4PeopleMedia

4PeopleMedia are a media agency that connects business with the niche audiences of fully licensed community radio stations all across Australia. By not tapping into this market, brands are lacking access to some of the most unique and valuable audiences in the country.

What is Community Radio?

Community broadcasting is guided by adherence to simple but powerful principles:

Access:
Community broadcasting promotes active volunteer participation in media operations, administration and production rather than passive consumption of media. The sector provides skills and training that ensure access to the media for all parts of the community.

Diversity:
Community broadcasting fosters innovation, creativity and diversity of content in its programming. In both structure and output community media reflects Australia's immense cultural diversity and by doing so supports greater tolerance, understanding and social cohesion.

Localism:
Community media has an expanding local role. While commercial media and the ABC are reducing local content and increasing networking, community stations have become the voice of local communities.

Independence:
Community broadcasting stations are owned and operated by not-for-profit groups. Each licensed group has open membership and democratic decision-making practices. All stations must adhere to a code of practice that embodies the sector's philosophy and secures their independence.

The community radio sector of the Australian broadcasting system is non-commercial, non-profit and is supported and financed primarily through listener subscriptions (memberships), community fundraising ventures, donations, limited government subsidies, business sponsorship and the efforts of volunteers.

Stations depend on the community in the service area for management effort, financial and technical support and program input.

Community Radio - A Growing Sector The number of Australians aged 15+ listening to community radio in an average month, rose from 7,054,000 people (45%) in 2004 to 7,515,00 people (47%) in 2006 followed by a rise to 9,562,000 people (57%) in 2008 - an increase of 36% in the total number of listening since 2004.

Who is the Community Radio Consumer? Refers to the stations as ‘family’ or ‘friends’. Feels the presenters on community radio are ‘one of them’. Rewards an advertiser who demonstrates a commitment to their interest and locality. Sees diversity of programming and music as positive. Sees community radio stations as ‘social glue’ for their local area. Love the level of access they have to their local community station. Listen to programs not available anywhere else. Enjoy specialist information programs. Listeners in an average week spend 7.8 hours listening to community radio per week. People ages 55+ listen to an average 9.4 hours per week. People aged 15-24 and 40-54 average 6.4 hours per week. People aged 25-39 average 8.4 hours per week.

Reference: Qualitative study conducted by Griffith University published by CB Online. McNair Ingenuity Research, 2008. To download the PDF of the "Community Radio Listener Survey", conducted by McNair Ingenuity Research, Click Here