A few upsets as the year comes to a close
The year is finally coming to a close and as the Christmas spirit is in full swing the last metro radio survey for the year has dropped. There’s been a few changes as contracts get negotiated at the pointy end of the year in radioland. We have seen the Nine Network take full control of Macquarie Media and make a number of changes including Steve Price of 2GB and 4BC resigning and Deborah Knight to replace him in afternoons in the new year. Ross Greenwood has also decided to take a break for a year from MRN’s Money News show. He will be replaced by respected business journalist Brooke Corte.
Here’s a breakdown of the ratings across the country, starting with Australia’s Harbour city.
Interestingly even after struggling with some advertiser backlash following ‘those comments’, 2GB remains in the number one spot in Sydney once again – the 125th survey in a row with a 12.1 share dropping 1.2 share points from last book.
Smooth leads FM in Sydney
Smooth held its position as the number one FM station in Sydney proving consistency is key with its audience. There was no movement in share and it remains at a 9.3 followed by KIIS at an 8.8 who dropped 0.2 share points. Triple M saw a significant drop in audience similar to 2GB of 1.2 share points this survey to 5.4.
Alan Jones still leads in breakfast but saw a significant drop in share during his session of 1.4 points to 14.7. The closest competitor was KIIS at 11.4 followed by WSFM at 8.5 share points. Ben Fordham’s drive show took a hit of 1.3 points this survey to 8.5 and lost the top spot to KIIS FM at 9.6 share points. KIIS FM has the most listeners in Sydney with 1,048,000 followed closely by Nova 96.9 with 1,031,000.
And for a new segment DAB+ radio which is on all our new cars and digital devices. The leading station for all people 10+ is The Edge Digital with 103,000 people followed closely by Coles Radio with 90,000 listeners.
3AW stable in Melbourne
Another survey and 3AW continues on its stable number one course for Melbournians. With a 15.6 share there’s really no other station that comes close to this juggernaut. Gold FM came in at 11.0 followed by Smooth at 8.5.
In Breakfast, 3AW saw a small drop in share of 0.4 points to 20.2 however Ross and John continue to dominate in their session. Their closest rivals, Nova 100 at an 8.2 share. 3AW also led the drive session with a 12.2 share followed very closely by Gold at 9.5 and Nova at 9.1.
97.3 jumps ahead in Brisbane
A 1.5 share jump this survey has provided 97.3FM a clear lead on its competitors this survey. It has been a tight race for most of the year but hey have jumped ahead. The positions for 2nd, 3rd and 4th are very tight with Triple M coming in at 10.9, Hit 105 coming in at 10.7 and Nova 106.9 coming in a 10.4. It was a tight race to the finish line in Brisbane. Even looking at the sessions, Breakfast was very close with 97.3 leading with an 11.2 share, 2nd place was a tie between Hit 105 and Triple M at 11.0 share and third going to Nova at 10.1.
The station with the most listeners is Nova 96.9 with 558,000
Looking at DAB+ in Brisbane, the station with the highest audience numbers in Brisbane is 97.3 The 90s with 38,000 listeners
Mix 102.3 makes gains in Adelaide
Mix 102.3 jumps ahead of its competitors with a 1.7 share increase on last survey to take out the top spot. NOVA 91.9 dropped a full share point to 11.0 dropping to second place followed by Fiveaa who increased its position by 0.6 share points to 10.3.
Mix has seen growth across every session across the day most notably Drive an increase of 3.0 share points to 15.2. However, it still remains in the number 2 position in this daypart with Drive being led by Nova 91.9 with a 15.7 share.
Mix 94.5 experiences a surge
Mix 94.5 has taken the number one spot in Perth with a huge 2.3 share point gain to 13.6 and knocking off its competitors. Nova 93.7 came in second at 12.6 followed by 96FM at as 12.0 share. 94.5 saw a sizeable increase in share across every daypart.
As we know the only constant is change and there has been a lot of it during 2019. As I write this, many parts of our beautiful country are in drought or burning. Lets take some time to think about those who may be affected during the holiday season by these events and be thankful for those SAS, firefighters, volunteers and anyone who is helping those in need this Christmas and holiday season. Thank you for taking the time to review our blogs and the regular radio wrap up. I would like to wish you, your teams and family a safe and happy holiday.
Stay tuned in 2020 for more in depth analyses of what’s happening around the nation in commercial radio.
Source : GFK Survey 8, 2019
