I think 4KQ still had a country music format in early 1980 but it was so long ago I’m not sure .4IP were OK back then,I remember they played current hits ,this was before they changed their call sign to Radio 10 about March 1982,after that they never rated very well,the arrival of FM 104 to the airwaves in August 1980 really hurt them
Looking at those early Sydney ratings it is obvious that Sydney can in fact balance with three commercial talkback stations. Even 2SM on a slightly acceptable 2%.
Surely these days the market could do better if 2UE offered a point of difference.
1 Like
While we’re at it here - any Kiwi radio buffs around? I’ve have great luck unearthing Aussie metro shares going back 40+ years, however the TNS/Research Int’l data for NZ prior to 2005 is practically non-existent, whether through the internet archive or the archives of NZ newspapers or libraries.
In a way aren’t 2UE doing that now with lifestyle as opposed to news/talk on 2GB.
True. What I probably should’ve said is the fact it is interesting that all 3 commercial talkback stations were at one point able to rate, even though 2UE were clear number 1.
I’m sure these days MRN would be happy with 2GB clear no.1 and 2UE around a 5 mark.
From “Metro Ratings - Survey 8, 2016” thread:
Since I have the ratings for that particular survey, here’s how the station’s went, which could compare well to the recent survey:
Sydney - Survey 7, 2007
- 2GB: 11.1
- 2DAY: 10.4
- Nova: 9.2
- ABC702: 8.6
- 2CH: 7.8 (
) - 2UE: 7.6
- Mix 106.5 (now KIIS): 7.1
- WSFM: 5.9
- Triple M: 5.3
- Vega (now Smooth): 4.1
- JJJ: 3.2
- ABCFM: 2.2
- 2RN: 1.6
- NewsRadio: 1.3
In breakfast (top 5):
- Alan Jones (2GB): 13.4
- Kyle & Jackie O (2DAY): 11.6
- Adam Spencer (ABC702): 10.7
- Merrick & Rosso (Nova): 9.4
- Mike Carlton & Peter Fitzsimmons (2UE): 7.4
In the 25-39s:
- Nova: 17.0
- 2DAY: 15.7
- Mix 106.5: 11.4
- Triple M: 9.4
- Vega: 5.6
And in the 40-54s:
- ABC702: 11.8
- WSFM: 9.5
- 2GB: 9.4
- Triple M: 8.2
- 2DAY: 8.0
2 Likes
The more things change in Sydney radio, the more they remain the same. Wouldn’t 2DayFM, 2CH and 2UE all love to still be getting their 2007 ratings now?!
But on the flipside, I’m sure that Smooth 95.3 (it’s incredible to think that they’re one of Sydney’s top FM stations now when little under a decade ago during their Vega days, they were last amongst the surveyed commercial stations!), KIIS 1065 and WSFM would vastly prefer to have their current ratings.
And a big difference is that it’s biggest competition was 2UE back then at 7.6 while these days it has been decimated and is only has 3.5.
1 Like
With Talking Lifestyle replacing Magic in Melbourne that led to a big ratings fall in the space of two surveys this year (down 2.4% from Survey 1 to 3), I’m being reminded of the time of when SEN replaced 5DN in Adelaide back in early 2005 as part of an ill-fated expansion into the market. 5DN had a classic hits/talk format.
.
In the last full survey as 5DN on Survey 8 of 2004, it scored a 6.4% share. By its first survey as SEN, it lost more than half of its audience, sliding down to 3.1% in Survey 1 of 2005. In the next survey, it lost almost another half of its audience, going down to 1.6%, then went down slightly to 1.4% in the following survey. In Survey 4, it rated an asterisk, by which point SEN had stopped broadcasting into Adelaide & was temporarily replaced by an AM simulcast of Mix 102.3 before launching Cruise 1323 in November, which debuted with a 5.2% share in Survey 1 of 2006.
3 Likes
I remember that expansion well. SEN did their best to promote 1323, certainly on air much to the annoyance of their Melbourne listeners. They soon learned the hard way that South Australians didn’t want to listen to a Victorian radio station discussing Victorian football teams being piped in to Adelaide, and voted with their feet. Meanwhile in order to accommodate their new market SEN slowly burnt their existing Melbourne listeners to the point where that fledgling station nearly went belly-up not long after
Needless to say, once 1116 and 1323 went their separate ways, things picked up for both. Cruise 1323 was an instant success and still kicks on these days with a ~10% share, while SEN 1116 remains a sports talk station that caters for a small but loyal Melbourne audience. Maybe there’s some lessons there for Macquarie management?
2 Likes
Talking Lifestyle in Brisbane reminds me of the disaster the last time 4BH went talk as “New 882”.
History repeating itself.
1 Like
Why Did 4IP fall so quickly & what was 4BK doing right?
Also what was 4IP’s figures during the time 1980-1985?
They became Radio 10 & Sereo 10. Did that make any difference to their numbers?
I seem to recall Radio 10 coming in second to FM104 in a couple of surveys in the early- to mid-80s but after then they really suffered due to the complete dominance of 104 which rated in the 30s. Not sure what 4BK was doing in 1980 but in 82/83 they were “soft rock” and by the mid- to late-80s they were middle of the road classic hits and some softer new hits (eg Simply Red, Billy Joel).
2 Likes
Hobart - AGB McNair Survey, 1986
- 7HO 46.7
- 7HT 22.4
- 7ZR 20.5
Ratings from a decade later after the arrival of new stations TTT and Magic 107 into the market
3 Likes
Similar to ratings in 1987: Radio History - #627 by TelevisionAU
Just curious, what was 7HO and 7HT’s format/programming at the time? Strange to see such a difference between the only two commercial stations and such a huge share for 7HO. Did 7HT have an element of horse racing coverage back then? Perhaps that dragged their numbers down a bit?
1 Like
They both had a CHR format but as you guessed correctly 7HT had horse racing coverage. I remember listening to some great music on 7HT, only to be interrupted by horse racing and commercials.
The Sunday Tasmanian Newspaper interviewed the program director in 1986, Adrian Johnston, who said "The station offered more than just music. He said the morning programmes were "personally orientated, " featuring a diverse range of music, and catering for a large audience, with a good coverage of every sport.
The programme starts at breakfast with Ron Christie and Cyril. Their original humour is followed by an hour of musical requests with AJ from 9am, and then more music.
There is a comprehensive news service, running half-hourly through the breakfast shift, with traffic updates and weather reports.
Music through the day was ideally suited to the 24-to-35-year-old age bracket, with teenagers being well catered for during “Hit Line,” from 8pm to 10pm, which was followed by Triple Tracks.
The station then combined with 7EX at midnight to give listeners Twin City Music until daylight.
“We pride ourselves on a little more than music,” Adrian said. “On Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, we change to suit an older audience, the racing fraternity.”
Saturday especially had a comprehensive sporting coverage, with many local identities featured. Talkback shows and "middle-of-the-road music continued until the start of racing which was broadcast live.
Because of low ratings 7HT suffered financial problems, The Mercury in 1990 stated that “One of the things that had cost the station money and audiences was the signing of the five-year TAB contract in 1986.
Although it was worth $3 million, the revenue lost in advertising because of poor ratings probably would have been more than $3 million.”
3 Likes
4IP saw a brief rebound in '82, but it was pretty much downhill from there.
Yearly averages:
1980 - 12.3
1981 - 11.3
1982 - 14.9
1983 - 14.1
1984 - 13.6
1985 - 10.8
1986 - 8.4
2 Likes
First time I’ve seen some of these surveys - are the gaps missing or were McNair’s surveys that irregular?
Ratings were very irregular at that time. Other surveys occurred but I don’t have the full results for them.
1 Like
Survey 8, 2005 was also the first survey in which Vega (now Smooth) first appeared, in which it got only 1.8% in Sydney & 1.2% in Melbourne. Nearly 12 years later, Smooth are near the top of the FM ratings ladder, with the Melbourne station being #2 FM behind Gold & the Sydney station being #3 FM behind KIIS (formerly Mix 106.5) & WSFM.
The results for Survey 8, 2005 in Melbourne were as follows:
- 3AW: 13.7
- Gold 104.3: 12.2
- 774 ABC: 11.7
- 3MMM: 10.8
- Fox FM: 9.9
- Nova 100: 8.3
- Mix 101.1 (now KIIS): 5.4
- Magic 693 (now Talking Lifestyle 1278): 5.1
- 3MP (now Classic Rock Radio): 3.6
- 3JJJ: 2.7
- ABCFM: 2.6
- SEN: 2.5
- 3RN: 1.9
- ABC Newsradio: 1.4
- Vega 91.5 (now Smooth): 1.2
Gold 104.3 scored an 18.9% share in the 40-54s that survey & was #2 in the 25-39s behind 3MMM. It should be noted that back then, Gold was positioned as a classic hits station, playing plenty more 70s (with a bit of 60s) than they do now.
In Sydney that same survey, Gold’s sister station WSFM was also the #1 FM station.
- 2GB: 12.7
- WSFM: 9.5
- 2Day: 9.0
- Nova 96.9: 8.6
- 2MMM: 8.6
- 702 ABC: 8.3
- 2UE: 8.0
- Mix 106.5 (now KIIS): 7.7
- 2CH: 5.9
- 2JJJ: 3.4
- ABCFM: 2.2
- 2RN: 2.0
- Vega 95.3 (now Smooth): 1.8
- ABC Newsradio: 1.4
In the 40-54s, WS scored a 17.4% share, with Mix 106.5 at a distant 2nd place with 11.4%, followed by 2MMM with 10.3%. Unlike Gold 104.3, WS could only manage 5th place in the 25-39s behind Nova, 2MMM, 2Day & Mix.
5 Likes