The station reached the milestone since launching the podcasting service in February 2015.
The millionth download came just days after the latest McNair Ingenuity survey showed Australia’s only LGBTI radio station, JOY 94.9, had achieved its highest-ever audience share.
Within three years of the service’s launch, JOY podcast program downloads have risen to over 85,000 a month, accessed by listeners from more than 40 countries around the world.
Melbourne-based JOY is Australia’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) media organisation, providing a voice for the LGBTI communities across Melbourne, Australia, and the world.
JOY is a volunteer-based organisation, with all content produced, presented and podcasted by volunteers who identify as LGBTI.
JOY CEO Tennille Moisel says, ‘I am over the moon with these results. It shows that we are hitting the mark when it comes to providing content for the LGBTI communities, not just with our local communities but also the wider communities who are seeking relevant content.
‘Especially during the recent same-sex marriage postal survey, when our communities really needed support and refuge, JOY was proud to be that refuge through our content and inclusive values.’
JOY’s most downloaded podcast programs, Saturday Magazine and The Informer, have recently been heavily focused on reporting on the lengthy postal survey process, which came to a head with the legalisation of marriage equality in the Australian parliament.
Executive producer of The Informer and former editor of SameSame Victoria Dean Arcuri says, ‘We at The Informer are beyond thrilled to see such a great response to our podcast content. Among the many excellent and diverse programs on JOY 94.9, it is great to see such a strong response to news and current affairs from our communities around Australia.
‘It gives us renewed vigour to bring listeners more content that they can not only engage with, but that enables them to gain a wider understanding of their own communities and those who stand alongside us.
‘The beauty of JOY 94.9’s podcast service is that we are able to provide much more diverse content than can fit in our nightly half-hour broadcast – from extended interviews to coverage of community forums and exclusive content exploring our communities’ past – for listeners to download and continue to be informed.’
JOY’s podcasting program was originally launched thanks to generous support from the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia. The podcast catalogue can be found at https://joy.org.au/ and on Apple Podcasts.