JOY 94.9 is your LGBTQIA+ community broadcaster, and as an organisation, our strength is in our deep ties to the LGBTQIA+ communities across Australia and abroad.
Adding more community voices to the airwaves is what helps ensure both JOY, and the LGBTQIA+ communities, remain strong. And maybe that next community voice is yours!
THE PROCESS
If you want to step up and become a voice on air with JOY, either with a radio show or a podcast, here’s what you’ll need to do:
1. Be a current, active, JOY Member – join at joy.org.au/join
2. Complete JOY’s Radio Training course, and/or show recognition of prior learning/experience at another broadcaster in Australia
3. Fill out the Expression of Interest form, open at several times throughout the year, and wait to hear back from us.
Summer Season Expressions of Interest are open now, and close October 7, 2025.
Show pitches (radio and podcast) go in front of JOY’s Broadcast Compliance Committee, who approve or reject shows based on the value the idea brings to JOY, how effectively the show could represent underrepresented communities, the strength and quality of the pitch, how well thought-out and detailed the pitch is, and how achievable the show is to produce.
But remember, you don’t have to pitch an original show; you might like to get involved with an existing JOY program! There, you’ll find it easier to learn the ropes of creating a weekly radio show alongside an experienced team, rather than have to create everything from scratch. Well-regarded shows like The Open Table, The Gender Agenda, Big Bi+ Questions, Game On!, and Miss Chatelaine were all launched after their teams gained experience working on an existing show. Through JOY’s Radio Training course, we can connect you with opportunities that you might be a good fit for.
JOY’S SEASON SCHEDULE
JOY’s yearly radio broadcast schedule is defined by three Seasons:
Season One, usually from early February to early July, lasts 22 weeks.
Expressions of interest typically open around November the previous year.
Season Two, usually from early July to early December, lasts 22 weeks.
Expressions of interest typically open around April.
Summer Season, usually from early December to early February, lasts 8 weeks.
Expressions of interest typically open around September.
Podcasts aren’t tied to this same broadcast schedule, but are assessed at the same time as radio show pitches.
If you’re just starting out with pitching your first show, you’ll find Summer Season to be the most approachable. Creating a show for eight weeks is a much more manageable task, and gives you so many more opportunities to experiment and try something new; think of it as a little summer fling, with a chance for maybe something more.
Questions? Reach out to JOY’s Content Manager at content.manager@joy.org.au.