Australian radio has three distinct layers: the public broadcaster, commercial networks concentrated in the state capitals, and an unusually large and well-supported community sector holding several hundred licences nationally.
That community sector is the reason Australia punches above its weight in this directory. Community stations there carry specialist music programming, Indigenous language broadcasting and local content that the commercial sector does not attempt, and many have been running for decades.
A practical note on time zones: Australian stations run live programming while much of Europe and the Americas are asleep, which makes them a useful option for anyone who wants staffed, presented radio in the small hours rather than automated rotation.
