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ARN’s Duncan Campbell praises record result for KIIS FM’s Kyle and Jackie O and warns 2GB will bounce back
ARN's Duncan Campbell has reason to be in a good mood post ratings three survey of the year as he speaks to Mumbrella's Emma Shepherd about the continued improvement of Sydney breakfast due Kyle & Jackie O and his confidence in 2GB's Ben Fordham bouncing back.
The results for survey three are in and ARN are making history.
For two years running ARN are the number one network with a 17.7% share (excluding DAB) and the number one network for all key demographics.
Holding the top spot as the country’s leading network since June 2019, this is ARN’s 12th consecutive winning survey – cementing its position as radio’s market leader as well as the #1 podcast publisher in Australia.
In Sydney, KIIS 106.5’s Kyle & Jackie O took out their 19th consecutive #1FM spot with a 12.9% share, making this win the highest share the duo has ever achieved in their breakfast career.
ARN’s chief of content, Duncan Campbell tells Mumbrella of the win: “KIIS FM in both Sydney and Melbourne have done very well today, so I’m very happy about that. Making history as they say.
ARN national content director, Duncan Campbell
“It’s fantastic that [Kyle & Jackie O] achieved their best ever share result for ARN which is great. The show has remained consistent and they have a huge super-fan following. The production team are also fantastic. They all work extremely hard.
“Kyle and Jackie O, in my opinion, are one of the best radio duos in the world. Their chemistry is just extraordinary. They’ve been doing it for so long that they know all the little nuances of each other, and I think the level of content is very consistent. I think this year, in particular, they came back in good form and that carried through the year.
Campbell believes one of the reasons behind their win was Kyle’s shift in living a healthier lifestyle and reigniting his passion for radio.
“Kyle has had less sick days this year than ever before, he’s healthy, and I find personally, talking to him that he’s re-energised his love for radio again. He’s always loved radio but there’s less distractions going on in his life which means he can really focus on radio again. Jackie’s the same to be honest, to get 12.9 is fantastic, I am very happy indeed,” Campbell says.
In Sydney, KIIS 106.5’s Kyle & Jackie O
Melbourne also had a few things to celebrate, after KIIS 101.1 FM’s breakfast show with Jase and PJ came out on top with its best ratings in five years, with the Australian Radio Network duo climbing 1.8 percentage points in survey three to hit a 7.4% share of listening.
It was the biggest rise of any show on breakfast in Melbourne, but could leave Australian Radio Network (ARN) programmers wondering what might have been, with PJ Harding to depart the show in June and return to her native New Zealand.
“PJ leaves on June 30th, it was her decision to go. It’s a great story. She fell in love with this guy, who happens to be a farmer in New Zealand, and he didn’t want to give up the farm and move to Melbourne so she decided to follow her heart.
KIIS 101.1 FM’s breakfast show with Jase (left) and PJ (right)
“You can’t stand in the way of that, but she’ll leave on a high, which is a good place to leave. She’s off and it’s her decision. That’s life, you can’t force someone to work for you. I wish her all the very best. It is a bit of a shame that it increased in ratings at the end of the show rather than while the show was in its infancy in terms of Melbourne. We will be announcing the new show in a few weeks which will be great,” Campbell says of PJ’s exit.
As for his thoughts on Sydney’s 2GB with Ben Fordham at the helm, despite the station slightly slipping in ratings, down 1.7 percentage points to 11.7%, Campbell warns that they’ll bounce back.
“I don’t think it’s all over [for Ben] just yet, 2GB will most definitely bounce back from this which would be my prediction.”
