Blogs

Joint statement regarding Vision Australia Radio digital transition

By CBAA Comms posted 2 days ago
Joint statement — Community Broadcasting Association of Australia and Disability Media Australia The Community Broadcasting Association of Australia and Disability Media Australia have acknowledged Vision Australia Radio’s decision to cease AM broadcasting in Melbourne, Adelaide, and Perth from 1 July 2026. Vision Australia Radio has been in discussion with CBAA on this transition for some time. Both organisations recognise the decision as necessary to reduce operating costs and safeguard the long-term viability of the service — without any impact on Vision Australia Radio’s commitment to locally produced content relevant to the blind and low vision community ...

Response to the News Bargaining Incentive consultation on revenue distribution

By CBAA Comms posted 5 days ago
A joint response from the Local & Independent News Association (LINA) and the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA). The Government has today opened a short consultation process on the next phase of the News Media Bargaining Code, the News Bargaining Incentive, seeking responses from industry and stakeholders over the next two weeks. The Code, introduced in 2021 is world-leading legislation and, while it has yielded mixed results for industry to date, the intent to correct a power imbalance in the information ecosystem through requiring tech platforms to contribute to the news media industry they have disrupted is commendable. CBAA and ...

Vale Les Heil AM

By CBAA Comms posted 5 days ago
The CBAA was saddened to hear of the recent passing of Les Heil AM, a long-serving contributor to, and later leader in, the commercial and community radio sectors who had a significant impact in the Australian radio industry as well as overseas. Most recently Les was the Chair of Sunshine Coast community broadcaster 104.9 Sunshine FM . Sunshine FM has supplied the following article to commemorate Les' life and work. Sunshine Coast community radio station, 104.9 Sunshine FM has lost a great friend, advocate and leader. Chair, Les Heil AM, passed away on 26 April after a sudden illness. Les was 91. At the age of 17, Les followed his dream to become ...

Entries now open for the 2026 Community Broadcasting Awards

By CBAA Comms posted 5 days ago
Entries are officially open for the 2026 Community Broadcasting Awards , celebrating the outstanding achievements of stations, programs and individuals across Australia’s community broadcasting sector. From innovative programming and strong community engagement to technical excellence and leadership, the Awards recognise the work that keeps community radio thriving, diverse and connected to audiences nationwide. Nominations are now open and will close at 11.59pm AEST on Monday 22 June 2026. Winners will be announced at the Gala Dinner and Awards Night at the 2026 CBAA Conference , taking place in Geelong from 22-24 October What’s ...

TASMANIAN CSAs: Tasmanian Road Safety Project

By CBAA Comms posted 19 days ago
The Community Broadcasting Association of Australia is proud to share with a series of twelve Community Service Announcements (CSAs) focusing on encouraging young road users throughout Tasmania to make better choices. We’ve been working with a great group of young Tasmanian drivers to develop these 12 CSAs, which address issues including impaired driving and distracted and dangerous driving. Each CSA draws upon the actual experiences, opinions and values of a diverse group of young Tasmanian road users, and the result has been content that is authentic, engaging and relatable. We would encourage you to use this content in your local broadcasting ...

Broadcasters share the air with their communities over the Easter long weekend

By CBAA Comms posted 23 days ago
The Easter long weekend is a good opportunity to relax and spend time with friends or family, but there are still dedicated staff and volunteers in community broadcasting who give their time to inform and entertain their listeners. We’ve heard from several about what they got up to, and here are sharing just some of the stories and pictures we’ve seen from the lo ng weekend. If your station aired live broadcasts over the long weekend - whether they were from the studio, outside broadcasts or other locations – and you’d like to be featured in this article please email us at [email protected] . ...

NATIONAL CSAs: Suicide Prevention Project April 2026

By CBAA Comms posted 01-04-2026
For play: 1 April 2026 until 30 April 2026 Download CSAs The Community Broadcasting Association is pleased to welcome you to the April 2026 content of our national suicide prevention and mental health awareness project, developed with the support of the Australian Government Department of Health. Each month, our project team develops a series of 20 short radio segments designed to promote help-seeking behaviour and positive lifestyle choices, using interviews with service providers, as well as profiles of people who have successfully dealt with tough times in their lives. This month, we find out about this month’s National Suicide Prevention ...

NSW CSA: Entries Open for the NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards

By CBAA Comms posted 31-03-2026
For play: Now until 29 May 2026 Download CSA Community broadcasters across New South Wales are encouraged to broadcast a community service announcement (CSA) promoting the 2026 NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards , an important opportunity to recognise the people who power our communities. The CSA, featuring The Centre for Volunteering CEO Gemma Rygate, is now available for stations to air. By sharing this message, stations can help shine a light on the extraordinary contribution of volunteers across metro and regional NSW. Why this matters for community broadcasting Volunteers are at the heart of community broadcasting. They create content, support ...

Registrations open for CBAA Conference 2026 - Our Sound, Stronger

By CBAA Comms posted 25-03-2026
Registrations and scholarship applications open Wednesday 25 March for the 2026 CBAA Conference, taking place 22–24 October at Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre. This year’s theme, Our Sound, Stronger , celebrates our unique sound and identity as broadcasters that put our communities first. When we share our experiences, showcase our impact and learn from each other, we strengthen community broadcasting and the connection we have with the communities we serve. We’ve introduced new ways to help people attend, including: Group discounts Payment plans ...

What's new on the CRN? Programs joining the grid in 2026

By CBAA Comms posted 24-03-2026
We are so excited to welcome an incredible group of n ew programs to t he Community Radio Network (CRN) fo r you to enjoy throughout 2026. We get to know the program makers behind these new shows by asking them some questions about their program, their station and what inspires them to make radio every week. If you're already a subscriber we look forward to hearing what you and your listeners think of this new programming, and if you haven't subscribed to the CRN yet there's never been a better time _____________________ Salt Peanuts - Seymour FM Y ou may recognise Donskibeat and her incredible ...

Celebrating volunteering at the CBAA

By CBAA Comms posted 23-03-2026
Volunteers are essential to community broadcasting in Australia , with over 18,000 people sharing their time and skills to support their stations and communities. Without their hard work it would be impossible for Australia to maintain its 500+ services and broadcast to the 5.4 million people who tune in every week. There are many ways you can celebrate your station’s volunteers, ranging from acknowledgment on social media or at station events, or through formal recognition with awards from g overnment bodies or the CBAA Community Broadcasting Awards (opening 27 April) . ...

Vale Rhoda Anne Roberts AO

By CBAA Comms posted 23-03-2026
WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains the name and image of a person who has died. Vale Rhoda Anne Roberts AO 8.7.1959 – 21.3.2026 The CBAA and the community broadcasting family are saddened by the passing of Rhoda Roberts AO, who died from cancer on Saturday 21 March 2026. She passed away on Country with her family by her side. She is survived by her partner Stephen Field and children Sarah, Jack and Emily. CBAA offers our condolences to Rhoda’s family, friends, and colleagues. Rhoda was a proud Widjabul Wia-bal woman of the Bundjalung Nation and a respected cultural leader, ...

Harmony Week highlights community broadcasting’s role strengthening social cohesion

By CBAA Comms posted 18-03-2026
Harmony Week (16–22 March) is a reminder of the important role community radio and TV plays in reflecting Australia’s cultural diversity, with stations across the country broadcasting local media content in more than 100 languages each week. Community broadcasters deeply understand and engage the community in creating local media content that reflects, amplifies the diverse cultures, beliefs and languages of Australia. Multicultural community broadcasting enriches our communities and nurtures a strong sense of belonging among all communities. Community broadcasters produce 500 radio and two TV services across Australia to an audience of 5.4 million ...

Community broadcasters invited to support Emergency Action Alliance Middle East Appeal

By CBAA Comms posted 17-03-2026
The Emergency Action Alliance (EAA) has launched a national Middle East Appeal to support people affected by the escalating humanitarian crisis in Lebanon, Syria, Gaza and the West Bank. The appeal brings together leading Australian aid organisations to raise funds for urgent humanitarian assistance , including food, shelter, medical care and essential supplies. CBAA is a media partner of the E AA , alongside national media organisations including ABC, SBS, commercial television networks and major publishers. Through this partnership, community broadcasters can help share trusted information and support coordinated ...

Community Radio Plus: You played it and your listeners responded

By CBAA Comms posted 13-03-2026
An outside broadcast by 2DRY FM Over summer , community broadcasters around the country air ed a coordinated series of promos for Community Radio Plus to boost listener awareness and encourage app usage for each stations’ audienc es. This has been the third year in a row that we’ve pushed these promos, to remind listeners that they can take your stations with them wherever they are during their summer breaks. Stations were invited to play the professionally produced promos at least 21 times per week . A number of stations created their own unique promos ...

CBAA partners with GiveNow to support community radio fundraising

By CBAA Comms posted 10-03-2026
CBAA is pleased to announce a new partnership with GiveNow , Australia’s first and most experienced all-in-one fundraising platform. The partnership gives community radio stations access to powerful fundraising tools designed specifically for grassroots not-for-profits. Since 2001, GiveNow has helped more than 6,000 organisations raise over $240 million, supporting causes across Australia with simple, reliable and secure fundraising technology. For community broadcasters, the platform provides a flexible way to manage donations, memberships and fundraising campaigns in one place. You can find testimonials and other useful information about GiveNow here ...

NATIONAL CSAs: Suicide Prevention Project March 2026

By CBAA Comms posted 06-03-2026
The Community Broadcasting Association is pleased to welcome you to the March 2026 content of our national suicide prevention and mental health awareness project, developed with the support of the Australian Government Department of Health. Each month, our project team develops a series of 20 short radio segments designed to promote help-seeking behaviour and positive lifestyle choices, using interviews with service providers, as well as profiles of people who have successfully dealt with tough times in their lives. This month, we catch up with Beyond Blue Spokesperson and psychologist Dr Luke Martin to remind you of the importance of seeking help if your ...

Give to Gain – Celebrating International Women’s Day on the Community Radio Network

By CBAA Comms posted 05-03-2026
This Sunday 8 March is International Women’s Day , giving us a chance to reflect on the important role that community radio plays in amplifying the voices of women and gender diverse people worldwide. The theme Give to Gain is particularly fitting for community radio, which is built on the contributions of volunteers from across the country. We caught up with the producers behind some hit shows available on the Community Radio Network to find out how they’re marking the day. To find out more about programs on the Community Radio Network, including program guides and service status, visit https://www.cbaa.org.au/membership/station-services/community-radio-network ...

Welcoming Lisa Rose to CBAA

By CBAA Comms posted 03-03-2026
We’re delighted to welcome Lisa Rose to the CBAA team as our new Chief Financial and Risk Officer. Lisa joins us at an exciting time for community broadcasting, as we continue to grow our capability, strengthen governance and work with our sector to develop Roadmap 2033 priorities. With extensive experience in mission-driven organisations, she brings a strong commitment to transparency, sustainability and practical systems that support people to do their best work. We sat down with Lisa to learn more about what drew her to CBAA and what she’s looking forward to in her new role. ----- What drew you to the CBAA? Community broadcasting plays such an important ...

World Radio Day 2026: Authenticity, AI and the Future of Community Radio

By CBAA Comms posted 13-02-2026
Today, Friday 13 February, is World Radio Day . It’s a moment to celebrate the power of radio to connect communities, amplify diverse voices, and tell stories that matter. This year’s theme turns our attention to generative AI. It’s a topic many in community broadcasting are already thinking about. AI can save time and resources, but we also need to be very careful that using AI does not cost us our authenticity. For this year’s World Radio Day we are focusing on the authentic, local voices that make community radio so special. What is generative AI? Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini can create text, images, ...