Metro Radio Ratings: Survey 6, 2021

[Brianc68]

@SydneyCityTV

While I generally agree, what would you rebrand Triple M as? 104.9 Sydney has more or less always been known as Triple M while the Melbourne, Brisbane & Adelaide stations have also used that name for decades now.

I’m also still an advocate for completely relaunching 2DayFM. $1 Million Alphabucks might result in a marginal ratings boost for 104.1 during Survey #7, but at the same time it wouldn’t be wise to put money on the station (and especially their breakfast show) getting a podium finish in the Sydney FM ratings anytime soon.

Agree. Sydney might need to remain Triple M.

Sydney - Triple M
Melbourne - Rock 105
Brisbane - FM104 or Rock 104
Adelaide - Rock 104.7
Perth - not sure. PMFM perhaps, although it might have been gone too long.

[webguy]

@SydneyCityTV

Like most people, I’m genuinely surprised that the ratings of 2DayFM actually increased (not by much, but still) across the board. Is it enough to give Hughesy, Ed & Erin another year on-air though?

I wouldn’t want to count the chickens before they hatch, but they’d surely be happy at 2Day today. Lockdown has definitely created a blimp, but to get a reasonable increase while all other FMs went down is they best they could hope for. It’s surely enough to keep Hughesy, Ed & Erin in a job for at least another month or so.

[nickatnights]

Is this the first time ever that the No.1 commercial station in Sydney has over twice the share of the No.2 commercial radio station?

It’s a 16.4 compared to an 8.

2GB is not just Sydney’s No.1 station - it’s the No.1 station by a loooong shot.

[Rossco]

Will be interesting to read any comments on this SEN nonsense in Sydney.

[Spi]

@Rossco

Will be interesting to read any comments on this SEN nonsense in Sydney.

Certainly not a good look in breakfast at least, when your nearest competitor in Sky’s Big Sports Breakfast is rating 2.7 (which is eyepopping for them) and Vossy is rating 0.4 - followed by not being able to beat wall-to-wall racing at all for the rest of the day.

I also wonder whether Vossy has stopped trying to compete with the likes of the other talk stations at times with what he described as a “sports plus” format at first. People go to sports talk for escapism, they don’t really want to hear much about the outside world unless they really have to, and do sports interested people in Sydney (even league-mad folk) have as much to talk about than AFL fans do? Probably not.

Also says something when their cume is so close to 2CH’s digital-only service.

I’m from Sydney but most of 1170’s hosts are a big turn-off for me; I’d be one of those who’d opt for 1116 off DAB+ if I had to even if it’s mostly southern-style footy. I wonder whether that’s part of having to draw their hosts from a mostly rugby league world, which to me is even more mindless than the Melbourne AFL media.

[Laoma]

@SydneyCityTV

I’m also still an advocate for completely relaunching 2DayFM. $1 Million Alphabucks might result in a marginal ratings boost for 104.1 during Survey #7, but at the same time it wouldn’t be wise to put money on the station (and especially their breakfast show) getting a podium finish in the Sydney FM ratings anytime soon.

I noted 2CH went up in the DAB ratings its not number 1. I still feel like 2CH FM 104.1 would be great. . But it won’t happen.

Smooth / WS / Triple M cover this demographic to some extent (baby boomer demographic or older) but there is nothing like a 2CH or a 2UE on FM today.

[SydneyCityTV]

One would imagine the ratings for SEN 1170 are likely to get worse next survey, especially with Sky Sports Radio likely to increase (probably not by much, but still…) during Spring Racing Carnival time.

It’s interesting to note that 2CH was receiving 4.8% around this time last year (first survey after the pandemic-induced break), just before the switch to SEN. Has any other Sydney radio station ever lost 4.1% of listeners in the space of a year?!

[lovemusic]

@webguy

I wouldn’t want to count the chickens before they hatch, but they’d surely be happy at 2Day today. Lockdown has definitely created a blimp, but to get a reasonable increase while all other FMs went down is they best they could hope for. It’s surely enough to keep Hughesy, Ed & Erin in a job for at least another month or so.

Yes it’s a good result for them. Also excellent results for 4KQ and Cruise, outrating some of their FM competitors. 3AW with a 23% share for breakfast is also a great result.

The DAB+ ratings are fascinating with Gold/WSFM 80s achieving a 320,000+ cume nationally, a huge result for them. Coles Radio also has nearly 300,000 cume nationally.

These numbers may increase for them with the move towards electronic diaries and smart watches over the next 6 months.

[shanosV8]

I am a Sydney boy and this SEN rubbish is a great example of another big fat Mexican failure up here. Sydney has a strong heritage of horse racing through 2KY now Sky Sports Radio. And all the general sport we need we get through 2GB and also 2SM + ABC. The dumb bags at SEN HQ have zero understanding of the Sydney market. Its really hilarious they are wasting so much effort & money for such a pathetic result in Australia’s number 1 city. Unlike Melbourne - in Sydney we don’t need a 1000 hours of sports radio each day. Sydney has far more interesting pursuits like getting over covid and opening up our great state. Go away SEN we don’t want you. Being back 2CH 1170 and the ratings will fly.

[TVHead]

The editor of The Daily Tele, welcome to MS.

[TV.Cynic]

Nine News QLD had a report tonight unlike the last couple of surveys. Interesting that the only on air teams seen were for Nova that was number one and Nine-owned 4BC that ranked seventh

9News Queensland

[BigVic]

Ouch for 6PR. Struggling in the ratings and nova the top in Perth

[tamago_otoko]

That story felt like it needed a “4BC is owned by Nine” disclaimer at the end of it - blatant cross-promotion.

[FineTuned]

@SydneyCityTV

Can’t believe I’m saying this, but maybe SCA are going to have to look at reviving the old PMFM brand on 92.9 Perth. It’s obvious that Triple M never has been, nor ever will be successful in the West.

Although since the Ms aren’t going all that well in the Eastern states either, a new strategy is probably needed for those stations as well.

12 months ago, I would have agreed with this. But now that they have a truly national network under the Triple M brand, I seriously doubt they’ll change that. They will tweak the format (they’ll have to, because the current one is clearly broken), but they won’t ever drop the name like they did with 96FM back in the 90s. That was a completely different scenario with them having just bought 92.9 and 94.5.

[Ant5476]

Paul Jackson claims he is not concerned about the results for Nova 969.

Nova Entertainment and SCA are the best in the industry when it comes to polishing a turd!!!

People in lockdown listen to Talk Radio

8 October 2021 · Creative & Production · News · Survey

When Survey 6 hit yesterday, the figures coming out for Nova in Brisbane and Perth were great. The brand had regained the lead in both markets.

But the numbers for Nova and smoothfm in both Sydney and Melbourne, like the times in which we live, were unusual, if not unprecedented – and not in a good way. All four stations lost ground overall. Only Nova 100 managed a 0.9 gain in Breakfast while the others bled share points like a crime scene in Line of Duty.

With results like that, Nova Entertainment’s head of content and marketing, Paul Jackson , would, surely have to be concerned.

“The honest answer is no,” says Jackson. “If this was Survey 3, say, and these were the numbers and there were no lockdowns, with everything normal – then absolutely, you couldn’t not be concerned about these numbers. But in this moment, with Sydney and Melbourne going through huge lockdown periods, it totally reflects what’s happening in the marketplace.

“In terms of the radio we’re making, such as Fitzy and Wippa, which is all about mums and dads, in terms of family radio, when there’s no school run happening, that inherent listening isn’t in normal mode. Likewise with smooth which is all about workplace listening – and we haven’t got anyone in the workplace – that would help,” he says wryly.

The fact is that in both Sydney and Melbourne the top three stations, dominated by AM Talk, (2GB, 3AW and the ABC in both cities) command almost half the entire measured Breakfast audience between them, leaving the next dozen to fight it out for a share of what’s left.

Happily for content supremo Duncan Campbell , ARN has the leading FM stations, both overall and in Breakfast in both markets. But even at #1 Fm in Breakfast, Kyle and Jackie O on a 10.8 share trail 2GB’s Ben Fordham on 18.8 by a massive 10.0 whole share points.

The gap’s even greater in Melbourne where 3AW’s Ross and Russel , on an astonishing 23.8, lead Gold104.3’s Christian O’Connell by 14.4 share points – enough for a whole other radio station.

Of course, in normal times, both K & J and O’Connell would likely do much better and would probably remain #1 on the FM band with a shot at #1 overall, once life, as we knew it, returns.

The two FM shows are very different, in very different markets but there is a common denominator, according to Campbell, “Well, the common denominator is that; when they first came on the air, they offered something very different to what was on offer in the market. When Kyle and Jackie O came on, it was Breakfast with the Stars which includes some of the shock elements as well. And that was very different to what was on elsewhere. And when Christian came on, it was a different style of presentation – very inclusive. And that was something very different to what was on in Melbourne at the time. And they’ve captured that audience and that’s what gave Kyle and Jackie the longevity. And that’s what will give Christian that kind of longevity as well. In my view, that’s the secret ingredient – that’s the determining factor.”

Lockdown, schmockdown, not that Nine Radio and its predecessors don’t know how to lead but, clearly, Covid has helped turbocharge their ratings. On 2GB, where some pundits expected Ben Fordham to tank following the departure of Alan Jones , he and 2GB have, instead, posted record numbers.

According to Nine Radio’s content chief, Greg Byrnes , “ You would go back to 2004 which is as far back as the current ratings go (to find a 2GB 10+ station share of 16.4) And Ben’s result, (18.8 for Breakfast) there’s no better.”

Byrnes insists he’s not surprised, “I know what he’s capable of, and I hear the program every day. I see how much work goes into it. He’s got a wonderful sense of the city. He’s got a wonderful rapport with people. You must remember this is probably his 12th year on air because he did Drive for 10. He has a very good understanding of the 2GB audience. Talkback can make a difference. And if you put passionate people in there, who want to make a difference, a great deal can be achieved.”

Read more at: https://radioinfo.com.au/news/people-in-lockdown-listen-to-talk-radio/ © RadioInfo Australia

[Bergoine]

I agree. Perhaps 6MMM could do what 5MMM did a while back with a classic format. But then that would sound too much like 96FM. I think their main issue is breakfast. Fix breakfast and the rest of the day will improve.

[thesub1]

The old 4BH 882 beating Triple M Brisbane at nights!!

[NRN11]

Triple M need to bring back the Cold 30