Southern Cross Austereo
Southern Cross Media Group Limited, doing business as Southern Cross Austereo, is an Australian media company which operates broadcast radio stations. It is the largest radio broadcaster in Australia, operating 86 radio stations, and has a reach into every state and territory.
In addition, the company formerly operated television stations carrying the three major commercial networks to regional and remote places of Australia.
The company is headquartered in South Melbourne. It was founded in 2004 as a subsidiary of Macquarie Bank for the purpose of acquiring regional radio stations, before expanding into television broadcasting in 2007 with the acquisition of Southern Cross Broadcasting. It also operates the LISTNR platform in Australia.
It was announced in September 2025 that SCA and Seven West Media were intending to merge in early 2026. The merger was completed on 7 January 2026.
History
2004–05: RG Capital & DMG Regional Radio acquisitions
RG Capital was an Australian radio company, formed in 1995 by Reg Grundy with the acquisition of Sea FM Gold Coast. Between 1996 and 2000, the group grew to 28 stations across regional centres, and was subsequently floated on the Australian Securities Exchange. On 3 June 2004, Macquarie Bank announced it would acquire RG Capital for $173 million, gaining control of 36 radio stations in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania. The Federal Court of Australia approved the acquisition in August 2004, with the stations to be operated through the company's Regional Media Limited subsidiary, trading as Macquarie Regional RadioWorks. The acquisition was finalised on 1 September 2004.On 3 September 2004, Macquarie Bank announced its acquisition of DMG Radio Australia's regional radio assets. The $193.5 million deal included 57 regional stations, with DMG retaining Hot 91.1 Sunshine Coast and Star 104.5 Gosford alongside its metropolitan assets. This increased Regional Media's reach into South Australia and Western Australia, initially controlling 93 radio stations and becoming the largest commercial radio network in Australia. However, as the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 prevents companies from controlling more than two commercial radio stations in a regional market, Regional Media was required to divest radio stations in Albury, Cairns, Mackay, Rockhampton/Gladstone and Townsville. On 1 September 2005, 2AY Albury was acquired by Ace Radio, while six stations in the remaining five markets were sold to Prime Television.
On 17 November 2005 the company was restructured into a triple-stapled structure consisting of an Australian-based private company and trust, and an additional private company based in Bermuda. Macquarie Media Group was in turn publicly listed on the Australian Securities Exchange, but with majority control retained by Macquarie Bank. In December, Macquarie Bank announced an AU$1.19 billion deal to acquire a 40% stake in Taiwanese cable television provider Taiwan Broadband Communications from equity firm The Carlyle Group, 60% of which would be financed by Macquarie Media Group. In March 2008, the company divested its stake to the Macquarie Korea Opportunities Fund in a $400 million deal.
2006–08: American Consolidated Media & Southern Cross acquisitions
By 2006, Macquarie Regional RadioWorks was increasingly networking news and programming on its 86 radio stations from a series of hubs in Bendigo, Bunbury, the Gold Coast and Townsville. This was criticised by a number of politicians, including Nationals MPs Paul Neville and Barnaby Joyce. In response, the Minister for Communications Helen Coonan introduced the Broadcasting Services Amendment Act 2006, including requiring each commercial radio licence to produce 4.5 hours of 'locally significant' content each business day commencing from 1 January 2008. This was later relaxed to 3 hours for most stations, with exemptions for smaller stations.In November 2006, Macquarie Media Group purchased a 13.8% stake in Southern Cross Broadcasting, acquiring 10 million shares for AU$195 million. On 25 January 2007, the company's interests expanded into the United States, with the acquisition of newspaper publisher American Consolidated Media for US$80 million.
On 3 July 2007, Macquarie Media Group announced a takeover bid of Southern Cross Broadcasting, offering AU$17.41 per share for a total value of $1.35 billion. Under the deal, Macquarie would assume Southern Cross Broadcasting's regional television assets – Southern Cross Television, affiliated with the Seven Network; Southern Cross Ten, affiliated with Network Ten; and Tasmanian Digital Television, a joint-venture with WIN Corporation. Its remaining assets, including metropolitan radio stations, Satellite Music Australia and Southern Star Group, were to be onsold to Fairfax Media for AU$520 million. In return, Macquarie would acquire nine regional radio stations from Fairfax – three in Queensland: 4BU and Hitz FM Bundaberg and River 94.9 Ipswich; and six in South Australia: 5AU and Magic 105.9 Port Augusta, 5CC and Magic 89.9 Port Lincoln, and 5RM and Magic 93.1 Renmark. The Australian Communications & Media Authority gave prior approval to the deal, with the caveat that 12 radio stations currently controlled by Macquarie would be sold pursuant to the Broadcasting Services Act 1992. On 17 October, the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission approved the deal, but ruled that the deal for Fairfax to sell nine radio stations to Macquarie would result in a "substantial lessening of competition".
On 5 November, Macquarie Media Group acquired Southern Cross Broadcasting, selling its non-television assets to Fairfax Media the following day. On 12 December, both parties abandoned negotiations for the South Australian and Queensland radio stations. On 14 March 2008, Macquarie divested 18 radio stations for AU$34.5 million. Nine Tasmanian stations were sold to Grant Broadcasters, with four Queensland stations sold to Smart Radio. 4AM Atherton was bought by Coastal Broadcasters Pty Ltd, owners of 4KZ and Kool FM Innisfail, while 3GG Gippsland and 4GC and Hot FM Charters Towers were sold to Resonate Broadcasting, a new entity formed by Austereo executives Guy Dobson and Rex Morris. While only one of Macquarie's two stations in Young, New South Wales were required to be sold, both 2LF and Star FM were sold to Broadcast Operations Group.
Following the Southern Cross Broadcasting acquisition, Macquarie's regional radio and television business commenced trading as Macquarie Southern Cross Media.
2009–10: Restructure
In August 2009, Macquarie Media Group posted a loss of $84.6 million in 2008-09, compared with a $273 million profit in the previous financial year. Despite lower revenue, the Group's Australian assets delivered a profit of $123.4 million, but ACM significant lossesIn December 2009, MMG security holders voted in favour of a conversion from a triple-stapled structure to a single ASX-listed company. MMG was renamed Southern Cross Media Group with former RG Capital Radio CEO Rhys Holleran as the Chief Executive Officer.
Austereo
The company was founded by Paul Thompson, and when commercial FM broadcasting was introduced into Australia it acquired the licence for metropolitan Adelaide, South Australia; SAFM commenced transmission in September 1980. The next station to join the network was Fox FM in Melbourne, Victoria in 1986, eventually to be followed by 2Day FM in Sydney, New South Wales and 4BK in Brisbane, Queensland for which the company was successful in converting to the FM band in 1990. Austereo also purchased AM radio station 6IX in Perth, Western Australia with the intention of converting the station to FM. 6IX, which had been re-launched by Austereo as The Eagle 1080 AM, was consequently sold off after being outbid for either of the two new FM licences by rivals 6KY and 6PM, which Austereo now own.1995 saw a monopolistic arrangement take place whereby Village Roadshow purchased the Hoyts owned Triple M network, and Triple M in turn merged with Austereo to form a single umbrella company. The merger was part of a single deal that was unpopular due to the fierce rivalry between the two radio networks, and the fact that Village Roadshow and Hoyts were also direct competitors in the film industry.
Merger
In March 2011, Southern Cross Media launched an A$714 million takeover bid of national radio broadcaster, the Austereo Group. On 6 April 2011 shareholders of the Austereo Group accepted the takeover bid, giving SCM a more than 90% share in the company. Southern Cross Media and Austereo merged in July 2011 to form Southern Cross Austereo.Post-merger
2010s
Starting from 7 November 2011, Southern Cross Austereo slowly rolled out 9Gem, 9Go!, 7two, 7mate and One as digital channels across the GTS/BKN areas.On 23 August 2012, Guy Dobson was announced as Chief Officer of Content for the Southern Cross Austereo network, working across radio and television.
Southern Cross began broadcasting the shopping channel TVSN, already carried by Network 10, in December 2012 on LCN 54 in Southern Cross Ten markets, on LCN 64 in Tasmania and on LCN 74 in Darwin.
Southern Cross began broadcasting its own datacast channel, Aspire TV on 21 May 2013 on LCN 56 in Southern Cross Ten markets, on LCN 66 in Tasmania and on LCN 76 in Darwin.
On 7 December 2013, the company switched GDS/BDN to a feed of NWS Adelaide.
In October 2014, the company announced it would relaunch SAFM in Adelaide as Hit 107, with a staggered Hit Network-wide relaunch announced in December. On 14 January 2015, the network was relaunched as Today's Hit Network, with the relaunch extending to Canberra in January 2016. Sea FM Hobart was relaunched as Hit100.9 in February, with the remaining network stations adopting the Hit Network branding as part of a national brand consolidation in December.
Southern Cross began broadcasting Racing.com on 29 August 2015, the same day the channel was officially launched, in Seven-affiliated markets on LCN 68 in Tasmania, Broken Hill and the Spencer Gulf and on LCN 78 in Darwin.
In March 2016, gaming news publisher Press Start was acquired by Southern Cross Austereo, which resulted in its founder and owner Shannon Grixti being appointed as managing director of Press Start starting on 27 March 2016. Grixti launched Press Start in early 2014 and the acquisition was completed on 8 June 2016.
On 29 April 2016, Southern Cross Austereo announced that it had signed a five-year affiliation deal with Nine Entertainment Co., owner of the Nine Network, for almost $500 million, taking the place of WIN Television as the primary regional Nine affiliate. On 1 July 2016, Southern Cross switched its primary affiliation from Network Ten to the Nine Network and Nine's metropolitan branding was introduced across Southern Cross' television assets in Queensland, Southern NSW and Victoria, joining its existing Nine affiliate station in Spencer Gulf, SA and Broken Hill, NSW. Southern Cross' Northern NSW station, NRN, was not part of the deal as the Nine-owned NBN Television already operated in the region.
Upon the affiliation change, the channel listing for Southern Cross' Nine-affiliated stations was reshuffled with Nine on channel 5 and 51, 9HD on channels 50, 9Gem on channel 52 in standard definition, 9Go! on channel 53, 9Life on channel 54 and Aspire TV on channel 56. GDS/BDN Spencer Gulf/Broken Hill remained unchanged with Nine on channel 8, 9Gem on channel 80 and 9Go! on channel 88. As a result TVSN stopped broadcasting in the Nine-affiliated markets and was replaced with a To Be Advised slide until being replaced with Yesshop on 1 August 2016.
Due to the need to import and install the required equipment, Southern Cross originally stated that it would not immediately offer Nine's digital services 9HD and 9Life upon the transition; the broadcaster stated that they planned to begin transmitting them by mid-August—a delay which would have caused the third match of the 2016 State of Origin series on 13 July to not be transmitted in high definition in the affected regions—which includes parts of the New South Wales and Queensland regions who play the series. However, on 24 June 2016, Southern Cross Austereo announced that it had been "working tirelessly to get HD to air as quickly as possible", and 9HD became available from launch day on channel 50. The same approach also prompted 9Life to return early on 17 July 2016.
Southern Cross announced on 25 July 2016 that it would broadcast the New Zealand-based home shopping channel Yesshop as a datacast service, on the company's stations. The channel became available on 1 August 2016 in Queensland, Southern NSW, ACT and Victoria on LCN 55; Northern NSW, Spencer Gulf and Broken Hill on LCN 54; Tasmania on LCN 64 and Darwin on LCN 74. However, Yesshop's owner made the decision to cease trading on 29 September 2016 citing lack of funds to pay wages and the company's current losses of approximately 20 million dollars. Employees were terminated the same day, and the channels were removed on Freeview later that day.
In November 2016, Southern Cross Austereo signed a long-term contract with PodcastOne to launch a localised version of the online podcast service, rebranded as PodcastOne Australia. The service launched sometime in early 2017.
In December 2016, the company lodged a planning application with the ACT Government to demolish the CTC studios, administration and playout facility at Watson to make way for a residential development. The proposed studio campus demolition comes just over a year after WIN Television closed its Canberra studios at Kingston, moving its offices to the industrial suburb of Fyshwick. The trend of vast television estates making way for residential developments has been seen in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. In 2009 however, a planned redevelopment of the original ATV studios at Nunawading in Melbourne was cancelled due to a slump in property prices.
In March 2017, Southern Cross Austereo announced that it would be launching a high definition simulcast of its main Seven-affiliated channel, Southern Cross HD in Tasmania on digital channel 60, in time for the first match of the 2017 AFL season later that month. Although SCHD launched in Tasmania on 22 March 2017, it only began broadcasting Channel 7 programming in native high definition from 19 June 2018.
Following months of negotiations, Southern Cross Austereo finalised an agreement on 28 March 2017 to sell their Ten-affiliated Northern NSW station, NRN, to WIN Television for a total of $55 million, with the sale taking effect on 31 May 2017. Due to operational logistics, WIN did not commence broadcasting their identity to the NRN market until 1 September 2017. This sale relieved Southern Cross of their only sole Ten-affiliated station, with their remaining Ten affiliate, SGS/SCN operating in the Spencer Gulf/Broken Hill region where Southern Cross holds monopoly ownership of all three network affiliates.
On 17 July 2017, Southern Cross Austereo launched American religious channel SonLife Broadcasting Network, owned by evangelist Jimmy Swaggart, as a datacast service. The channel is broadcast in regional Queensland, Southern NSW & ACT, and regional Victoria on channel 55 as well as Spencer Gulf in South Australia, and Broken Hill in New South Wales on channel 54. Despite this, SBN never launched in Northern NSW, because NRN was already owned by WIN at the time. The above list is via Southern Cross' 10-affiliated and then Nine-affiliated stations, and in Tasmania on channel 64 and Darwin on channel 74 via Southern Cross' Seven affiliate stations.
From 1 July 2018, all local branding was phased out on all of Southern Cross Austereo's Seven-affiliated stations in favour of a generic Seven Network branding. Though news services offered by Southern Cross were also scheduled to be rebranded as Seven News on this date, the rebrand was delayed until further notice, citing concerns from Seven about using their news brand but not under their editorial control.
In September 2018, Southern Cross Austereo announced it would transfer its Canberra-based broadcast playout to NPC Media, a joint venture between the Nine and Seven Networks. CTC, via Southern Cross Austereo, would move remaining employees to a leased office facility in Canberra. The changes were expected to be completed by 30 June 2020.
On 30 September 2018, Southern Cross Austereo launched 9Life, in Tasmania, via TDT, and in the Spencer Gulf and Broken Hill regions, via GDS/BDN.
Southern Cross Austereo launched 7HD in Darwin on 26 November 2018.
On 3 December 2018, the Tasmanian station's news bulletin changed its title to Nightly News, followed on 14 January 2019 by GTS/BKN's bulletin. Around the same time, studio production for the Spencer Gulf edition of Nightly News was relocated from Southern Cross' Canberra headquarters to TNT's Hobart studio.
Southern Cross Austereo launched a refreshed logo on 1 July 2019.