The CBAA in partnership with the Judith Neilson Institute will assist member stations by providing the National Radio News service for free over the next six months.

 CBAA CEO, Jon Bisset, says: “We are acutely aware of the impact community radio stations are facing from the Coronavirus pandemic. Many stations are facing a catastrophic drop-off in sponsorship revenue. Helping stations to reduce their operating costs to stay on-air is one way the CBAA can help.
 
“We need to keep the news going to community radio’s six million weekly listeners and support stations to do so. There has never been a more important time to keep our communities informed with factual information and news.”
 
As a part of a new COVID-19 subsidy partnership with the Judith Neilson Institute the CBAA will subsidise each station’s subscription to the National Radio News for a six month period.
 
NRN is an independent, not for profit, non-partisan national news service, providing listeners with relevant and up-to-the-minute national, international and state-based news and sport on the hour.   
 
Australia’s network of more than 450 community radio stations has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic as sponsorship drops and volunteers are forced to work from home.
 
JNI Executive director, Mark Ryan, says these initiatives are a temporary measure aimed at providing help as quickly and efficiently as possible where it was most needed over the next few months.
 
“All sectors of the economy are affected and the impact on journalism is profound,” he says. “While more people are reading, watching and listening to news, media organisations are struggling with the financial implications of the crisis.”

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