Regional Radio Ratings

Likely candidates would be 2REM, The Light 98.5 or The Edge from Wangaratta.

Raw FM (narrowcast on 88.0) also has a strong following, plus Iā€™d also add 3NE Wangaratta and Triple M Wagga Wagga (Formerly 2WG) since their signals are reasonably strong into town.

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Donā€™t forget 3NE from Wangaratta, which can be heard into Albury. Triple M from Wagga & Griffith, which both broadcasts on AM & carry a ā€˜Classic Hitsā€™ format (as opposed to the ā€˜Greatest Hitsā€™ format that is being heard on the local Albury station), can also be other possible candidates.

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Iā€™m baffled 2AY do that well.

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Those ACE AM stations are so sad, 3AW and Macquarie content piped into far away regional areas.

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Assuming the Albury-Wodonga survey is another one of those ā€œrecallā€ type surveys (and not a diary one), 2AY may be doing better because of the heritage attached to that call sign, not so much for what they put on air today ???

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Look at the demos. 2AY really only has listeners 40+ and does well in 55+. That demographic is outside of what SCA offer - itā€™s the only station offering commercial music to that demographic, so what shouldnā€™t it do well. While a lot of content is from 3AW, that content is top rating in Melbourne, so should command good ratings in other areas - particularly Neil Mitchellā€™s program which is more skewed to state wide issues than just Melbourne, even if they do often take a Melbourne angle. I have also found that demographic is less concerned with being hyper local and find state-wide, national, etc issues relevant and interesting.

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Today, Coffs Harbour has their ratings released: http://www.radioitsalovething.com.au/RIALT/media/RIALT/PDF/COFFS-HARBOUR-XTRA-INSIGHTS-PUBLIC-SURVEY-RESULT.PDF

Hit 105.5 (formerly Star FM) maintains its top spot at 23.6%, whilst Triple M (formerly 2CS) went up 3.2% from last year to finish at 23.3%, just 0.3% behind Hit. JJJ was 3rd with 13.9%, whilst ABC Coffs Coast was 4th with 13.1%, followed by RN at 5th with 7.3%. BOG-owned 2HC fell from 4.4% last year to just 3.6% this year.

In the demographics, Hit is #1 in the under-40s, whilst Triple M tops the 40-64s & ABC Coffs Coast leads in the 65+. In mornings, Ray Hadley on Triple M rated 25.3% in contrast to John Laws on 2HC, which rated just 5.8%, behind that of RN.

@Mechsta would be interested on those figures.

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Excellent results for SCA in Coffs. A lot of businesses in town have either Hit or MMM on in their shops.

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Yes good results. But they really have no competition.

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Ouch

Whatā€™s CHY FM up to these days?

Once sampled the Caralis network at either Taree or Lismore, Iā€™ve flicked to one of the ABC stations or recorded audio for most of the journey of the mid-north coast, very boring for radio unless something local on 2MC.

Former commercial radio employee, Jason Roe managed CHY for a few years. Where is he now?

Bundaberg has their latest ratings out: http://radioitsalovething.com.au/RIALT/media/RIALT/PDF/BUNDABERG-XTRA-INSIGHTS-PUBLIC-SURVEY-RESULT.PDF

Hitz 93.9 has extended their lead with a 28.6% share, up 5.3% from last year. SCA-owned Sea FM fell 3.7% to 18.3%, not far ahead of AM station 4BU, who went up 1.7% to 16.5%. ABC Wide Bay fell 3.1% to 14.3%.

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Interesting that Sea cannot become a Hit station as it is up against Grant Radioā€™s Hitz 93.9. I note on the Hitz website that the station does a ā€œ20 Song Marathonā€ at 9am, 12pm and 3pm. Hitz seems to have some traction in the market as it is up 35 in the 10 - 17 year old demo and up 19 in the 18 - 24 demo and up 7 in the 25 - 39 year old demo. Hitz is also the No.1 station for 40 -54 year olds and has over 25% of the 55 - 64 year olds. I am sure there will be a few celebratory drinks at Hitz today.

Maybe someone from 2DayFM needs to travel to Bundaberg to see how a ā€œhitā€ branded station can sound.

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I think what works in Bundaberg wonā€™t necessarily work in Sydney. They are vastly different cities with different cultures and tastes.

I totally agree. And that why 2DayFM is in trouble - it sounds like Fox and every other Hit station. And donā€™t get me started on the ā€œforced funā€ on the 2DayFM breakfast shows post Kyle.

I am streaming Hitz right now. It has a level of energy that I like. Hit stations should do more than than just play the hits (especially in a world of MP3 and internet radio). Top 40 stations should be local, energetic and live. Hitz sounds good.

It is an exciting station and uses lines like ā€œWe are 100% Bundyā€. Their car is called ā€œThe Hitz Machineā€

I also like it as I am in Sydney and it is freezing. Itā€™s 25 degrees in Bundaberg right now. Nice.

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Sea might do at least a little better if they had even 1 local announcer.

Having been a relay of Sea FM Wide Bay out of Maryborough for most of its life (I think they had a local studio in the early 2000s, but programming was still identical in Bundy and Maryborough), they split away when Sea FM in Maryborough became hit101.9 at the end of last year. Sea FM Bundaberg now has itā€™s own identity and local breakfast and morning shifts, but the come out of Townsville. Apart from being 1000kms away, thereā€™s no direct flights from Townsville to Bundaberg so any travel between the two has to go via Brisbane which makes it a fairly long trip time wise - the on air talent do make it to Bundy from time to time, but how often that can happen is obviously limited.
It looks like SCA are trying to put some effort in, but it would appear that a ā€œlocalā€ show from Townsville is even less appealing than a show from Maryborough. I wonder if SCA are look at building studios in Bundaberg so they can broadcast locally (at the moment the just have a sales office). I hope so, and Iā€™m quietly optimistic that SCAā€™s current wave of building new offices/studios in regional areas might make this a reality.

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Yes both 4BU and Hitz strive to be local and itā€™s paying off. 4BU would have to be the best performing heritage AM station in the country.
I know people in Bundaberg and they refer to Hitz as ā€œthe local stationā€ to differentiate from Sea. Of course the music is broader on Hitz too, including new and older music.

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Well done to both of the Grant stations.I think the biggest winner for Hitz FM is being very local, having a bigger playlist and less repetitive then Sea FM.

Wonder how the Triple M Greatest Hits brand would go in Bundy? This might be a better option to take on the Grant stations.

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Albany has their ratings out this morning: http://www.radioitsalovething.com.au/RIALT/media/RIALT/PDF/ALBANY-XTRA-INSIGHTS-PUBLIC-SURVEY-RESULT.PDF

ABC Great Southern maintains its position as the #1 station with a 29.8% share (up 2.7% from last year), followed by Hit (formerly Hot FM) with 20.7%, JJJ with 13.8% & Triple M (formerly Radiowest) with 9.7% (up 2.4% from last year).
Another reason for Triple Mā€™s ratings lift was the switch to a Classic Hits format, as Radiowest had the Greatest Hits format at the time of last yearā€™s survey, and it really shows in the 55+ demos, in which the station went up 2.1% to 11.5% in the 55-64s and up 4.5% to 6.8% in the 65+.
16.7% listen to the Other ā€œnon-listedā€ stations, which includes 4ufm (community station), Gold MX & Fly 92.3.

In the demographics, Hit is #1 in the under-40s, whilst ABC Great Southern tops the 40+.

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