or (02) 9310 2999 at anytime.