A lot of songs on ‘Hit’ music stations get played again within 2-3 hours anyway, so probably doesn’t make that much difference?
3 Likes
As someone who regularly listens to 96.1SAFM locally on the radio & from time to time SAFM Adelaide online via the app, as far as I can tell both stations have the same playlist within a few minutes of each other, even outside breakfast. The playlist is slightly different to the regional hit network playlist. SAFM Limestone Coast did network Sean Craig Murphy from Adelaide in the mornings years ago before a local announcer could be found to do the 9-12 shift.
4 Likes
Today, we’re off to Port Macquarie:
Triple M remain on top with 28.7% (-3.1 from 2021), followed by Hit with 22% (+0.5), JJJ with 11.9% (-1.6), and ABC Mid North Coast with 8.6% (+0.9). Radio 531/93.5 scored a 2.2% share (-0.2).
In the demos, Hit dominates in the under-40s, whilst Triple M wins in the 40+.
3 Likes
Jesus, 2.2% for Radio 531. Wonder if they’ve applied for a proper FM conversion - think they need to.
4 Likes
Agree, being outrated by Radio National by more than double is not a good look.
I think if they get FM with full specs as per 2PQQ and 2ROX at both Cairncross and Yarrahapinni, they’ll switch their program across to the FM Super Network feed.
I’m surprised Local Radio doesn’t do better there given a larger retiree population.
2 Likes
ABC Mid North Coast does rate well in the 65+ with 17.3% (+0.4 from 2021), 2nd only to Triple M. It also came 2nd in the 55-64s with 13.9% (+5.8). Also in the 65+, Hit manages to outrate Radio 531/93.5 (5.9 to 5.5).
The “Other Stations” share for this year’s Port Macquarie survey is at 19.4%, up 4.4 from 2021. In the 65+, the ‘Other’ share is at 30.1%, up 5.2 from 2021.
1 Like
Imagine living in a place that only had commercial radio stations that were owned by SCA - the Hit and MMM monopoly. Your Fridays would be RnB or Dexys Midnight Runners.
It’d feel a little like life after a nuclear holocaust.
When the bomb hits, you’d wish you had been standing under it.
6 Likes
It’s not like they don’t have any other options. Apple Music, Spotify etc.
3 Likes
That may well be, but it doesn’t bode well for the industry’s future if that’s the response to people’s dissatisfaction with radio…
I live in the 3rd biggest city in the country and if it wasn’t for Breeze and Rebel and one or two community stations I would have given up on terrestrial radio in recent years. I still prefer a well programmed radio station to Spotify or YT Music but if Breeze and Rebel disappeared that would be it for me I’d say. I’d be streaming overseas stations and YT Music.
7 Likes
Shepparton is one city that only has SCA as its commercial option, you can’t pick up both Edge FMs in Wangaratta and Deniliquin, and the only other market you can pick up there is Bendigo which is also an SCA town (Gold 1071 and 98.3 are both not receivable in Shepp).
6 Likes
I’ve received 102.5 Edge from Deni in Shepparton, but not strong enough to say it’s a solid alternative to the local stations, even less so if you’re indoors.
4 Likes
Today, we’re off to Ballarat:
Power FM remain on top with 27.3% (-0.8 from 2021), followed by 3BA with 21.3% (+0.1), JJJ with 9.3% (+0.7), and ABC Ballarat with 6.7% (+1.7).
In the demos, Power dominate in the under-55s (with 3BA only 0.2 behind in the 40-54s), with 3BA dominating in the 55+.
In breakfast, Power’s Jack & LJ is #1 with 26.7% (-0.2), followed by 3BA’s The Big Show with Paul ‘PT’ Taylor at 20.7% (-1.4), and JJJ’s Bryce & Concetta with 10% (+1.2).
The “Other Stations” share is at 30.5% (-2.0 from 2021), most of which would be towards Gold Central Victoria, as well as the Melbourne stations.
5 Likes
Don’t discount the Bendigo stations in Ballarat - very good signal across most of the area.
Gee that’s a poor showing from ABC radio, can’t even blame the AM factor in Ballarat (unless they didn’t count listeners to 774 in that share).
6 Likes
774 won’t be included as it’s not “ABC Ballarat”
1 Like
That means little to the listener, some won’t really know whether they’ve been listening to 774 or the local 107.9 “ABC Ballarat”.
2 Likes
There’s other Xtra Insights surveys which call out multiple ABC local radio services, so I would suspect ABC Melbourne is recorded separately just not listed in the survey results. Warragul’s survey for example lists ABC Melbourne and ABC Gippsland, while the Gosford survey shows random FMs from Sydney, but only ABC Central Coast.
1 Like
And hence the problem of the regional survey methodology, it’s a fallible straw poll marketed by CRA as believable currency for clients.
No way.
We see it every survey.
3 Likes
Not hard to believe for mine. Both 774 and 107.9 get poor penetration into parts of the Ballarat CBD.
It also follows a trend of underwhelming results in regional Victoria for ABC Local - not hard to believe given there’s so much (average) networking in the schedule.
1 Like
I’m not surprised either. I’m not sure it’s just the average networking though. I think it’s a longer term trend away from talk content especially in the regions. Even commercial talk content in the regions (where it’s available) rates very poorly. I think ABC Local need to re-think their entire offering both in the regions and also in metro areas. Move the talk and news predominantly to RN and NewsRadio and move Local towards light entertainment and music - much more music.
3 Likes
Next stop, Ipswich: https://www.commercialradio.com.au/RA/media/General/Documents/Surveys%20for%20Regional/IPSWICH-XTRA-INSIGHTS-PUBLIC-SURVEY-RELEASE-2024.pdf?ext=.pdf
River 94.9 remain on top with 33.6% (+4.0 from 2021), followed by B105 with 13.4% (-1.3), 4MMM with 10.1% (+3.8), KIIS 97.3 with 9.2% (+1.7), and Nova with 7.3% (-1.3). ABC Radio Brisbane rates 4.1% (-0.9), whilst 4BC rated 3.1% (-1.4), and SENQ rated 0.3%.
In the demos, River is #1 in every one of them, with B105 coming closest in the 25-39s at 20.5% to River’s 28%.
River’s Marnie & Campo dominates the breakfast slot with 33% (+3.9), well ahead of 2nd-placed B105’s Stav, Abby & Matt with 14.5% (-0.8). River won all other timeslots as well, comfortably ahead of the Brisbane stations.
4 Likes