If your radio show has just been cut, here is the short answer to the question you are probably asking: yes, you can keep broadcasting to your audience, starting this week, without a licence, a transmitter or a network. In Australia, a live show delivered over the internet does not need a broadcasting licence from ACMA. What you need is a microphone, an internet connection, a platform to broadcast on, and a way to tell your listeners where you have gone.
2026 has been a brutal year for Australian commercial radio. Networks have cut shows, merged programming and let go of presenters and producers across metro and regional markets, often with very little notice. Many of those hosts still have something most new broadcasters would pay anything for: a loyal audience that knows their voice and wants to keep hearing it.
This guide is for them. It covers what to check before you go live, the legal basics that used to be the station's problem and are now yours, how to take your audience with you, and what the money realistically looks like.
In short: check your contract for restraint clauses first, never replay audio the network owns, stay spoken-word (or license any music properly), and go live in your old time slot as soon as you legally can. Your audience's habit is your biggest asset, and it fades fast.
Can I start my own radio show online in Australia?
Yes. Traditional radio needs spectrum, and spectrum needs a licence. Internet broadcasting does not use the airwaves. Under the Broadcasting Services Act, services that deliver radio programs over the internet are excluded from the definition of a "broadcasting service", so ACMA does not issue or require a licence for an internet-only show. You do not need a commercial licence, a community licence, or a narrowcast licence to go live online.
That doesn't mean there are no rules. The law still applies to what you say and what you play, and there are three areas you now have to manage yourself: your old employment contract, music copyright and defamation. We cover each below.
Network radio vs going independent: what changes
| Network radio | Independent online show | |
|---|---|---|
| Licence | Held by the station | Not required for internet-only broadcasting |
| Reach | Limited to the transmitter footprint and the station's app | Anyone, anywhere, on any device |
| Producer and panel operator | Provided | You, or a co-host |
| Legal review | Station lawyers and compliance | Your responsibility |
| Income | Salary, paid by advertising | Paid directly by listeners, plus any sponsors you sign |
| Who owns the audience | The network | You |
| Job security | Decided by the next ratings survey and restructure | Decided by whether your listeners keep showing up |
The trade is simple. You lose the infrastructure, the salary and the safety net of a legal department. You gain the audience, the direct relationship and the income from it, with nobody able to axe the show but you.
Before you go live: the legal checklist
This is general information, not legal advice. If you have just left a network, an hour with an employment or media lawyer is worth far more than it costs.
1. Read your contract for restraint clauses
Many radio contracts include a restraint of trade, a non-compete, or a period of paid "gardening leave" that limits where and when you can broadcast after you leave. These clauses vary widely, and their enforceability depends on how they are drafted and on the circumstances of your exit. Find out exactly what yours says and when it ends before you announce anything.
2. Work out what you own and what the network owns
Your voice, your opinions and your personality are yours. The recordings of your old show, the station's jingles and imaging, and often the show's name and segment names belong to the network. That has two practical consequences:
- Don't replay old network audio. Rebroadcasting past episodes or segments is a copyright problem, and Talkline.fm doesn't allow TV, radio or podcast rebroadcasts on the platform.
- Consider a new show name. If the network owns the old one, you can still let your audience know it's you: "The same breakfast crew, now independent."
3. Stay spoken-word, or license music properly
Music is the biggest trap for hosts coming from music radio. At the station, the licences were someone else's job. Streaming music online in Australia typically requires licences covering both the composition (through APRA AMCOS) and the sound recording (through PPCA), and many international labels treat online streaming separately again. Talkline.fm is a spoken-word platform and doesn't permit licensed music, so the simple path is also the best one: build the show around talk, talkback and personality. Most of what your audience misses is you, not the playlist.
4. You are now the publisher, so defamation is on you
At a network, contentious segments were checked by producers and lawyers, and the station carried the risk. Independently, you are the publisher. Australian defamation law applies to online broadcasting just as it does to radio. The same instincts that kept you out of trouble on air still work: stick to what you can prove, be careful with named individuals, and don't let a caller say what you wouldn't. If your show is heavy on news and opinion, look into media liability insurance.
How to take your audience with you
Tell them where you're going, early
Your listeners don't know you've moved unless you tell them, and the network won't do it for you. Use every channel you personally control: your own social media accounts, your email list if you have one, local community Facebook groups and local press. An axed host coming back independently is a story regional papers and the radio trade press are genuinely interested in.
Keep your old time slot
Radio listening is habit. If you did breakfast from 6 to 9, go live from 6 to 9. Your audience already has the routine: the kettle, the drive, the school run. Asking them to find you at a new time is asking them to build a new habit. Asking them to open a different app at the same time is much easier.
Give them one link
Your Talkline.fm host page is a permanent address for your show. Put it everywhere, say it on air, and keep it the same. Listeners can follow you, listen live from a phone or computer, and find you again next time without searching.
Setting up your home studio
You already know more about microphones than most new broadcasters ever will, so this is just what changes when you broadcast from home:
- A dynamic broadcast mic rejects room noise far better than a condenser, which matters in a spare room with no acoustic treatment.
- Closed-back headphones, the same as in the studio.
- A wired internet connection. Wi-Fi drops are the independent broadcaster's version of dead air.
- A second screen for chat and your caller queue.
- A soft room. Curtains, a rug and a bookshelf do more for your sound than an expensive preamp.
Talkline.fm broadcasts from a web browser on your computer, so there's no software to install and no encoder to configure. Our beginner's guide to starting a live talk show covers gear options at every budget.
Running the show without a producer
The biggest adjustment for most network hosts isn't the tech. It's doing the producer's job as well as your own.
- Write a rundown every day. Segments, timings, a topic in reserve. Without a producer in your ear, structure is what stops a three-hour show from drifting.
- Get a co-host or a regular panel. Two voices carry a long show far more easily than one, and a co-host can watch chat while you talk.
- Take talkback. On Talkline.fm, listeners can call in to join the show live, and you manage the queue yourself. It's the same talkback energy your audience remembers, without a panel operator.
- Use the chat. The live chat gives you something radio never had: an instant read on how every segment is landing.
How independent hosts get paid
A network salary comes from advertising. An independent show is paid for directly by the people who listen to it. On Talkline.fm, listeners can support a host in three ways:
- Donations: one-off tips. The host keeps 90%.
- Subscriptions: a monthly amount from your most loyal listeners, with a subscriber badge and perks. The host keeps 90%.
- Cheers: a virtual currency listeners spend to send messages, text-to-speech shout-outs and sound effects on air. The host receives a flat $0.01 per cheer, with no commission taken from it.
Many independent hosts also sell sponsor reads directly to local businesses, which is a conversation you already know how to have.
The honest numbers
An independent show won't replace a metro breakfast salary in its first month, and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something. What it can do is start earning from day one and grow with your audience. As a rough illustration: if 2,000 people listen regularly and 3% subscribe at $10 a month, that's 60 subscribers, or $540 a month to the host after the 90/10 split, before any tips, cheers or sponsorship. The numbers compound with consistency. They collapse if you stop showing up.
A particular opportunity for regional hosts
Regional and local shows are often the first to go when networks consolidate, replaced by networked programming from a capital city. When that happens, a town doesn't just lose a presenter. It loses its local voice: the community notices, the local sport, the council arguments, the person who knew everyone's name. That gap is real, and an independent host who fills it has something no networked show can offer. Local businesses that used to advertise on the station are natural sponsors, too.
Common mistakes when going independent
- Announcing before checking your contract. Find out what your restraint says first.
- Waiting too long. Your audience's habit fades fast. A few weeks off air is fine; a few months and many listeners will have moved on.
- Replaying old network segments. They aren't yours to broadcast.
- Treating it like a podcast. Live is your advantage. Keep the talkback, the chat and the timeliness.
- Not asking for support. Your listeners have never had the option to pay you directly before. Tell them, clearly, on day one.
Ready to go back on air?
Check your contract. Pick your time slot. Tell your listeners where you're going. Then create a free Talkline.fm account and go live. If you'd like to hear how other independent hosts are running their shows first, see what's live right now.
For the fine print on what can and can't be broadcast on the platform, see our content rights page.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a licence to broadcast an internet radio show in Australia?
No broadcasting licence is needed. Under the Broadcasting Services Act, services that deliver radio programs over the internet are excluded from the definition of a broadcasting service, so ACMA does not issue or require a licence for an internet-only show. You still need licences for any music you play, and defamation and other laws still apply to what you say.
Can I start broadcasting straight after being made redundant from a radio station?
Often, but check your contract first. Many radio contracts include a restraint of trade, a non-compete or a period of gardening leave that limits where and when you can broadcast after you leave. Get advice from an employment lawyer before announcing a new show.
Can I replay my old radio show online?
Usually not. Recordings of your old show, and often the show name, jingles and imaging, belong to the network. Talkline.fm does not allow TV, radio or podcast rebroadcasts, so independent hosts start fresh with new live shows.
Can I play music on an internet radio show in Australia?
Only with the right licences, which typically cover both the composition through APRA AMCOS and the sound recording through PPCA. Talkline.fm is a spoken-word platform and does not permit licensed music, so most hosts build their show around talk, talkback and personality.
How do axed radio hosts keep their audience?
Tell listeners where you are going through channels you personally control, such as your own social media, local community groups and local press. Go live in your old time slot so listeners can keep their routine, and give them one permanent link to your show.
How much can an independent radio host earn online?
It depends on audience size and loyalty. As an illustration, 2,000 regular listeners with 3% subscribing at $10 a month is about $540 a month to the host on Talkline.fm after the 90/10 split, before tips, cheers or sponsorship. Hosts keep 90% of donations and subscriptions and receive a flat $0.01 per cheer.
Can listeners call in to an online talk show?
Yes. On Talkline.fm, listeners can call in to join a live show, and the host manages the caller queue directly, with no panel operator needed.
