Disrupt Radio set to permanently dump its DAB+ station

Start-up station Disrupt Radio is overhauling its strategy in order to attract listeners however its staff are still unpaid.

Disrupt Radio chair Michelle Guthrie.

Beleaguered Disrupt Radio is expected to abandon its digital station just 15 months since inception – after being unable to attract listeners via its DAB+ network.

The start-up broadcaster, which focuses on entrepreneurship, has been hit by months of turmoil that has left staff waiting to be paid, with employees given little to no information about the future of the station.

Disrupt’s founder and chief executive Benjamin Roberts told The Australian at the weekend that its DAB+ (digital audio broadcasting) station – which was taken off air in August – was not expected to return.

“Disrupt is likely to transition from DAB+ to a streaming-focused model, offering live streaming, on-demand content and podcasts,” he said. “While DAB+ contributes to our listenership, the numbers aren’t significant enough to justify ongoing investment at current levels. In Australia, DAB+ hasn’t gained the same traction as in the UK, where it enjoys mainstream popularity and a wide range of stations.”

Disrupt Radio founder and chief executive officer Benjamin Roberts.

Disrupt Radio – with headquarters in Melbourne’s Southbank – was available on DAB+ in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, and allowed listeners to access it via digital technology including radios, smartphones and cars.

The decision to permanently abandon the DAB+ station comes after Mr Roberts told The Australian in July that the station was looking to break into other domestic markets such as Perth, as well overseas, including Britain.

Despite the low DAB+ audiences, Mr Roberts said the station draws tens of thousands of listeners elsewhere and this has led to a significant “pivot” away from having a DAB+ station.

“Disrupt currently draws a monthly listenership of 80,000 across streaming, on-demand and podcast platforms,” he said. “Our audience is highly engaged, with listeners tuning in for extended periods, attracted by the educational and knowledge-rich nature of our content.”

Disrupt’s main hosts include former ABC radio host Libbi Gorr, who hosts the Enterprise Breakfast show, former AFLW player Moana Hope who leads the afternoons program Entrepreneur Her, and broadcaster and businessman Jules Lund who fronts the Start-up Nation show.

Disrupt Radio presenter Jules Lund. Photo: Britta Campion

Mr Roberts criticised the radio ratings measurement system, which has been for decades used by all the major radio players in Australia to calculate their audiences. “Entrepreneurial audiences, who are tech-savvy and time-conscious, prefer more flexible media options,” he said.

“Traditional radio ratings methods, such as paper diaries and e-surveys, simply fail to capture the full scope of our reach and engagement. A pivot from DAB aligns more closely with the habits and preferences of our listeners.”

In the latest official GfK radio ratings results, which were released in August, Disrupt recorded fewer than 6000 listeners on DAB+ across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

The next ratings results will be released on Tuesday. It will be the sixth survey – of eight – for 2024.

Disrupt’s chair Michelle Guthrie, also former ABC managing director, has not spoken to The Australian – despite repeated requests – since funding fell through at the station.

Despite plans to abandon DAB+ just 15 months after the station’s launch, Ms Guthrie highlighted the importance of the platform when she spoke to The Australian in July last year.

“Launching a DAB – rather than a podcast, for example – is very different … having a focus around entrepreneurs and small-business people and a focus on women and diverse voices is really different,” she said.

Mr Roberts told The Australian the company was continuing “financial and investment work” and much of its content that had already aired had been “re-purposed and re-aired”.

Disrupt’s website still has a “live radio” option but makes no mention that the station has not been running new content for weeks.

Originally published as Disrupt Radio set to permanently dump its DAB+ station