Get Data About Community Radio Stations and Listeners

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Community Radio National Listener Survey

The latest data for December 2023 is now available!

  • Community radio reaches over 4.93 million Australians every week
  • 31% of all radio listeners listen to community radio
  • Listeners spend an average 14.6 hours listening to community radio each week

Want more in-depth data for your station? 

Unlock the power of data and amplify your station’s impact. Get started by emailing us at [email protected] or calling 02 9310 2999. 

WHY DOES YOUR STATION NEED IT?* 
  • Understand your audience: Knowing who listens to your station is vital for creating compelling, targeted content 
  • Improve your programming: Get real time feedback that helps tweak your content to meet the needs of your listeners 
  • Attract more sponsors: Use data-driven insights to help secure sponsors that align with your audience 
  • Access easy reporting & compliance: Better fulfil regulatory and funding body requirements with detailed reports. 

 *Only available to stations in set markets where data is captured. 


WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS? 

  • Comprehensive: Data from McNair yellowSquares
  • Nationwide reach: 16,000 Australians over the age of 15 sampled, across all states and territories 
  • Specialised, custom reporting: Access bespoke reports that focus exclusively on your station’s listenership 
  • Bi-annual reports: Up-to-date data helps you keep your finger on the pulse of your community. 
     

UNIQUE FEATURES 

  • Hybrid survey method: Telephone, in-person and online methods are used, providing a more comprehensive and varied data set 
  • Bi-annual updates: Ensures up-to-date information with two comprehensive surveys each year 
  • Unique listener metrics: Bespoke reports focusing exclusively on your station’s listenership and other critical metrics 
  • Custom reporting tiers: Select from 3 different report levels, based on your station’s specific needs and size. 
     

WHAT ABOUT THE COST? 

Pricing is based on a three-tier model, with subscriptions starting from $292 + GST per month. 

Reach out to our support team for a subscription that works for you on 02 9310 2999 or [email protected].

 
FAQs 

How do Community Radio Listener Surveys (GFK) and Commercial Radio Ratings Surveys (Xtra) differ from each other? 

There are two types of radio surveys: one for Community Radio and the other for Commercial Radio. Commercial Radio surveys use diaries to track listeners’ habits in detail – often eight times a year – focusing on big markets and ages 10 and up. Community Radio is more laid back, with surveys happening twice a year, focussing on all stations, not just the ones who pay to be in the survey. They use online, phone, and in-person methods and focus on the total number of unique listeners. In a nutshell, commercial surveys are more frequent, but rigid, whereas community surveys, while less frequent, are broad and flexible. You can read more about this at cbaa.org.au/research. 

What is measured in a Community Radio Listener Survey? 

Station and market trends, station and market reach, listen demographics, listening modes, time spent listening and dayparts. 

How often do we receive a survey? 

Twice a year in July and December .

What markets are surveyed? 

A full list of markets can be found at cbaa.org.au/research. 

For stations not in the markets, CBAA can provide a Station Engagement survey - more information can be found at cbaa.org.au/research. 

Why are there different pricing tiers? 

Each pricing tier is designed to offer a range of services and features that are relevant to a station’s size. This allows every station to find a package that suits their needs and budget.  

What Tier should I subscribe to? 

• Tier 3 is for stations who need to know their basic demographic and understand their market 

• Tier 2 provides greater insights into listeners trends and sponsorship insights 

• Tier 1 can be used to measure the performance of individual programs. 

Our support team will help craft a Community Radio Survey package that’s the perfect fit! 

Do I get to access to past surveys’ results? 

Not within the normal subscription, but CBAA can provide these to you for a small, additional fee. 

What support can I receive? 

CBAA have dedicated staff who can walk you through your survey findings and teach you how to best utilise the data to adjust your programming and secure sponsors.