The Radio Station That’s Just For Women
It may have launched last November, but Jo Stanley says that the seeds for her new online radio program, Broad Radio, were planted a long time before the pandemic.
“I couldn’t find the radio I wanted to listen to,” says the co-host of Melbourne’s longtime No. 1 FM breakfast show, The Matt & Jo Show.
“I dived into podcasts and really loved the kinds of deeper conversations you can find there, specifically those that cater to a female audience. But I really wanted to hear radio that was talkback, in the commercial format, for women over 40, for our life stage.
“I wanted to hear about women in sport, careers, finance – the fact that we’re in that transition between caring for young children and caring for our parents, and maybe planning our retirement as well … and we’re trying to work out who we are. I thought, why isn’t it being created? It’s a very large audience that’s being overlooked.”
At present, Broad Radio delivers a weekly one-hour livestream, but Jo hopes to grow the concept and provide employment opportunities for older women. “We know that women over 55 are the fastest-growing group of people facing homelessness. Women over 50 struggle to be hired, or they’re underemployed, and I think it’s linked to the fact that we don’t see or hear women over 40 in our media. We lose relevance because no one tells our stories and no one lets us use our voices.”
Jo says that at 48, parenting (with husband Darren McFarlane) a daughter finishing primary school, she has more clarity than ever before. “From 45, I started to feel stronger physically and happier in myself than I’ve ever felt. I feel more certain of who I am. I really love this stage of life. I love knowing that I’m heading into my 50s with real purpose, whereas I didn’t know that in my 40s.
““All of the advertising with anyone over 50, they’ve got grey hair and look like they’re ready to sit by the pond and throw bread at the ducks.””
“What I don’t like is people’s reactions to this stage of life. I don’t like society’s response to women in their 50s as though we’re not allowed to be sexy. All of the advertising with anyone over 50, they’ve got grey hair and look like they’re ready to sit by the pond and throw bread at the ducks.”
At the same time, she says that “sexy” images of older women also raise issues. “I was just looking at a virtually nude photo of [’80s model] Paulina Porizkova, and I think, ‘Wow, you are extraordinary, but I don’t want to feel like I should look like that. Why is there this notion that ‘sexy’ is even a thing to be validated by? It’s more about being a sexual being. I want to look like I’m 48 and still be [considered] a sexual being.”
Many of the conversations she has with guests such as comedian Denise Scott and singers Ella Hooper and Deborah Conway come back to the limited ways that society depicts older women. “When you’re over 50, you’re going to be depicted [as] a spinster, a crazy cat lady, a lovely grandma but there’s no career women, no single women who choose to be single.
“I want women to know that they have so much more to give and more to say and are incredibly valuable. I want them to continue fighting to contribute at every part of their lives. I feel like a lot of the times when the kids grow up, often you’ve moved out of your workplace a little bit, you start to feel like, ‘Maybe I don’t have a space here anymore’, And it’s just not true.
“I want women to be larger than life. I want them to step into their power and really own how extraordinary they are and not make themselves small.”
Tune into Broad Radio’s livestream Tuesdays, 9am-10am, or catch up on episodes anytime.
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