So what’s the excuse for ratings at 3EE halved to a record-low 0.2% with the highest-rating shift halved you 0.5% share? Can we at least rely on the excuse that the footy season is over? The problem with that explanation is that you’d expect SEN to also fall, which it did not.
This station simply has no listener base in Melbourne. That’s because the station doesn’t fill a need not already catered for.
Little wonder then they cross promote the ‘Summer of cricket’ on 3AW with such regularity it’s as if they are ordering their listeners to tune in. They really do have the listener relationship the wrong way around. After one short-term hypothesis tested after another, the cricket has become either the latest hope at best or the last hope at worst. You don’t need to guess which is the more likely.
This comes on the 30th anniversary of one of Melbourne Radio’s rare examples of radical listener movement. It was the Summer of 1988/89 when a relatively unknown brand 3TT (replacing 3DB) was attempting to provide fresh competition to Fox, Triple M (which also turns 30 this month in Melbourne after replacing EON FM). Their “classic hits of summer” campaign almost doubled ratings (from 4.9% pre-summer to 8.6% post-summer) with a formula of music then targeting over-25 “baby boomers” and older Gen-X. In B&T magazine, 3TT took out a full-page ad for industry boasting that “3TT HITS 13.4” (of 25-39). It was understood that in the last year of pre-FM conversion (of 3TT and 3KZ), TT had the highest number of FOX and MMM listeners sampling an AM station. Not bad for a bold move to replace the ageing 3DB, with its old ways and tradition, with a total facelift (in the same year, 3XY also boldly attempted a format change and it’s fortunes went the other way - and that happens to be the same AM licence now occupied by the failing 3EE).
Fast forward 30 years and almost the same range of 60s to 80s classic hits has 4KQ still capturing about the same audience, now Over 55 instead of Over 25. Today’s figures have 4KQ on top of all talk stations (ABC or 4BC), while 4BH rots away on a 0.4% share (sorry but that’s just shameful)
The point is that NOW, right now, is the time to change format back to music if you’re going to do it. I’m sure it will actually increase the chances of the cricket rating.
There’s no angry internet trolling going on when I appear with these ratings observations. What I do is provide a prognosis that’s all to easy to provide. This format was a mistake and given the change of ownership with Nine coming in, it was also a rush judgment to axe Talking Lifestyle and put so many talented presenters out of work (which is exactly what they will soon have to do yet again as cures are put in place where prevention and caution would have been better)
One final observation I make relates to a short trip I took to Coffs Harbour last week. I couldn’t help noticing how ironic it is that Melbourne has one commercial talkback offering in the morning (3AW’s Neil Mitchell) while Coffs, with an urban population of 70,000) has two (John Laws on 2HC and Ray Hadley on Triple M - a station that then also features two other talkback shows at night).
Consequently, the sky doesn’t fall in over Coffs and neither would a more competitive 1278AM in Melbourne if the format flipped to music with a dose of morning personality (definition: popular person who talks on the radio about stuff going on).
The material impact on 3AW’s ratings might well be that 3AW rates number one with a 13 share instead of a 14 share (definition: the sky doesn’t fall in on Macquarie). But if that happens, it might also be the same reason Gold rates an 8 and not a 9 or Smooth rates a 10 instead of a 9.
“Nipping at the heels” of the big stations is about the most realistic KPI that 1278 (as Magic) could achieve anyhow. If that wasn’t profitable, perhaps that KPI needs to be reviewed now that station has the resources backing of Nine.
I also noticed that 2HC opened up limited local windows exclusively for Coffs Harbour (which not even Macquarie Sports Radio does for any one location). The afternoon presenter Denise Anderson played music skewed just a little older than Triple M (but with more variety in tempo than easy listening would offer) while also overlaying the Sydney-syndicated breakfast show from 2SM with local news reads.
Supernetwork radio doesn’t have the greatest reputation but they can at least be credited with giving their more populated centres (like 2HC Coffs, Radio 97 Tweed/Gold Coast, and 2HD Newcastle) some exclusive local windows of programming).
I would suggest moving back to music would justify the economics of re opening local windows just for Brisbane, Sydney or or Melbourne at Macquarie’s second network
I completely agree. Now is the time to change MSR Brisbane and Melbourne back to music - albeit with a different focus for each. Easy listening for Brisbane, Classic Hits for Melbourne. Not sure about Sydney, perhaps resurrect a couple of the TL shows and become a hybrid music/entertainment station called, I dunno, 2UE.
Because they have to. 2HC have the bear minimum amount of local content legally permitted, off something around 3 staff, and management from another market. They’re really not trying at all in Coffs.
Yes, would be interesting to know what those legalities are and how they differ between markets. 2GF Grafton, a nearby signal that can be heard on 1206 AM in Coffs Harbour, takes the 2SM feed early afternoon while 2HC is local program. Perhaps the minimum local requirements apply differently between markets?
Thank you for going to such effort with the table.
Lost already.
As they’re a niche format, the recall required for ticks in diaries of broad based research isn’t there. Specific research among their audience is more useful.
I’d just want to know if 2SM is beating MSR in Sydney.
SEN’s ratings show that at the very least there is an audience out there, but even among that audience the product isn’t compelling enough to get listeners to switch.
2KY to some extent show something similar - though in their case the latest survey have them and MSR rating the same at breakfast where the two stations are the most similar. Even if they decide sports radio is the format - there’s at least 4% on the table in Melbourne, and 1%+ in Sydney that are already listening to sports talk radio, that they aren’t making in roads on.
Hell must be about to freeze over. Ray Hadley will be returning to 954AM next Friday to call the Horn/Mundine boxing match. I’m very surprised Hadley hasn’t insisted his call of the bout be broadcast on 2GB.
An ex FM listener called into Cameron Reddin This Morning after 6AM in Melbourne & Sydney 5AM Brisbane & 3AM Perth he said he used to listen to FM until he came across MacQuarie Sports Radio and he will never listen to FM again.
Many more new listeners will listen to MacQuarie sports Radio due in no small way to former Australian Cricket Captain Michel Clarke who was interviewed by David Schawatrz & Mark Allen last Tuesday on Drive and in reply to what Gerard Whateley had said on SEN Mornings Mchael Clarke called Geard Whateley “\AHeadline chasing coward”> on MacQuarie Sports Radio’s Melbourne/Perth Breakfast Progra with Matt Thompson &Jimmy Bartel.
Frankie
Please may I begin by answering i am not the person who was the EX FM Listener who came to Macauarie Sports Radio
I have been a listener to MacQuarie Sports Radio since the dying moments of Talking Lifestyle i listened to SEN prior to that.
furthermore the EX FM listener prior to listening to MacQuarie Sports Radio he was not a listener to AM Radio.
May I add he will tell all his family and friends about MacQuarue Sports Radio
