River 94.9

What River 94.9 does

River 94.9 is a regional commercial radio station broadcasting on the FM 94.9 frequency to Ipswich and the broader Southeast Queensland region of Australia, operating since 1997. The station is licensed to Star Broadcasting Network Pty Ltd and is owned and controlled by Australian Radio Network Pty Ltd (ARN), one of Australia's major commercial radio broadcasters and the exclusive Australian licensee of the iHeartRadio streaming platform. Programmatic output centers on local news, weather, sports coverage (including junior sports), community events, trending/entertainment content, and interactive listener competitions, supplemented by a 9 News simulcast at 6pm weeknights and weekend programming such as The Saturday Start-Up.

The station's core technology is traditional regional radio broadcasting infrastructure, augmented by digital streaming through iHeartRadio and a content-rich website (river949.com.au) that publishes local news articles, hosts a jobs board, business directory, community events calendar, and a live weather camera. Social distribution extends across Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), and YouTube. The business model is advertising-driven: River 94.9 sells airtime and digital ad inventory under ARN's standard Advertising Terms and Conditions, with rates set per individual Advertising Order rather than via published price cards. Customer segments are twofold — listeners in the Ipswich/Southeast Queensland catchment (geographic segment) and advertisers, primarily regional SMBs but also national accounts routed through ARN's sales team.

Operationally, the station runs with a headcount in the 11–50 range and outsales national advertising through ARN's centralized sales function while maintaining locally produced content and on-air talent (Marnie & Campo, Ilija, Hinksy). Community-engagement partnerships with local businesses such as Harvey Norman Booval, Sprenger's Rural Traders, and Ipswich Self Storage fund programming segments and competitions, creating a tight feedback loop between advertisers, listeners, and on-air content.

Name

River 94.9

Legal name

Star Broadcasting Network Pty Ltd

Website

https://river949.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

River 94.9 is a regional commercial FM radio station broadcasting local news, weather, sports, and community content to Ipswich and Southeast Queensland, Australia. Operated by Star Broadcasting Network Pty Ltd under Australian Radio Network, it monetizes primarily through radio advertising and digital streaming via iHeartRadio.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Commercial Radio Broadcasting

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (516110), Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

Independent Local Radio Stations (MPABACAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Internet Radio & Streaming Broadcast Stations (Simulcast/Online-only) (MPAIAEAE)

Keywords

• Commercial radio broadcasting
• Regional radio station
• Local news programming
• Community radio content
• Digital radio streaming

Headquarters

HQ city

Ipswitch

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Radio Advertising: The primary revenue stream for River 94.9 comes from radio advertising. ARN Advertising Terms and Conditions govern all advertising bookings on the station, including audio commercials, online content, and creative services. The station serves both metro and regional clients with varying submission requirements and deadlines.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

River 94.9 is a regional commercial FM radio station that broadcasts live local programming, news, weather, community events, sports, and entertainment content to listeners in Ipswich and Southeast Queensland. Distribution occurs via the 94.9 FM broadcast signal and the iHeartRadio digital streaming platform, with the station website serving as a content hub for local news, community events, business listings, and competitions.

Product overview

River 94.9 is a regional radio station operated by Star Broadcasting Network Pty Ltd under the Australian Radio Network (ARN) umbrella. The station operates as a traditional broadcast radio station with a digital presence, offering live programming including morning shows (Marnie & Campo for Breakfast, Mornings with Ilija), drive-time content (Drive with Hinksy), weekend programming (The Saturday Start-Up), and news simulcasts (9 News Simulcast). The station provides local news coverage, trending stories, community events listings, local weather updates, and competitions. Distribution is via traditional radio broadcast, iHeartRadio streaming platform, and social media channels. The station serves the Ipswich and Southeast Queensland community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Marnie & Campo for Breakfast

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Australian Radio Network (ARN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustralian Radio Network is the parent company that owns and operates River 94.9. ARN controls the station's programming, advertising sales, and digital strategy. ARN is a major Australian radio broadcaster with multiple stations across the country.
• iHeartRadiocoreTechnology or IntegrationARN is the exclusive authorized licensee of iHeartRadio in Australia. River 94.9 streams live via the iHeartRadio platform, which is owned and operated by Clear Channel Communications. The partnership enables digital distribution of the station's radio content.
• Sprenger's Rural TradersGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal family-owned country clothing, pet and rural superstore since 1964. Sponsors the 'Beat the Bowser' morning competition on River 94.9, providing prizes for the breakfast show game.
• Ipswich Self StorageminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal storage business that co-sponsors the 'Junior Sports Star of the Week' competition, providing prize packs for the Saturday Start Up show segment celebrating local junior athletes.
• Harvey Norman Electrical BoovalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal Harvey Norman store sponsors the Primary School Weather Watch program, where students deliver weather forecasts on-air. The sponsorship provides exposure for the electronics retailer in the Ipswich community.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Others

• iHeartRadio Australia: Digital streaming platform operated by ARN under license from iHeartMedia. Provides the streaming distribution layer for River 94.9's content and the broader digital audio monetization infrastructure on which the station's future digital revenue depends.

Broad incumbents

• ABC Radio Brisbane: Public broadcaster serving Southeast Queensland with comparable local news, weather, and talk content. Competes for the same listener time and advertiser-supported audience, though funded primarily through public appropriation rather than advertising.
• Australian Radio Network (ARN): Parent company of River 94.9 and one of Australia's largest radio networks. Comparable as a regional commercial radio operator with advertising sales infrastructure and iHeartRadio licensing arrangements.
• Southern Cross Austereo (SCA): Australia's largest commercial radio broadcaster operating Hit Network and Triple M brands nationally. Comparable through regional radio station portfolio, advertising sales model, and iHeartRadio-style digital distribution.

Regional players

• Nine Radio (4BC Brisbane): Brisbane talk/news station under Nine Entertainment with comparable local news, weather, and talk format serving the same SEQ market. Competes for older demographic listeners and regional advertising share.

Direct peers

• Triple M Brisbane: Brisbane FM station with sports, talk, and rock format targeting similar Southeast Queensland listeners. Directly competes for morning drive audience share and regional advertising dollars.
• B105 (Brisbane): Brisbane hit-music FM station under ARN's ownership with comparable breakfast show format and SEQ-wide audience targeting. Operates in the same geographic market with overlapping advertiser and listener base.
• 97.3FM (Brisbane): Brisbane metropolitan FM station with similar adult contemporary/hit music format and comparable local news, weather, and traffic programming. Directly competes for the same Ipswich commuters and SEQ listener pool.
• Hit 105 (Brisbane): ARN-owned Brisbane-region FM station with similar contemporary hit radio format, comparable breakfast/drive programming, and identical iHeartRadio streaming distribution. Most direct operating peer given shared ownership, geography proximity, and audience overlap.
• Nova 106.9 (Brisbane): Nova Entertainment's Brisbane FM station targeting a contemporary hit music audience similar to River 94.9. Competes for the same SEQ commuters, advertisers, and digital streaming audience.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/river949
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/river949online
• Facebookfacebook.com/river949radio
• Instagraminstagram.com/river949
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/river-949

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about River 94.9