Can you find the RADIO in your car? Radio industry concerned about high-tech cars of today

The radio industry in Australia has come out today with a call to the Government for legislation to guarantee the prominence of radio in cars being sold in Australia, something you might not have thought about but is a real issue for users in many many modern cars.

I drive a different car every week, and while for the most part I’m probably lost in my old-man playlists, the rest of the time I’m looking for Triple M, WSFM (Now Gold i know!), or Smooth FM or 2GB. That might sound easy, but in fact – it’s not.

Many new cars don’t have an AM receiver, and while I’m lucky to be in a capital city and get DAB, many cars also make it really hard to re-scan the Digital Stations.

Add to that the number of cars that make just finding the radio “app” so hard it’s unbearable.

This is all thanks to our new hyper connected app style world, where cars have an app for “Media” but make it hard to find the source of that media.

Lizzie Young The CEO of “Commercial Radio & Audio” (CRA) has said today “Australia’s relationship with cars and radio is unique. Yet, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to access radio in new cars that prioritise global streaming services.”  

“We drive long distances, live in dispersed communities, and rely on radio not just for entertainment, but for trusted news, connection, and vital information in times of emergency. Now is the time for urgent legislative action to ensure the medium of radio – with its central place in the driving experience – remains free and easily accessible for all Australians,” added Young.

And it’s not just in the car there are concerns, the industry also wants to Guarantee availability and discoverability on smart speakers too.

Anyone with an Apple HomePod will know that asking it to play a radio station is just an outright fail – because Apple doesn’t care about radio – or so it seems.

While many younger people might argue this is a waste of time – there’s a real need for Radio – especially in emergency situations. Natural Disasters are a time when Radio becomes a source for information, highlighted by Lizzie Young saying “Radio shouldn’t need mobile data, Wi-Fi, or power to be accessible, it should be easily available when Australians need it most,”

“The government must act now to protect a medium that 15 million Australians rely on every week.“

Here’s the case for Radio and Prominence as presented by CRA today

THE FAST FACTS: KEEP RADIO EASILY ACCESSIBLE ANYTIME, ANYWHERE

COMMERCIAL RADIO DOMINATES AUSTRALIAN AUDIO

• 15 MILLION Australians listen to commercial radio weekly
• 4X MORE LISTENERS than ad-supported Spotify
• 84% of Australians 18+ who travelled in a car in the past month listen to the radio

THE IN-CAR LISTENING CRISIS

• #1 AUDIO CHOICE Commercial Radio remains the top preference for in-car listening
• MORE THAN 1 IN 4 Australians now stream radio in their cars
• THE PROBLEM: New cars bury radio under several dashboard clicks; Australians need easier access not harder

DIGITAL GROWTH PROVES DEMAND

• 33% WEEKLY STREAMING One in three Australians 25-54 stream radio weekly (↑6.5% YoY)
• 52% PODCAST ADOPTION Half of Australians consume podcasts monthly
• 40% SMART SPEAKER OWNERSHIP Four in ten Australian households own smart speakers (↑43% in two years)

WHY THIS MATTERS NOW

• AUSTRALIAN CONTENT 100% Australian-owned commercial radio vs global tech platforms prioritising overseas content
• EMERGENCY ACCESS When internet fails during bushfires and floods, only broadcast radio delivers critical safety information. According to the Deloitte Access Economics 2023:
  • Commercial radio broadcasts 2,200 hours of emergency services content each year.
  • Nearly three in five Australians listened to commercial radio for emergency info.
  • 42,000 hours of Australian news was broadcast in 2022.
  • 79% of regional and 72% of metro listeners agree radio builds a sense of community through local news and community announcements.
• CONSUMER CHOICE Australians have chosen commercial radio – 15 million weekly listeners shouldn’t be ignored

THE ASK: The implementation of a legislative framework that guarantees:

• ✓ PROMINENT ONE BUTTON ACCESS to Australian radio – AM, FM, DAB+ receivers and streaming audio – in all cars
• ✓ GUARANTEED AVAILABILITY AND DISCOVERABILITY on smart speakers
• ✓ RELIABLE VERBAL ACCESS to Australian radio services via voice assistants

THE DETAIL:  

The Broadcasting Services Act 1992 should guarantee:

• Prominent and reliable visual access in connected cars (both via in-built operating systems and plug-in/connected devices (such as Apple CarPlay and AndroidAuto)) and on other connected devices, to Australian audio services;
• Consistent and reliable verbal access on connected devices (including cars) to Australian audio services; and
• That connected cars and devices with a terrestrial receiver continue to provide prominent access to radio broadcasting services, via the primary user interface of the device.

THE BOTTOM LINE

If radio loses prominence in cars, 15 million Australians lose access to their preferred audio choice, local news, and life-saving emergency information.

Sources:

[1] The Infinite Dial Australia 2025, Edison Research. National survey of 1,543 Australians aged 10+, conducted Q1 2025. Unless stated otherwise.

[2] Deloitte, Connecting Communities: The Economic and Social Contribution of Commercial Radio & Audio in Australia, August 2023