Research released today shows that 1 in 4 Australians are tuning into community radio each week, and the reason it seems is "local, local, local".

According to the latest Community Radio National Listener Survey, released by the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia, people are spending an average of 17 hours each week listening to community radio, with the majority of listeners describing community radio services as valuable.

The Community Radio Network, CBAA’s national program distribution service, is seeking short series for distribution to stations for drop-in use during magazine programming.

The work is open to to community radio broadcasters or producers and requires permission from one’s station to participate. It gives presenters and producers a chance to flex their creative thinking, develop production skills, and share radio content on a national platform.

$500 payments will be made on delivery of a 10-pt series of segments

The National Features and Documentary Series is a CBAA run competition to encourage storytelling from new and emerging producers around Australia.

Any supporter of an Australian community radio station can submit one 28 minute radio feature or documentary here.

Selected candidates will receive mentoring and training from the Community Media Training Organisation at no cost and be paid for bringing your feature or documentary idea to fruition. 

CBAA has launched a new website, reducing clutter on the homepage and breaking the site up into the categories of broadcasters, listeners and musicians.

The website is laid out in a tiled format with slick new graphics and easier navigation.

Along with the website launch, CBAA has introduced new member benefits including free HR support, discounted ArtsHub memberships and discounted Pro Bono Australia services.

The Community Broadcasting Association has released a new strategic plan which aims to "champion community broadcasting by building stations’ capability and creating a healthy environment for the sector to thrive."

The CBAA's strategic plan focuses on serving "the 5 million people that listen to community radio across Australia each week, the 22,000 people that give their time to their local station as volunteers and the dedicated staff that push more than 400 stations to serve their communities even better."

The plan has three strategic priotities:

For community radio, sponsorship and fundraising are vital to keep the station on air.

At the CBAA Conference yesterday we heard from Matt Balogh and Christian Geilen of McNair Ingenuity Research, who took us through ways to use the National Listener Survey to best advantage.
 
The National Listener Survey data provides the sector with two viewpoints from the same data pool.

• Contributing to an open society
• A strong democracy
• A Vibrant Culture 

Recalling the days when he began his career on community radio station 3RRR Melbourne, Greg Pickhaver, aka HG, told CBAA Conference delegates “in those days Carlton was the centre of the universe… we were confident that we were leading the country in the arts, music, football and that gloriously uncertain sport of horse racing, if you didn't like that you could piss off!"

Opening the CBAA Conference in Adelaide today, President Adrian Basso told delegates community broadcast funding was under threat earlier this year.

"When the commission of audit report proposed that community broadcast funding be abolished, the CBAA mobilised thousands of people and on budget night we shone through... the funding was not cut."

He said community broadcasters are "a key Australian broadcasting pillar that helps build a strong democracy and maintain a vibrant culture."