business
Gold Coast businesses tap online radio growth as advertising slots fill fast
Local operators along Cavill Avenue and in the Southport commercial strip are locking in early placements while national listener numbers climb.
How we reported this
Gold Coast advertising bookings on local online radio streams rose 38 percent in the first half of 2026, with the sharpest uptake recorded among retailers and hospitality venues that previously relied on national networks.
The timing follows repeated national mobile outages that left businesses without reliable reach to customers during peak trading hours, prompting owners to shift budgets into platforms that operate independently of the major carriers.
Who is already booking airtime
Along Cavill Avenue in Surfers Paradise, three surf-wear stores and two cafes have signed six-month packages with Gold Coast-focused streams that run between 6am and 10pm. Further north in the Southport business district, the owners of a 12-table restaurant inside Australia Fair shopping centre reported a 22 percent lift in weekend covers after running 15-second spots during morning drive-time slots.
The Gold Coast Chamber of Commerce ran a May 2026 workshop at the Southport RSL that drew 47 participants, each given a rate card showing packages starting at $1,850 for 120 plays over four weeks.
Numbers and next steps
One station operating from a small studio behind Robina Town Centre logged 184,000 unique Gold Coast listeners in June 2026, up from 129,000 in December 2025, according to its internal analytics shared with advertisers. Average cost per thousand impressions sits at $11.40, well below the $19.80 charged by metropolitan FM networks for the same demographic.
Businesses that want to test the channel before the September school holidays are advised to contact stations directly this week, as prime evening slots between 5pm and 8pm are already reserved through the end of August.