The first (& perhaps only) Canberra radio ratings for 2020 has been released: http://www.radioalive.com.au/getattachment/Surveys/Major-Regional-Surveys/2020/Canberra/Survey-1/GfK_Summary-Report-Canberra_Survey-1-2020.pdf.aspx?ext=.pdf
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Hit 104.7 takes the #1 spot with 20%, after climbing 4.6% from the previous survey. Mix 106.3 was 2nd with 16.8%, which is down 1.5% from the previous survey, followed by ABC Canberra with 11.2% (-0.3), JJJ with 10.4% (-2.3), RN with 9.4% (+2.8) & ABC Classic with 7.3% (-0.3). 2CA scored a 5.9% share (-0.6), whilst 2CC fell 1% to 4.5%.
In breakfast, hit104.7’s Ned & Josh is #1 with 18.9%, followed by RN’s Fran Kelly with 15.9%, ABC Canberra’s Lish Fejer with 14.8% & Mix 106.3’s Kristen & Nige with 14.7%. Alan Jones on 2CC fell 0.9% to 4.6%, just 0.1% ahead of 2CA’s Paul Holmes.
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They’re a cultured lot, there 
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Leon Delaney. Ouch!
Is Capital Radio like MML? (i.e. if it underperforms, it’s networked?)
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What’s really incredible is that ABC Classic, along with 2CA, managed to outrate ABC Canberra in the 55-64s, who fell 8.7% from the previous survey. I don’t recall that happening before. Also, RN managed a strong 2nd place (behind ABC Canberra) in the 65+ after climbing 11.7%.
2CC fell quite significantly in the over-55s, with the 55-64s down 2.7% & the 65+ down 3.7%. 2CA was up 2.1% in the 55-64s, whilst Mix 106.3 was up 6.5% in that same demo.
It’s quite sad that the only local weekday program on 2CC is also the lowest rating. This was also true for 4BC’s drive program before it was axed in favour of Ben Fordham on relay from 2GB. Ray Hadley is the highest-rating slot for the station with 9.1%, not far behind ABC Canberra’s Adam Shirley, who fell 1.8% to 9.7%.
In both afternoons & drive, JJJ outrates ABC Canberra, whilst in afternoons, ABC Canberra & ABC Classic are tied, and in drive, RN outrates ABC Canberra.
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Clearly shows that Jones and his daily rantings don’t resonate in Canberra and that his popularity is pretty much limited to the nursing home folks in Western Sydney.
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Off-Topic, Alan Jones also rated quite well in Brisbane, where he managed a 9.7% share, ahead of Triple M & not far behind that of hit105, ABC Brisbane, 97.3 & Nova.
I guess 2CC is where it is based on networked programming, but why is it that 2CA can’t rate higher? I thought with only 2 other commercial music stations (though both FM) it might be getting more people looking for an alternative.
The station is also available on DAB+, but not many people would be listening to it through there compared to via AM. But yes, I agree that 2CA should be rating higher, considering that its music format is very different to that of the local commercial FMers, in which they play music from the 60s to the 80s.
4KQ & Cruise rate very well against the commercial FMers in their respective cities, but it’s strange why 2CA (and 6iX for that matter, which is owned by the same company) doesn’t have the same kind of success for an AM music station.
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Yes they’ll be sure to let you know they are as well 
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Yeah 2CA and 6iX underperform for some reason. I guess the dominance of ABC RN and even Classic and News in Canberra don’t help 2CA. But I can’t work out why 6iX doesn’t do better.
Being in Canberra, 2CC would have to have at least 3 hours of local programming a day (unlike 4BC), so unless they stop networking at a different time of the day, the local drive program won’t be going anywhere.
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As per usual, it’s not a particularly exciting batch of radio ratings results for Canberra.
I suppose with the strong performance of Hit 104.7, the biggest winners locally are Ned Breward, Josh Torney and Gemma Maddox. It wouldn’t surprise me if sometime post-pandemic, those three move onto bigger and better things within the SCA Hit Network.
As we should know by now, the demographics of the Canberra and Sydney markets are very different.
Canberra is a very progressive place, while much of the wider Sydney metropolitan area (as opposed to the undoubtedly progressive Sydney City area) is more on the conservative side.
If I was to guess, ARN likely having more money and resources (even if that’s probably due to having an FM presence in every market and both flagship stations on FM in Sydney & Melbourne) than the Capital Radio Network might have something to do with why 4KQ and Cruise rate better than 2CA and 6iX in their respective markets?
If it wasn’t for the local content rules keeping their appallingly low rating drive program on-air (CC drive has been poor for years too - IIRC local breakfast rated higher before it was ditched for AJ), I’m sure 2CC actually would follow in the footsteps of 4BC and essentially become a relay station of 2GB with local ads!
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These would be the best ratings for Hit 104.7 since the glory days of Fm104.7.
Very different results in Canberra V Sydney. Sydney talk stations got a massive boost from the COVID19 coverage whereas the music stations all dropped. Canberra listeners seem less interested in wall to wall COVID19 on their radios compared to folks in Sydney.
What is the go with Mix106.3?? It’s seems Hit104.7 has gained listeners from Mix106.3. Does Mix106.3 need a change in their music strategy???
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In a market this size, swings like this happen all the time. Trust me, next survey (if one happens), the audience will swing back the other way.
I’m sure they’re lovely people, but N&J just aren’t funny.
And Gemma Maddox is not good. She sounds as if she has a speech impediment or something similar. It’s like someone has told her to smile while she talks (which is a common thing), but it sounds like she does her spiel, then she remembers to smile while she says her last couple of words (usually “on Caaanbraaaa’s Hit 104.7”). Believe me, I’m not trying to say that in a nasty way, but she just doesn’t sound slick.
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That would be about right. The last time the station got 20%+ overall share was Survey 1 in 2013, when FM104.7 scored a 23.9% share, whilst Mix 106.3 had the same share as they did this survey (16.8).
What’s interesting to note is that Mix 106.3 lost listeners in the under-40s quite significantly, but gained them in the 40-54s (+2.2 to 28.6) & 55-64s (+6.5 to 22.1).
Perhaps the solution is for Mix 106.3 to play less newer music in favour of more from the 70s, 80s & 90s.
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I would agree with that as at times there was too much overlap in the music between the two stations.
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I’m not sure you can put too much credence in changes to the age demos. I think there’s a lot of margin for error in these surveys. You’d have to look at trends over a year or more to draw conclusions I think.
I agree there’s probably too much overlap between the two FMs though.
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Mix 106.3 probably needs to go older like WS / 96Fm with a rock edge.
Or go more AC like it’s original sound when FM104.7 was a rock station.
There is no point playing the similar songs on both stations. I am talking about Cake By the Ocean and JT that gets played often on Mix 106.3 that should be only played on Hit.
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Yes it would seem obvious Mix should go a bit Pure Gold or 96FM to differentiate.
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