Canberra - Survey 1, 2017

The results are out: http://www.gfk.com/fileadmin/user_upload/dyna_content/AU/Documents/Share_Summary_Reports/Regional/2017/S1_2017/GfK_SummaryReport_Canberra_Survey_1_2017.pdf

Mix 106.3 is the #1 station with a 20.2% share, followed by Hit 104.7 with 18.4%, ABC Radio Canberra with 12.3% & RN with 10.7%. Both 2CC & 2CA rate below 5%.

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Commercial am radio does struggle in Canberra. Eve. Even ABC News beats them!

What can they do to improve things? 2ca is one of my favourite stations.

Well it’s a market like no other - most of the population by a significant margin has a university degree. That coupled with the city’s focus on federal politics means RN and ABC News (Radio) does well.

First survey since Dan Bourchier took over. He’s not doing great.

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2CC is a poor fourth in 65+ with ABC Canberra, Classic FM and News way ahead, and they only get a small 6.5 in 55-64. Hadley’s ratings are down but he is keeping the station afloat being 3% higher than the station average. The Drive and Price programs are near terminal. I have to wonder how anyone can listen to the smiling undertaker at Breakfast.

2CA is a good station and deserves higher ratings than it is getting. They are pushing the DAB+ broadcast in promos, but maybe that info needs to get more widely known.

His voice has something which I find a bit annoying so now I watch ABC News ACT less & avoid ABC Radio Canberra breakfast; perhaps I’m not the only one.

They buggered up big time with this. Craig Allan should’ve got 7pm tv news and Siobhan Heanue for radio breakfast.

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I agree Craig & Siobhan are so much better and well known so I was surprised neither of them got the ABC TV 19:00 news presenter job.

Yeah it surprises me that 2CA doesn’t do better. Are there any community FM stations catering to adult music listeners? You’re right they need to push DAB+ as it seems that’s their only hope. Commercial AM music stations are struggling everywhere it seems, with the few exceptions including 4KQ and Cruise. But if 4KQ and Cruise can rate quite well in larger markets it does surprise me a bit that 2CA doesn’t do better - particularly with only one competitor, Mix 106.3.

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No, there isn’t.

And double figures for RN!

Those kind of figures would normally only be achieved in a miniscule market like Birdsville.

Not only that, but RN manages to outrate ABC Canberra in the 18-39s!! :open_mouth:
Likewise for ABC News (formerly ABC NewsRadio) outrating both RN & ABC Canberra in the 18-24s.

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Fran Kelly is big in Canberra.

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Correct, but again ABC plays backroom favouritism with the people they choose rather than on merit.

It’s the largest figure ever for 2RN, and conversely that 12.3 is the smallest share ever for ABC/2CN.

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I think News Radio being on FM is a waste.
It would be nice if 2CA and News Radio swapped frequencies.

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Keeping it to the ABC stations, the local ABC Canberra station should be the one to switch to FM.

RN on AM 846 has the most powerful AM signal, so perhaps a swap of frequencies is needed between the AM stations.

I’m sure the ABC has thought of all options at great length.

Is Rod Henshaw still working for Capital Radio as a floater on the talk station?

Some history: 2CA & 2CC each applied for supplementary FM licences, the resulting stations are now known as Mix106.3 and Hit104.7, which were sold off, so they can’t very well go to ACMA & ask again.

Of course ABC Radio National has the higher power transmission than ABC Radio Canberra; it’s the same programming across a much larger area, basically the entire country.
Similarly FM, being on higher frequencies (MHz versus AM’s kHz) has shorter reach (for the same broadcaster power output), which is why ABC local radio is generally on AM versus the newer & less popular ABC News Radio.

Without legislative intervention I wouldn’t expect the situation to change until digital radio uptake has increased dramatically, especially given the demographics of the listening audiences.

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