If you’ve ever worked in an Australian radio newsroom over the past two decades, chances are this story will strike a chord with you.

Today, Radio Release® celebrates a major milestone, as the company officially marks twenty years of providing audio news releases to the Australian radio industry.

On this day in 2004, the very first Radio Release was distributed for the Victorian Government. It featured audio grabs of then  Agriculture Minister Bob Cameron, speaking about the state’s emerging goat meat industry.

Radioinfo was among the first to cover the new radio venture, and since then, Radio Release has proven itself a quiet but significant achiever, delivering nearly 10,000 audio news releases and more than 50,000 audio grabs to radio newsrooms and program producers throughout Australia.

The company’s audio grabs are now heard every day in radio news bulletins around the country, including major metropolitan and regional stations, as well as news podcasts and online audio platforms.

They’ve since notched up more than 250,000 radio news reports and prompted countless interview requests and talkback discussions.

In 2010, the Australian Electoral Commission awarded its ‘primary vote’ to the Radio Release team, citing the effectiveness of its pre-election awareness campaigns.

That year, the company’s news grabs covering the impending Federal Election reached more than 1.3 million Australian radio listeners.

A review of broadcast monitoring and download reports throughout the election period revealed Radio Release grabs were broadcast on up to 235 radio stations with a combined average audience exceeding 1,308,200.

Managing Director Dan Wilson (pictured above) says today’s milestone reaffirms Radio Release as a trusted supplier of news and audio content to Australian radio stations and their listeners.

“I think our strength is being able to strike a balance between what our clients want to communicate and providing that information in a way that’s simple, appealing and adaptable for radio newsrooms.”

“We’re radio people first and foremost, so we’ll only produce a release if there’s genuine information or news value and the client is prepared to deliver what radio newsrooms are looking and listening for.”

Radio Release has nurtured a growing list of clients spanning state and federal governments, ASX and globally-listed companies, peak industry bodies and leading charities.

Over the past two decades, the company has also interviewed high-profile names in government, business, entertainment and sport, including ministers, industry leaders, Hollywood A-listers and sports stars.

Wilson’s personal favourite was an interview with Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher in 2010, but he says it’s their day-to-day news-breaking stories which provide the greatest satisfaction.

Radio Release currently employs a team of four broadcast journalists and producers at its Melbourne studio, generating revenue through a modest production and distribution fee from its clients.

Critically, radio stations receive the service at no cost; they simply make an editorial decision on whether to run each story and the associated audio grabs.

Following today’s 20th birthday celebrations, the company is looking further ahead with plans to enhance its services and explore new partnerships that will increase its reach and value to radio newsrooms and clients.

“The radio industry is constantly evolving,” Wilson says, “but we’re always looking for new opportunities to improve and grow.”

More info on Radio Release here.