Tennis fans around the world hate to miss any live action from Melbourne Park – but what happens when they need to go out, or go to work? That’s where AO Radio comes in.
AO Radio is the tournament’s official radio station and is broadcasting for the 19th year at Australian Open 2023.
Based at Rod Laver Arena, it offers live commentary with updates and coverage from all the main matches.
Listeners can follow the action wherever they are via the AO website, the official Aus Open App, smart speakers and other streaming services.
“All sorts of people listen to AO Radio in all sorts of circumstances,” said Chris Bowers, the station’s executive editor.
“We have people who watch a match at home on TV but turn the sound down and listen to AO Radio for the colourful play-by-play commentary. Then when they have to go out, they can keep listening on their smartphone.
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“We are also flooded with messages from ex-pats who love to tune in to familiar voices on AO Radio. And some people favour our commentary because they can interact with us through our ‘Ask the booth’ online form.”
Tennis radio commentary pre-dates TV coverage, but many people aren’t familiar with the breathless calling of top-quality rallies. Commentators paint a picture of the action on court, keeping up with the most exciting play; their voices dance with the sounds of balls on strings, bounces, umpire’s calls, and crowd reactions.
“For most listeners, AO Radio fills the gap between times when people can watch on TV,” said Vivienne Christie, senior content producer at Tennis Australia and managing editor of AO Radio, “but for many it’s the whole tournament. We have a number of blind and vision-impaired listeners for whom AO Radio is a lifeline to the Australian Open.
“Every year people thank us for bringing the action to life."
AO Radio began in 2005, as all four Grand Slam tournaments embraced the growth of the internet to develop their own fortnight-long radio stations.
Since 2009, AO Radio has been provided by Tennis Radio Network, a company owned by tennis media professionals with an extensive contacts book of writers, reporters and commentators, working in tandem with Genesis FX, a Victoria-based digital services company that provides all the technical and production input.
AO Radio runs every day of the Australian Open from 10.45am to an hour after the men’s singles final finishes on Sunday 29 January.
There are lots of ways to listen, including through ausopen.com and the official AO app.
It is available on TuneIn Radio, the ESPN/Sirius network of radio stations in the USA, and on Vision Australia’s radio network across Australia. It can also be reached on 99.7FM within Melbourne Park and the Melbourne CBD.
Tune in to AO Radio at ausopen.com/listen