After months of speculation, Australia’s newest radio station Disrupt Radio has announced it will officially launch onto the airwaves on Monday June 26, 2023, spearheaded by international entrepreneur and business maverick Sir Bob Geldof, alongside some of Australia’s most inspiring personalities.

Featuring a diverse lineup of hosts, Disrupt Radio delivers daily talk programming and content via DAB+ digital radio and online. Catering audiences of all ages and stages, the station boldly seeks to raise the stakes of contemporary radio with candid (and sometimes unhinged) conversation spanning business, entrepreneurship, innovation and aspiration.

From budding entrepreneurs to industry leaders, Disrupt Radio is the platform for dreamers and doers. Listeners can expect to hear daily shows from renowned Aussies including Jules Lund, Libbi Gorr, Adam Ferrier, Moana Hope, Firas Massouh, George McEncroe, Nick Bracks, Sunil Badami, Siimon Reynolds, Zara and Troy Love, Megan Flamer and Alan Jones.

Remarkably, iconic musician, activist and entrepreneur Bob Geldof will arrive in Melbourne for the station’s launch, taking the helm with Libbi Gorr for its inaugural week on the airwaves.

Bob Geldof will co-host Disrupt Radio’s Enterprise Breakfast Show alongside Libbi Gorr, flipping the script with a rule-defying format that promises to challenge perceptions, spark curiosity and fire up the day.

Disrupt Radio seeks to unite entrepreneurial thinkers, business mavericks, professionals and everyday Aussies across the nation. By breaking the conventional talk radio mould, the station is determined to equip listeners with insight, innovation and inspiration, while stimulating progressive conversation, collaboration and idea-exchange. Its tailored programming aims to kindle creativity, ignite entrepreneurial spirit and challenge the status quo.

Commenting on his vision for the station and Sir Bob Geldof’s involvement, Disrupt Radio’s Founder and CEO Benjamin Roberts said:

“Disrupt Radio steps up as the fresh platform for progressive discourse and exchange of groundbreaking ideas in business, entrepreneurship and innovation. Recognising a critical gap, we saw an untapped opportunity to infuse talk radio and, more extensively, the Australian media landscape, with an invigorating blend of optimism and opportunity. With Disrupt Radio, we're set to redefine the media narrative, fostering a space that celebrates fresh perspectives, innovative thinking and the bold spirit of entrepreneurship.”

“Disrupt Radio is more than just a radio station. It’s a movement. We aim to create an inclusive space for diverse voices, sharing transformative ideas and stirring discussions on business, technology and culture.” he said.

“We could not be more excited to have Sir Bob Geldof – a global disruptor and social entrepreneur – spearhead our launch for a week of live Breakfast radio. His passion, influence and relentless desire to push boundaries aligns with our mission and vision. Sir Bob and his team have been staunch allies of Disrupt Radio from the very beginning. Their commitment has been nothing short of extraordinary and we eagerly anticipate the moment audiences get to tune in.”

Disrupt Radio – led by Sir Bob Geldof, Libbi Gorr and its all-star cast at launch, will feature captivating conversations, insightful discussions and revolutionary ideas that will challenge traditional norms and inspire personal and professional growth. Listeners can expect content that pushes the boundaries of convention and invites them to think differently.

Visit www.disrupt.radio to tune in to opportunity or find and follow us on all your favourite social networks to stay connected and up to date.

Former AFLW player Moana Hope has questioned how women afford to re-enter the workforce as she prepares to host her own show on Disrupt Radio.

Moana Hope says she’s in a “really good place” as a single mum, full-time worker and now with a new radio gig.

Click here to read the article.

Disrupt Radio is a new talk radio station that seeks to transform the traditional media landscape and create an inclusive community of forward-thinkers and mavericks.

Lund will host the weekday drivetime slot (Monday to Friday, 4-6pm) with a show called ‘Start-up Nation’, focused on business, entrepreneurship and innovation. He’ll be harnessing his broadcast and start-up expertise to provide business insights across a gamut of subjects to help inspire, inform and energise listeners.

Click here to read the article.

New digital radio start-up Disrupt Radio has hired SBS World News’ first-ever anchor, George Donikian, and an AI robot to host its morning and afternoon broadcasts.

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Donikian, who is a Greek-Armenian Australian, will read half-hourly news updates on the Enterprise Breakfast show on weekday mornings 7am to 9am from Monday, June 26.

The afternoon news broadcast will be read by an AI robot named Debbie Disrupt.

Telum Media spoke to Tom Wright, Content Director for specialist programmes on Disrupt Radio, about his career in audio journalism and how his team is looking to shake up the talk radio industry. 

What brought you into the radio world?
A job application to join a start-up internet radio station in London in 2000! More broadly, a passion for interesting and amusing audio, both speech and music. I love the immediacy of audio, the excitement of "now" in live radio and on podcasts - I love how things can get made very quickly compared to TV or film.

How have you seen the industry change and evolve throughout your career?
My whole career there’s been a push and pull in the industry between digital and linear broadcast radio, and whether digital will "save" radio or podcasts being a "distraction". I’m not sure the audience sees it like that. I’ve seen how various organisations in Australia and the UK have negotiated that push / pull of new and existing audiences with varying degrees of success. I think there’s no definitive answer either way. That’s what is so interesting working at a new radio station attempting to use digital-style disruption to a live-scheduled radio network.

What’s your favourite type of story or piece to work on?
I love working on surprising new ideas, bringing them to life, giving a voice to someone who has maybe not had the chance before, protecting them, and (sometimes) proving the naysayers wrong.

How does your current role differ from roles you’ve had in the past?
After five years as Executive Producer of comedy podcasts for the ABC, becoming head of specialist here at Disrupt Radio has meant getting back into clocks, timings and schedules, and managing multiple productions rather than a couple at any given time.

What makes Disrupt Radio different to other broadcasters?
We are the first to try and make a new home for intelligent talk radio in Australia on DAB+. Most DAB stations are feeds of established AM stations or specialist spin-offs of existing brands, usually in music. We think and behave more like a tech company than legacy broadcasters, which gives us terrific freedom. We focus on a market largely ignored by the media, those who are into new ways of doing things. We are also not led by age demographics. If you’re into new ideas, we are for you, whoever you are.

How do you work best with PRs and other media professionals?
I have to admit I’m not wild about cold calls for new ideas or follow-ups to emails. Other than that, I am open to anyone who wants to contact me. I’m happy to take email pitch ideas whenever.

Any tips for young journalists looking to enter the audio space?
Don’t let perfect get in the way of good, the very best ideas or stories are still being "perfected" and will never see the light of day. We should be living in an age where new ideas challenge the same old, so pitch your ideas and keep persisting. Also, pick up the phone! You’d be surprised how effective phone calls can be. Sometimes younger journalists are waiting for things to happen to them, nothing happens without you putting in the effort or getting in front of people. That’s how you "get lucky".

“It has to be one of the most exciting station launches in Australia.”

That was the verdict from Disrupt Radio Founder and CEO Benjamin Roberts after its first week on air.

On a mission to wake up and shake up businesses, it heralded the start of what the station promises to be a ground-breaking, rule defying, perception-challenging format.

Radio Today caught up with Roberts, who says launch week was nothing short of incredible:

“The response has been overwhelmingly positive and the national publicity, largely driven by Sir Bob co-hosting Breakfast with Libbi, was unprecedented.”

“The pairing of Libbi with Bob was magic. A blend of chaos and charisma. Thought-provoking, informative and entertaining.”

Roberts says with her background in law, broadcasting and comedy, Gorr brings a depth of knowledge and sharp wit to the table.

“Bob, on the other hand, was never going to be the typical co-host everyone was expecting and that’s what made it so interesting and addictive to listen to.”

Roberts describes Geldof as a walking encyclopedia.

“For 10 days we experienced Bob the social entrepreneur, musician, activist and disruptive thinker. He arrived in Melbourne armed with program preparation and fully immersed himself in the station.”

“From AI technology, machine learning and mushrooms, space travel and conscious capitalism to green energy, environment, activism and music and entertainment – there was something for everyone.”

Disrupt’s Head of Content Steve Kyte concurs, telling Radio Today “In all my years in media, I have never heard anything quite like it.”

“I needed a lie down and a large glass of red after the week ended.”

Roberts is also full of praise for Disrupt’s news presenters.

“Watching George Donikian and Debbie Disrupt, our beloved AI newsreader, co-operate has warmed our digital hearts.”

There were some initial hiccups – such as when Debbie insisted on pronouncing Melbourne as ‘Mel-born.’

“But George, being the gentleman and consummate professional he is, patiently guided her through the tricky pronunciation of Australian place names and they’ve become quite the dynamic duo,” says Roberts.

“It’s like witnessing an unusual friendship bloom between man and machine, a kind of ‘beauty and the bot’ situation, if you will.”

Roberts says Debbie has been working diligently to improve her diction and her efforts are reaping results.

“We can now proudly say she can pronounce ‘Woolloomooloo’ flawlessly – and if that’s not a sign of progress, we don’t know what is!”

Donikian tells Radio Today he’s loving the experience so far.

“It’s been exhilarating listening to Sir Bob regale us with story after story – both privately and on air – with Libbi Gorr.”

“It’s been a unique experience and opportunity for everyone involved at Disrupt Radio.”

Having flown in to help anchor the first week, Sir Bob makes way for a rotating cast of Breakfast co-hosts.

Roberts says hearing George McEnroe’s comeback through Moolah has been another highlight.

He says there’s also been plenty of interest in the women in business program Entrepreneur Her – hosted by Moana Hope.

“She’s new to radio and an absolute powerhouse.”

Roberts says Startup Nation with Jules Lund is very tech and innovation focused, and feels like it’s always been there.

“Jules is a class act with enormous energy and the show will hopefully become a staple for the Startup community.”

Joey was among the listeners to tune in for the launch and told Radio Today he liked what he heard:

“As a Gen X (as Libbi is) this station seems targeted at exactly my stage in life. It’s fun as well as informative (including short news breaks) and interperses the chat with great music: Niche yet still quite in the mainstream of things.”

“Hope it’s built to last. It has been a long while since we’ve really had a innovative new format on the radio.”

JP was less enamoured with the concept, saying prior to its launch “I give it six months.”

Whether it’s your cup of tea or not, Disrupt’s arrival on the scene has certainly piqued the curiosity of its radio counterparts, with Nova 100‘s Brekky team of Ben, Liam & Belle taking the mickey out of the station ahead of its launch.

But Roberts’ attitude is: bring it on.

“We’re loving the free plugs on the other stations.”

Roberts says mentions like that certainly helped with the launch and awareness of Disrupt Radio, especially in conjunction with its national TV coverage and billboards.

“Who would have thought an unrelated Talk format built on optimism and opportunity would create so much interest?”

“I guess audiences now have access to a new channel where they can learn and be inspired through progressive, future-focused talk and entrepreneurial thinking – or they can stick with being asked to call in and tell the Friday Drive show whether they wee or brush their teeth in the shower.”

As a girl more likely to listen to Smooth Vintage, I tuned into Disrupt Radio’s launch today out of curiosity and with no real expectations.

I was pleasantly surprised.

The station has its teething problems. A colleague couldn’t find or hear anything on the app. I couldn’t find the DAB+ station and kept being pointed to a similarly named podcast, but I could listen via the website stream.

The imaging felt fresh. There certainly are a few car advertisers already and the quality and volume of the audio was the right balance for me. Yes, there were drop outs, and ins, but for a first day everything mostly sounded slick.

The best parts I heard today were the people; presenters, guests and welcome back George Donikian!

I imagined that most parts would be prerecorded and packaged, but Libbi Gorr and Sir Bob Geldof must have been live on breakfast. Across the day there were several moments I heard which clearly hadn’t been edited, or cleaned up, and I mean that in the best possible way.

Libbi was talking to Bob about Former Leader of the Labor Party Simon Crean, who died unexpectedly yesterday. Libbi had run into him last week, at the hairdresser. She went to ask Geldof whether he thought about dying and you could feel her pivot in her head over the bluntness of that question. Instead Gorr asked whether such events made him think about mortality. Geldof said he hoped however he went, it was sudden and swift too.

These moments felt like you were sitting in on real, intelligent and interesting conversations, not AI, not a prepackaged podcast but something that has the potential to grow in value and meaning, if they can find a way to get their audience to invest.

It was a smart day to launch with most of the networks on winter break and people likely to twiddle the dial. Social media and publicity have been very quiet from Disrupt today which makes me feel they have more up their sleeves this most important week.