Metro Radio Ratings: Survey 4, 2018

Correct, I had been reading this.

If you look at the demos for Brisbane (and other markets too), you’ll see there are some lumpy numbers such as this.

Is it sustained over a four or five survey period? Unlikely.

At these low numbers, the accuracy is distorted by the methodology. The rise in nights is over seven fold increase in share. Highly unlikely. Other shifts doubled and trebled.

Expect another well written piece by Brad Smart on the beginning of the end for MSR.

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He wasn’t there for the whole survey so #5 will be interesting to see. It’s a good alternative to the others in the market so there’s a good chance he can get the 8s or 9s and maintain it.

Correct, most of the survey is due to Whippy truly solo in breakfast. Christian began in the first full week of June, survey ended soon after.

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First and foremost, it probably goes without saying that today’s big winners are 2GB and WSFM with Kyle & Jackie O still pulling listeners to KIIS at breakfast.

On the question of 2DayFM, you really have to wonder if the falls this survey (losing 5% of people aged 18-24 would probably be most concerning) are a blip or whether the station’s current format has peaked. Something to keep an eye on over coming surveys.

2CH will be pleased that Trevor Sinclair & Indira Naidoo are going OK at breakfast - up 0.5% in a survey which they were on air for all but Gareth McCray’s final week.

As for Macquarie Sports Radio…oh boy. I was kind of expecting their numbers to be bad but to have less than 1% of the audience with more Sydney listeners tuning into Sky Sports Radio?! Absolutely pathetic!

Not only is it incredibly sad that a frequency that was once Sydney’s #1 radio station (Now there’s a very good question: What were 2UE’s ratings in Survey #4 1998?) is getting less listeners than the racing channel, serious questions must already be asked about the future of Macquarie Sports Radio? Maybe if there was a ratings boost in Sydney during the transitional period you could give MSR a bit more time to bed in but with 0.8% for the 1st full survey, surely this format won’t make it until the end of the year?

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Sydney Smooth breakfast numbers are very soft. Impacting other shifts now.

according to this post 2ue got a 13.3 and was no 1, ahead of 2MMM on 11.8

On mobile so haven’t had a chance to look at the full tables or scroll back through older figures, but those numbers for RN seem very low - being beaten by News Radio in Sydney…

I don’t listen to RN, so can’t comment on content, but I’m sure the used to hover in the high 3s to low 4s. I’d also have thought that with MSR killing what remained of the old 2UE/Lifestyle audience the ABC stations would be a benefitiary of that. Surely you had a reason to not listen to 2GB, did they just turn their radios off?

Still, that’s at least better than being beaten by a racing station. I’d love to know where 2SM sit on that table.

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Some will have turned off/gone to non surveyed choices. ABC will have picked up the rest who would view it as a second station for them. 2GB unlikely.

I’m sure they’d do fine in morning with John Laws. #1 or close to it in Newcastle since beginning on 2SM.

I think quite plenty of ex-2UE/Talking Lifestyle listeners went to WS & 2CH instead.

Look at the trends since Survey 2:

SurveyTL/MSRWSFM2CH
2/20183.58.43.4
3/20181.99.74.2
4/20180.810.74.5

Percentage differences from S2 to S4:

TL/MSR: -77.1%
WS: +27.4%
2CH: +32.4%

FYI, 2GB’s audience during the same period went up by 21.7%.

According to my calculations, the non-surveyed stations went down from 15.3% last survey to 13.9% this survey.

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Seems clear enough, but a rather odd flow - I wonder why only now would be the tipping point for switching to a music station?I suppose that’s partly explained by the only people who stuck it out with Talking Lifestyle after 2UE died are ones who already don’t want to listen to any of the other talk offerings, but still if you were prepared to listen to a music station, why sit through a year of advertorial radio?

Thanks for doing the numbers.

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I’m surprised to hear that WSFM has (probably) benefited from the Macquarie Sports Radio relaunch.

Despite being a music station, I could kind of understand if 2CH benefited - particularly since it’s an AM station and if their recently reformatted breakfast show with Trevor Sinclair & Indira Naidoo focuses a bit on news (while still playing some music, of course) like John Stanley & Gary Linnell’s former 2UE/Talking Lifestyle breakfast program reportedly did…but I haven’t listened enough to either program to make an informed opinion about that.

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I was a dedicated 2UE listener, and didn’t migrate to 2GB. I had listened to Hadley for a few years but his slow shift to the right accumulated into me switching off. I moved to music stations, not to news talk. I drove from Canberra to Sydney on Sunday and streamed WSFM all the way.

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Let’s look at the trends on certain demographics, again comparing from S2 to S4.

Sydney - 40-54s

Survey TL/MSR WSFM
2/2018 1.9 10.9
3/2018 1.4 15.1
4/2018 0.7 16.1

Sydney - 55-64s

Survey TL/MSR WSFM Smooth
2/2018 4.2 10.2 10.1
3/2018 1.8 17.9 11.2
4/2018 1.5 19.2 12.0

Sydney - 65+

Survey TL/MSR 2CH
2/2018 9.2 9.0
3/2018 4.5 11.8
4/2018 0.6 12.7
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I was surprised at first that a 2UE listener would move to music but I guess if you can’t find what you’re looking for with talk then it’s a natural choice. Thinking about it, it’s probably much more likely for a talk listener to move to music than the other way around. I highly doubt many people who switch on the radio for music will suddenly want to hear talk.
… I guess that’s something the people at Macquarie are learning the hard way.

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Hope.

Just kidding, it’s fucked.

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Coverage of the Sydney results as seen on the 6pm TV news bulletins:


https://youtu.be/cfi92lPG23c

Although those are the top four breakfast programs on Sydney radio, I think Seven got their numbers muddled up a bit by using the “Monday-Friday 5.30am to midnight” figures as the “Breakfast (5.30am to 9am)” ratings. Just incase they decide to delete the clip, a screencap:
%2311

By contrast, the actual Sydney “Breakfast (5.30am to 9am)” ratings…

#1: 2GB, Alan Jones: 16.6% (+1.3)
#2: KIIS 1065, Kyle & Jackie O: 11% (-0.9)
#3: 101.7 WSFM, Jonesy & Amanda: 9.6% (+0.2)
#4: ABC Radio Sydney, Robbie Buck & Wendy Harmer: 9.5% (-0.4)

Not much to say about Nine’s coverage apart from the noteworthy claim of Ross Greenwood as their own but not Ben Fordham, even though both have fairly strong links to the network.

With half the survey year down, its time for the Melbourne mid-year ratings review. First the leaderboard from last year compared to the year-to-date leaderboard (average of surveys).

midyear%202018

3AW - slight slippage and the gap to second has reduced, so on one hand a little concerned - but then the talk competitors ABC Melbourne and SEN have collectively dropped 1.6, so talk is on the nose. Whilst News Radio and Radio National have barely moved, Other stations has increased 1.1 to a 13.0 share and a Melbourne record of 14.0 in Survey 4 (as far as I can tell). If they are transitioning to community and public radio that’s a concern if you’re 3AW.

FOX - great rebound with the highest average ratings since 2011 (at 11.3). Not that Fifi Fev and Byron are my cup of tea, I suspect that the focus on localised rather than networked approach is resulting in listeners…now if only they could fix that bloody logo…

GOLD - Perseverance is paying off with the highest ratings since 2005 (at 11.7). It feels like they are sandwiched between Triple M and Smooth with Triple M seeming like the loser. Thought the transition to Christian O’Connell would be tougher and a ratings glitch - whilst the transition ain’t quite over, Gold have done well so far.

SMOOTH - Strong morning and afternoon ratings has shown how this station has taken the “office workplace” market over from the now departed Mix101.1. With only limited competition mainly from Gold (now there’s an opening if you had some cash Hutchy or need a new format MML!), it is, I suspect, a very profitable station.

ABC Melbourne - With their lowest ratings in 20 years, the station formerly known as 3LO has a breakfast crew that are well suited to FM, albeit they lack an AFL Legend. Similar to 3AW there is an element of listeners switching off talk and although they do have solid shows with the likes of Jon Faine. Will be interesting to see how the cricket broadcasting right changes have an impact going forward…nothing like summer in the backyard with test cricket on ABC Grandstand.

Now the wannabies or is it hasbeens:

MSR1278 - The “we have no clues” station…Ok I better be nicer. You have 7 months (ie until after the cricket) to get your sh** together. You have a better drive show than SEN, but that’s about it. No doubt, costing a bomb to run, without the assistance of Sharina’s psychic readings, I forsee a return to music on 1278khz in 2019. Grubby and Dee Dee you’re up.

SEN - The Hutchy station. The Hutchy revolution has divided not conquered with the lowest ratings since 2006 (at 2.9). Maybe he has reduced costs through the use of SEN as a feeder for all the content networked around the country (so it has paid for itself a la 2SM as network hub in Sydney for Bill Carralis), but it seems that all sports apart from AFL have been given the arse. The breakfast show has too many of the same hosts seen everywhere on the screens of 7…so no different views from anywhere else. Maybe I just miss Francis Leaches style.

KIIS101.1 - Melbourne’s Sydney station. Mix101.1 has come and gone and the latest rebrand still gives like the impression that 101.1 is considered just an outback colony of Port Jackson elites who know better. Why shouldn’t parochial Melburnians dial 13.106.5 for a Melbourne station as compared to 9414-1011…or maybe its the talent…just not setting the world alight…can’t see much improvement here. It’s like cleaning out the garage - where do you start…

Nova100 - The station with potential. Admission: Check out Santo Sam and Ed’s Cup Fever on iview. It’s awesome and Nova100 have a good breakfast show. They have a great drive show. Their music sucks with too much repetition and that’s why they can’t hold an audience in the day - plus it is networked. Go local, more music variety and you can get ratings.

Triple M - The polarising station. You either like Ed, the rock music and the footy - or you don’t. Hard to see how you could do better much better without changing the fundamental of what the station is about. There ain’t much rock alternative (well apart from Classic Rock - see next comment). Station will continue to fluctuate between 6.5 - 8.0 market share until the Hot Breakfast is no more…

Classic Rock Radio - the iPod station. Yes it does broadcast, but why. The ACMA has given allowance to boost your signal. Do it. Have some (any) presenters and get some personality. Before MML wake-up, relaunch easy music 3MP. You are not going to make money by pressing play on the iPod. Take a risk, have a go. Who knows, maybe you could participate in the ratings…

The rant is over…now to the rest of you!

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I thought you might have used the Vega 91.5 logo.

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Very entertaining. But I would suggest if they relaunch 3MP they should just copy the 4KQ playlist. That would give them a great point of difference from Smooth which has easy listening covered in Melbourne.

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With an AM signal, you are absolutely right in not being too close to a Smooth FM format, as it will be a struggle to pull listeners away because of the sound quality difference. I don’t know 4KQ’s format hugely well, but as I said - Pacific Star Network need to try something.

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