Macquarie group should have left 2ue the way it was before lifestyle it rated better…
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Brisbane Triple M brekky seems to be taking a hit now.
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KIIS in Sydney is the No.1 station for 40 - 54 year olds.
It looks like the 40 and 50 somethings that grew up with 2SM, Triple M and 2DayFM in the 80s are still enjoying the Top 40 music today.
4KQ, Brisbane is #1 on weekends.
The 4 FMs are in two packs then, Nova/ARN close by in the 11’s too, SCA in the 8’s.
Looking further into the figures, the Brisbane survey suffers from similar methodology collection problems as the rubbery opinion polls that got it wrong this election.
The books have gone to outer suburbs of the survey regions and have been ticked by older people.
This was a survey with a huge increase in older stations listened to by people who live further out of town.
The solution for stations is to build yourself a broad success such as 3AW where you are that far in front in all areas and demos, a shift of the books means little.
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Yet another drop in cume audience for “digital” stations everywhere except Brisbane. Seems like the extra DAB+ options are losing their appeal as they have in surveys this year.
Another drop for the networked Myf Warhurst disaster on ABC local radio. The worst share for the stations across any weekday timeslot.
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I suppose it’s not really surprising that 2GB had a ratings increase what with the Federal Election and the NSW Election/Federal Budget in the first half of the survey period. That victory has no doubt been made sweeter (from an MRN perspective, certainly not mine) by the fact that Alan Jones is expected to present 2GB breakfast for at least two more years.
Smooth 95.3 will be pretty happy that they’re again Sydney’s #1 FM station with a double digit figure, but ARN also has something to smile about with KIIS and WSFM being the #1 & #2 FM stations at breakfast.
Rather concerning that ABC Sydney scored their lowest ratings in over 13 years despite all the news that should’ve attracted ears to the station. The only real bright spot for them is Evenings and even then, wasn’t Chris Bath well within striking distance of Steve Price last year or the year before?
A promising sign for 2CH with Chris Kearns’ local nights show getting above the 5% mark. Their breakfast ratings remain flat though. More external promotion for the station (TV, print, outdoor/digital) is needed ASAP.
Re, Macquarie Sports Radio 954: After a fall to 0.5% in the last survey, there was really nowhere for them to go but up. But to remain under 1% (despite what the PR and fanboys will inevitably say) is still absolutely pathetic!
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Now we know why every second weekend seems to be a Sizzling Seventies one - must be popular.
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Melbourne’s FM 2019 Radio Survey’s 2 & 3 results are showing a trend towards playing straight music without the waffle that provide regular time, weather and traffic reports. Also the FM stations that hire comedians are recording ratings which are declining.
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Agree - this abomination should be returned to local radio.
The ABC only cry poor for funding, all the bureaucracy who contribute nothing to on air product sitting in their ivory towers in Ultimo and Southbank (fantastic proximity to latte serving cafes and beloved Green voters) are what really saps the budget of resources with news and programs the first to suffer.
The federal governement should mandate that the cost savings come from these ivory tower fat cats and be shifted to improve on air program teams and newsrooms - it wouldn’t be to their detriment, it’d be soft afternoon content anyway.
With existing funding, what could happen tomorrow is to end the Myf abomination and for metros:
12 PM: The World Today
12:30 PM: Country Hour
1:30 PM: begin afternoons 30 mins early
Regional stations would swap TWT and CH and take 90mins of the metro afternoon program until regional drive at 3pm.
With more funding, the biggest priority should be to return The World Today to 55 mins.
Correct, however great presenter in Bathy and excellent content, develops a very engaged and large audience, lots of audience interaction on their show, excellent structure to it.
Mature Sydney audiences are desperate for an alternative to GB. Kearns is it and doing well. Bfast will struggle because it’s the last shift to fire on a rebuilt station such as this. Smooth is below station average at bfast. More marketing would help, however, a more direct marketing approach towards the target audience I feel would bring better results than billboards and the like.
Dump the format ASAP. The fanboys are delusional if they remain supportive.
Indeed + if ARN are spending money on research like they should for KQ, they would know if it’s the 70’s or the other weekend programming that is contributing to the result.
Ken Brown would be stoked so many are listening to his Coast Watch reports - the most comprehensive you’ll hear in Australia, he’s beyond ‘retirement age’ yet sounds evergreen.
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Playing less of the oldies and going back to more fresh hits helped but they still need to do more work there. So far behind Nova Brisbane which has a much better playlist.
It’s a shame that Nova 96.9 can’t see that and stop pandering to the 25-39 year olds with the so many mouldy oldies from the late 90s early 00s.
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I don’t disagree with that, but, what option (i.e. music) is there to be profitable and enough to convince people to switch on AM radio. The easy listening crowd is now lost to Smooth and even 2CH is struggling in that space. What else can Macquarie do, although I acknowledge that just white noise on 24/7 would probably rate the same as MSR gets now.
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In fact, Nova 96.9 is beaten by 2Day in the 25-39s, the only demo on which it’s happening. Also, 2Day is ahead of Nova from 9am to 4pm, ie. during the workday.
Once 2CH realise to completely differentiate themselves from Smooth, they’ll be fine.
Run some disruptor formats all for the cost of automation, consultant for a playlist that can be easily F10’d and some production to make it sound like a radio station even if not staffed.
Do that for a few months as say frequency on air ID only, then return with a great format once the extensive work is done.
All for the cost or less than what it is to pay numerous on air numptys per shift plus producer staff.
Gemma will be happy about that even if bfast isn’t rising up for her.
Brisbane is desperate for a Smooth/Easy Listening station. It is a real gap here on the airwaves.
I’m not surprised that KQ is No.1 on weekends. Everyone in Brisbane is tuning out from NRL talkback largely networked from Sydney on both MMM and the ABC. Doesn’t help the QLD teams are performing poorly. B105/973/Nova all sound the same - homogenous and safe. KQ believe it or not is the only station willing to play some unflogged and deep cuts occasionally. I think that’s resonating with audiences.
I hope that one day either 973 or B105 adopt a 80’s and 90’s only format playing lots of lost singles and poppy upbeat songs. A bit like what Mix In NZ used to be like. One of those stations needs to change to make a point of difference.
I myself now having a DAB radio in the car only listen to Smooth, The 80’s and 4KQ. Occasionally I’ll slip over to Classic Rock.
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Correct.
The best opportunity was for innovation within the community radio sector.
For Logan 101 or BAY FM to run at least bfast through drive weekdays the Smooth format.
Yet despite all the supposed former commercial radio experience at both community stations, they bumble along with their dated all things to all people radio. It’s 40 years stale and sounds it.
Since the demise of 4BH, this has been their opportunity, yet it has been lost.
And largely automated and networked.
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Aren’t 2CH already starting to provide a point of difference in the market with their Classic Hits format (generally playing tracks the FM stations - including Smooth - won’t touch these days) and a light talk element in some weekday shifts?
It’s one thing to be providing something different to the others, but you’ve also got to let people know that your product exists for there to be any chance of consumers trying it. Realistically, 2CH won’t beat Smooth 95.3 but if the station can do enough to help them get somewhere around 5-6% across the board, you’d consider that to be be moderately successful for a Sydney AM music station in this day & age.
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What? 
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Prior to Gselctor, you could press the F10 key and it would do the day’s schedule for you.
Lazy MDs would press F10 instead of building their own log song by song and crafting their clocks. It relies on the rules entered but it doesn’t mean the rules get it right every time:
http://rcssupport.com/help/gs/Intro/GSelector_and_Selector_compared.htm
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For Brisbane the answer is a Smooth format on 882. For Melbourne it’s a 4KQ type classic hits format. Sydney is the tricky one. BBC Radio 2?
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Yep agree. I only listen to DAB also. Smooth, Easy Hits, The 80s, 4KQ, GHD and Classic Rock.
4KQ is excellent on weekends.
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