Disrupt Radio: Workers claim no contracts, no pay, no answers
Former Disrupt Radio workers reveal the company was operating a work environment marked by late payments and missing employment contracts.
Disrupt Radio promised to revolutionise digital broadcasting for Australia’s startup scene when it launched in 2023 with a lineup of high-profile talent. But former staff have revealed the company was operating a chaotic work environment marked by late payments, missing employment contracts and general dysfunction.
SmartCompany contacted Disrupt Radio CEO Benjamin Robertson multiple times for this story. He did not respond to questions in time for publication.
Late payment excuses at Disrupt Radio
As first reported by Tim Burrowes’Unmade substack, Disrupt Radio is facing a wind-down notice from its former studio provider, Sports Entertainment Network (SEN), for failing to pay its debts.
This came after a series of failed investment rounds as well as increased financial pressure and low audience figures.
Disrupt Radio has not put out any new live programs since mid-2024.
According to multiple sources who spoke to SmartCompany on condition of anonymity, late payments became the norm in 2024.
“We were paid late for about six months in a row with no explanation,” one former staff member said.
Another source said payments were often delayed by days or weeks. When staff asked for updates they were either ignored or given reassurances.
By late August 2024 fresh programming from the station ceased and reports began to emerge of staff no longer being paid. According to sources, they are still waiting for their money.
Former producer Maria Lammerding said she was warned about late payments before starting at Disrupt Radio.
“Several times payment was a few days late. For others, it could be weeks,” Lammerding said.
“I should have asked more questions, but I needed a job,” she admitted.
No contracts and limited protections
A lack of basic employment documentation exacerbated the situation for some workers. According to multiple sources, some staff members were hired without formal contracts, leaving them with limited protections when payment issues arose.
“I never received a contract. It was supposed to come later, but it never did,” once source said.
Lammerding also confirmed she had no employment contract with the company, despite working full-time hours.
“There was the assumption that I would come into work every day at a certain time. I couldn’t subcontract any work. I was treated as an employee,” she said.
Because of the lack of contracts, staff say they had little recourse when payments stopped in mid-2024. Lammerding said she is owed around $8,000 for six weeks of unpaid work and had to rely on a loan from her parents to pay rent while she searched for a new job.
“We have no recourse to get our money,” Lammerding said
“It’s frustrating. I didn’t do anything wrong in this situation. I worked hard.”
Vague reassurances and no timeline for payments
Multiple sources described a pattern of excuses whenever they pressed for answers about unpaid wages.
The most common explanation was that a major investment had fallen through. One former staff member recalled how management frequently made promises about upcoming funding that never materialised.
“Management wouldn’t tell us anything until the last minute. We had to push hard to get any answers. It created a lot of stress. We didn’t know if we’d be paid or if the company would shut down the next day,” they said.
“That made things tough when problems arose because we didn’t know what we were protected by legally or what we were entitled to.”
According to Lammerding, staff weren’t provided clear timelines on when wages would be paid and were instead given reassurances that the situation was just a hiccup.
Former Disrupt Radio podcaster and co-host of The Advisory Board, Alan Jones, acknowledged the risks inherent in startups but criticised the failure to meet obligations to staff.
“One of the delicate balancing acts for any startup is relying on investors. You have to do a bit of the work first, then you cover the cost of that when the money from investors comes in. Sometimes startups get caught out. Sometimes your own self-belief in yourself as an entrepreneur might take you further into risk than it really should,” Jones said to SmartCompany.
Jones went on to say that Disrupt Radio was perhaps hoping for the best but got caught out when ongoing investment didn’t materialise.
“Doing something audacious and risky is no excuse for being unable to pay people out their entitlements,” Jones said.
Freelancers and contractors with limited protections
As it turns out, many employees were also hired as freelancers or contractors rather than full-time, part-time or casual employees.
SmartCompany has seen an email to staff from CEO Benjamin Roberts that confirms this.
“As ABN holders/personal contractors and freelancers I also need to remind you that speaking on behalf of the Company [sic], or matters specifically pertaining to the reconstruction can make you personally liable for any damage caused,” the email read.
It is SmartCompany’s understanding that this email was sent after initial reports about Disrupt Radio’s financial difficulties were being investigated by the media.
The same email said the plan was for Disrupt to return to airwaves in November 2024. This did not happen and at the time of writing, the company’s website is suspended.
Job descriptions and official titles were reportedly inconsistent or non-existent for some workers. There are also reports of staff being hired for one role but than ending up performing multiple tasks without formal acknowledgment of their responsibilities.
“There were no clear job descriptions or titles. We had roles, but they were vague, and we’d be asked to handle tasks outside those roles constantly. It was chaotic because you never knew exactly where your responsibilities began or ended.”
Studio lockout and not expecting to be paid
Beyond the payment delays, former staff pointed to broader signs of financial dysfunction, including mounting unpaid bills and lacklustre advertising revenue.
Disrupt Radio was eventually locked out of its Melbourne studios after failing to pay rent to Sports Entertainment Network (SEN). Allegedly, some former staff members’ equipment remains locked inside the building, inaccessible due to the ongoing dispute.
“We couldn’t get into the studio after the lockout. By that point, a lot of us had already stopped coming in regularly. There wasn’t much reason to be there when we weren’t getting paid, and the operations were a mess.”
An upcoming winding-up hearing on February 26, initiated by SEN, will determine whether Disrupt Radio is officially shut down. For some of the former staff still waiting for their wages, the hearing is unlikely to bring immediate relief.
“We don’t expect to be paid. We’ve pretty much accepted that the money is gone, but we hope the winding-up process brings accountability for how badly everything was handled,” said one source.
For workers on visas such as Lammerding, the situation is potentially more dire. According to Lammerding, government schemes designed to assist employees of insolvent companies won’t apply to them.
“Even if we can prove we were employees, we won’t get any assistance,” she said.
“I basically worked for this company for free for six weeks, and I’m never going to see anything from that.”
