ABC Hires Consultants In Response To Falling Radio Numbers

professional microphone in a radio Studio
Sofia Geraghty
By Sofia Geraghty



Australia’s national broadcaster, the ABC, has hired external consultants as it moves to stop the decline of radio audience numbers in capital cities across the country. 

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the ABC has begun at 8-week project set up to stop the steep decline in audience numbers. 

As well as an internal strategy group, the broadcaster is also reported to have hired a team of external consultants. 

The task group is reported to be being led by ABC’s head of corporate strategy Jeremy Millar. Millar is said to be speaking with presenters, employees, and radio managers across the country until April. The report will then be incorporated into the ABC’s five-year plan. 

The move is in response to the falling rating figures reported in GfK’s first radio ratings survey of the year. 

In the survey, all of ABC’s metropolitan stations, as well as its breakfast and drive programs reported a worrying drop in audience share when compared to the previous year. 

The cumulative audience was shown to have dropped in every single market. The drop largely came from people listening to the station’s breakfast shows. 

For example, in Sydney ABC 70S lost more than a third of its audience share in one year, dropping from 9.2 per cent to 5.9 per cent. 

This was a change in fortunes from 2021 when ABC Radio Sydney was the second most popular radio breakfast show with 13.2 per cent of the audience.

In recent years,  the ABC has invested million of dollars in its digital offering as it seeks to reach younger audience members.




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