At the ACRAs of 2002 (then known as the RAWARDS), Sir Bob Geldoff berated Australian Radio for playing “shite.” His argument was that the more we play what people already know, the more they say they want songs just like those, and the more shite we play. He says we should challenge the audience with more new releases that are different and confrontational.

At the time, this topic received one of the biggest responses we’ve had on this forum for some time. The majority of respondents were in broad agreement with Sir Bob. Has anything changed? Has the music on Australian Radio improved over the past nine years?

If it hasn’t, it doesn’t seem to have affected listening that much according to data released late last year by CRA to show that radio commands as big an audience as ever.

So far, local on-air talent has always kept Radio ahead of jukebox style devices capable of playing listeners’ own selections. Could new media such as Pandora and iHeart Radio prove to be the killer apps that finally penetrate Radio’s defences? You tell us. But either way, boring, repetitive music won’t help Radio stave them off.