Change in tone from the FM radio networks as Hamish and Andy start to move the dial
Today’s radio ratings have seen Hamish and Andy begin to make inroads for the Hit Network into their national drive time rivals. Mumbrella’s Nic Christensen talks to content bosses at Nova, ARN and SCA about today’s results and looks at how the rest of 2015 could shake out.
It’s fair to say that some of the triumphalism that was apparent in my interviews after recent surveys with execs at Nova and the Australian Radio Network has disappeared today, and that’s probably due to some of the drive results.
In the space of just half a survey Hamish and Andy have already moved the needle. The question many are asking is just how far will it go?
Dave Cameron head of the HitFM network today said he was in no doubt where the goal posts were noting: “I was with Hamish and Andy last time around where we started on a nine and ended up on a 23 (per cent audience share).
I know what momentum feels like with Hamish and Andy and it feels exactly the same.”
That’s a big claim built largely on their return to number one in Melbourne, and what are major surges in Sydney and Perth where they rose 2.8 and 3.5 share points respectively.
Southern Cross Austereo’s rivals concede their return has been a hit, but for the moment are pointing to the fact that overall they are still ahead in the drive slot.
“We expected an impact and there is obviously more impact to come,” said Duncan Campbell, ARN’s national content director.
Indeed there will given that survey five was made up of two waves (May 24–June 27 and July 12 – August 15) and that SCA’s drive time duo were only on for the latter half of that survey.
Nova’s Paul Jackson played down the impact in drive noting its established trio of Kate Ritchie, Marty Sheargold and Tim Blackwell were still number one in the slot overall with KiisFM’s Dave Hughes and Kate Langbroek in number two.
“We have got the number one drive show across the country and in Sydney we have the number one and number two drive shows,” said Jackson, group programming director at Nova. “They have moved the dial for their network a little bit, but if I had spent as much money as SCA have – just look at all the marketing in Sydney, Melbourne etc – if that was the return I’d got I’d be holding an inquest.”
Cameron responded saying: “They were on for five out of the ten weeks and they have already gone to number one in Melbourne drive, they have next to doubled the figures in Sydney and they have gone up in drive in every other market where in most of those other markets our competitors have gone down.”
Can Hamish and Andy continue to lift the Hit Network?
SCA’s rivals are quick to point out that while there have been major lifts in drive the overall impact on total people is much less.
The network is up in Sydney 0.9, Melbourne 0.6, Brisbane 0.3 while in Adelaide and Perth the rises were bigger up 1.1 and 2.1 per cent respectively.
“I think we have seen the initial impact of Hamish and Andy,” said ARN’s Campbell. “There was a change (in drive), as expected, but the movement in those aged 10+ was minimal across the HitFM Network.
“The question is where do Hamish and Andy go from here?”
SCA says it will continue its massive marketing efforts around the pair and attempt to build on the results from today’s survey.
“The impact has been immediate and we are wrapped about what a full 14 week survey will bring,” says Cameron. “Our marketing is ongoing it is not something we ever really stop. You can expect our marketing campaigns to continue in perpetuity.”
Challenged on whether they can maintain the momentum Hit’s boss Cameron said he was confident they would, adding: “The key thing here is that they have had an amazing impact given Hamish and Andy were only on for half this survey period.”
Smooth hits number one in Sydney – but is it all ‘hairdressers and taxi drivers’?
One of the other stand out results of survey five is SmoothFM becoming the number one FM station in Sydney with an 8.2 per cent share, just three years after the station was born from the ashes of the Classic Rock brand.
Paul Jackson described the win as a career achievement saying:
I have spent my life’s career at programming stations and in my days this is best day of my career.
“Everyone here is over the moon with Smooth because it is such a big marketplace and it’s not often you get the chance to start over with a frequency and build something from the ground up.
“We have done that building a five, a six, a seven share and we always said it would take three years before it got to number one. I didn’t expect that today it’s fantastic.”
That’s hasn’t however, stopped their rivals from putting the boot in.
“(SmoothFM) is a good music product that doesn’t have any competitors,” said Hit’s Cameron. “It is a good product for over 45s.”
His colleague Mike Fitzpatrick, head of TripleM, added: “(The problem for) SmoothFM is it’s great for hairdressers and taxi drivers.”
Jackson fired back this morning telling Mumbrella: “I hope hairdressers and cab drivers do listen to Smooth and if (our competitors) don’t want them we’ll certainly have them.
“Plus it’s the number one station in Sydney in 10+ females as well as being number one in 10+ overall. Basically we have a very broad church of listeners – and yes some of them are hairdressers – but they are people who work in hospitals and are doctors, nurses who have us on in the surgery all day long, we have professionals and really it’s a little bit of everything.”
Triple M and Kyle and Jackie O slipping in the ratings
Despite recent strong results for TripleM on the back of sport it was a weaker survey five for them with declines in Sydney, down 1.4 per cent to a 6.5 share with Melbourne down 0.1 and Brisbane down 0.4.
On the Sydney result Fitzpatrick noted: “Any day we beat Nova in Sydney is a good day. They are in the fives and we are not, we are number one in 25-39s and ahead of them by a mile.
“Also the breakfast rankings haven’t changed and we are only half a point behind Kyle and Jackie O who have come down and whose decline is continuing with the TripleM Sydney result.”
Asked about Kyle and Jackie O’s ongoing decline in the ratings – down 0.4 share this survey – Campbell conceded: “The fact is (our focus) is where they are positioned in the market and they remain the number two breakfast show in Sydney with (ARN’s) Jonesy and Amanda in number one. For us we are right on strategy in terms of position.
“There has been an impact in terms of share but the cumulative audience for the breakfast show remains very high as it does for the station. I predict that Kiis and Kyle and Jackie O will show improvement as we head into the end of the year.
“They have had a couple of down results but overall I think we will see improvements today the end of the year.”
Macquarie retains AM dominance in Sydney and Melbourne as Hadley and Jones lift its share in Brisbane
As ever Radio 2GB retains its dominance of the AM Sydney market with Alan Jones up 1.1 per cent in Breakfast to a 17.1 per cent – its 90th consecutive win. In Melbourne its recently merged 3AW station was also top of the overall standings increasing its audience share to 12.6 per cent.
One of the other note worthy results was that Jones and Ray Hadley have lifted 4BC’s performance in Brisbane with their networked shows lifting the station 1.3 per cent to a 6 share.
Jones was up 1.0 share in Breakfast and Hadley was up a 2.3 per cent in Mornings.
Macquarie Radio was not able to put up an executive for interview but it appears the Sydney-based shock jocks are gaining traction north of the border.
- Nic Christensen is the deputy editor of Mumbrella
I don’t mind Jonesy on the way in of a morning, especially if he is beating up a poli or 2. I also listen to Philip Adams little wireless programme on the way home because he has fascinating guests.
Bu Ra Hadley ? Really ? [Edited by Mumbrella]
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