Former ABC managing director Michelle Guthrie has joined a consortium of media executives behind a yet-to-be-launched national digital radio station, Disrupt Radio.
According to the Australian Financial Review (subscription required), the start-up company was founded by Benjamin Roberts, CEO of the Perth based media consultancy firm Broadcast Intelligence.
The board also includes Richard Hernan, managing director of Perth-based Broadleaf Financial Group, and Colm O’Brien, currently a director of Sports Entertainment Network.
Already with an office in South Melbourne, and around 20 employees that include some presenters, the station is planning to being digital broadcasting in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane this year.
Roberts told the AFR, “It’s disruption, innovation, technology, start-ups, science, future, it’s all of that. It’s not specifically a business and money channel. It’s definitely not that.”
Advertising is expected to support the station that will broadcast live radio as well as podcasts.
I have read the article at https://www.afr.com/companies/media-and-marketing/former-abc-boss-joins-new-radio-company-targeting-entrepreneurs-20230410-p5cz8f.
With 20 employees on its payroll and even before it plans to expand to production in Sydney and Melbourne, how long will it take to recover the sunk costs when it officially goes "online" ?
Given the international nature of IP radio, how will it differentiate between another offering of US-based Disrupt Radio, www.disruptradio.com which is a business-oriented station with podcasts as posted since 2015.
Having a listen to podcasts from US-based Disrupt Radio on the iHeart site, it is a business oriented with issues such as startups and dealing with existing business entities.
The audio-quality from the iHeart site is no better than telephone audio, worse than AM radio. But that was the audio technology as at 2015.
So the US-based operation's format will be very similar to the Australian operations.
The issue of online offerings of radio programs is awareness of the station's presence.
Unlike a tuning control and selector (DAB+) on a radio where one can listen in and build an audience based on word-of-mouth and some advertising, it will be harder to establish awareness with an online offering.
There are countless offerings.
There have been pioneering attempts on online radio since 1999.
The lesson is that pioneers aren't necessarily market leaders.
In 1999, it was dialup internet and audio quality was limited by bandwidth of the modem.
Today, bandwidth is higher with the NBN and at least 4G and 5G. Audio quality is expected to be better.
It would be easier if in addition to an online offering that Disrupt Radio has at least a 32kbps mono channel on DAB+. It's 59 channels compared to thousands of IP channels.
In addition, the Australian-based version of Disrupt Radio could get favourable PR coverage in business-oriented publications such as the AFR, business columns in the major papers such as The Australian, SMH and The Age. It may help if business organisations such as the Instite of Company Directors are made aware of Disrupt Radio.
In summary, the Australian offering will have to distinguish itself from the US-based offering and generate an awareness of its presence.
Thank you,
Anthony, of analytical Belfield in the land of the Wangal and Darug Peoples of the Eora Nation
The above article refers to a digital presence (which you can read as DAB). of course they will have online as well - as all stations do.
Reference is made to Melb, Sydney and Brisbane Digital markets initially.
there is no known affiliation with the US based podcast you noted