Radio’s golden opportunity
A broadcaster for seniors is booming in Britain. Is there a gap in the market here for a station that plays the songs of yesteryear?
How the media ignores seniors
Research has highlighted a troubling lack of representation of older people in media, reinforcing the need for platforms that celebrate rather than sideline seniors.
A study conducted for the Age Discrimination Commission last year found a culture of negativity in the media towards ageing. It found that existing media either overlooks or minimises important issues, excludes older people’s personal experiences, or portrays them as an economic or social burden.
These perceptions are underpinned by a broader culture of ageism in the industry and in the wider Australian community.
A Boomer-focused station in Australia could tap into this underserved market, offering music, conversation, and companionship that resonates with listeners aged 60+.
Many seniors like me have fond memories of listening to “top 40” radio stations that thrived back in the 1950s, 60s and 70s.
And some of us feel disappointed that we can no longer hear the songs and voices that helped frame our childhood and teenage years.
Of course, time moves on and there are new songs being produced all the time for new audiences – but that means it gets harder for us to hear “our” music on the airwaves.
If we’re lucky, we can still listen to our own record/cartridge/cassette collections or select the songs we like from streaming services.
But hits from the “good old days” before 1980 are few and far between on free-to-air radio in Australia.
Even stations that promote an “oldies” or “gold” format are playing many tunes from the 80s and 90s or even more recently.
And as for the people who “played the platters that matter on the wheels of steel”, well, they’ve moved on into retirement or, sadly, passed away.
That may be the case here in Australia, but in Great Britain, there’s a radio station that’s tailored exclusively for Baby Boomers – playing early rock and pop songs presented by some of the original DJs.
The average age of the on-air presenter at the appropriately named Boom Radio is 72, and it features names that are well known to British audiences.
Launched during the pandemic, the station now boasts more than 700,000 weekly listeners and leads the UK in listener loyalty, with audiences tuning in for more than 10 hours a week.
Boom Radio’s appeal lies in its authentic connection to its audience. It plays a rich mix of music from the 1950s to the 1970s, curated by veteran broadcasters including David Hamilton, Judi Spiers, and Simon Bates.
The station’s founders, Phil Riley and David Lloyd, saw a gap in the market when BBC Radio 2 shifted its focus to a younger demographic. Boom Radio filled that void, offering not just nostalgia but a sense of belonging and recognition for older listeners.
But what about here in Australia?
Baby Boomers – those born between 1946 and 1964 – make up over 20% of the Australian population and control more than half of the nation’s wealth.
Yet, mainstream radio often overlooks this demographic, favouring younger audiences and more contemporary playlists.
While stations including 4BH in Brisbane, 2UE in Sydney, and Magic 1278 in Melbourne feature “golden hits”, they are exceptions to the rule.
The Smooth Radio network has a playlist that appeals to older adults, but there’s not many songs from the 60s and 70s.
Some community stations play those songs – sometimes presented by semi-retired announcers from that era – but their audience reach is limited.
Even the official radio ratings survey stops breaking down listeners by age groups once they hit 65. As far as the industry is concerned, your interests and musical tastes are the same if you are 65, 80 or 95 – and, in any case, they’d rather not have you as a listener.
Although the publicly-funded ABC has a suite of music stations online and on DAB+, its oldest-skewing popular music station, Double J, seems to target Generation X and older Millennials rather than Boomers.
Its current playlist includes the likes of Florence + The Machine (whose first hit single was released in 2009), Nine Inch Nails (1989), John Butler (1998), and Dan Sultan (2007).
This is even though the original Double J was launched in 1975 and a playlist from that era would hit the spot for many recent retirees.
But it could be worse. If your musical taste stretches back to the late 1940s or early 50s, when the likes of Burl Ives, Perry Como, Bing Crosby, Doris Day, Dinah Shore, and Frank Sinatra ruled the airwaves, you’re pretty much out of luck altogether.
