News story about new legislation in Australia requiring local commercial radio stations to broadcast local content prompting Macquarie Media Group to sell its 85 regional stations, written by Grant Goddard in October 2006 for The Radio Magazine.

1. NEWS: NEW LAW REQUIRING
LOCAL CONTENT ON LOCAL
RADIO STATIONS IN AUSTRALIA
PROMPTS MACQUARIE MEDIA
GROUP TO SELL 85 STATIONS
by
GRANT GODDARD
www.grantgoddard.co.uk
October 2006

2. News: New Law Requiring Local Content On Local Radio Stations In Australia Prompts Macquarie Media Group To
Sell 85 Stations page 2
©2006 Grant Goddard
Macquarie Media Group is selling its 85 regional radio stations in Australia for
around A$600m, following the introduction of new federal regulations requiring
all local and regional radio stations to carry local content if they are co-owned
with TV or newspaper businesses.
Macquarie’s stations' reliance on networked programming had been strongly
criticised by National Party MPs, who passed the new law requiring that 12.5
minutes of local news and 4.5 hours of live local content are broadcast daily.
Macquarie had earlier warned that it would be forced to close at least ten of its
stations if the new content requirements were enacted.
[Submitted to 'The Radio Magazine', unpublished]
Grant Goddard is a media analyst / radio specialist / radio consultant with thirty years of
experience in the broadcasting industry, having held senior management and consultancy
roles within the commercial media sector in the United Kingdom, Europe and Asia. Details at
http://www.grantgoddard.co.uk