Eight surprises in the new Sydney radio ratings
Today’s radio results signal a once in a generation shift, argues Mumbrella’s Tim Burrowes.
Zoinks. This may be the most dramatic radio survey ever released.
Here are the things I noticed first. (Forgive me for focusing on Sydney, where the changes have been the biggest.)
1. In Monday to Sunday share, Southern Cross Austereo’s 2DayFM has plummeted from number one FM station to bottom commercial station on either FM or AM. That is, I’m just about certain, unprecedented. It’s even below Fairfax Media’s struggling talk station 2UE. 2DayFM’s audience halved from 8.4% to 4%.
Sydney radio ratings – Monday to Sunday
2. It was a bad result for SCA’s Triple M too. Down to 4.8 per cent – also below 2UE.
3. The decisions to hire Kyle Sandilands and Jackie Henderson, and to rebrand Mix as Kiis has clearly paid off for Australian Radio Network. The Kyle & Jackie O Show is jointly number one in FM share with sister ARN station WSFM’s Jonesy and Amanda.
Both have a share of 9.3 per cent.
But Kyle & Jackie O’s reach is higher than Brendan Jones and Amanda Keller, with a cumulative audience of 532,000 compared to 403,000.
4. Lachlan Murdoch’s Nova Entertainment group is a winner too.
In drivetime, the new Nova show from Kate Ritchie, Tim Blackwell and Marty Sheargold is number one in FM after growing its inherited audience share of 9% to 10.6%.
5. And Nova Entertainment’s easy listening station smoothfm now has a share of 7.1% – yet more progress. In weekend listening, it’s now the number two FM station.
6. Tim Ross, on Kiis FM, had the biggest drivetime audience jump – up from 5.6% on Mix to 8.7% under the new brand. He believes it’s the biggest jump in his career.
7. The fluctuation in numbers that Macquarie Radio Network – owners of 2GB and 2CH – might have feared under the new GfK system hasn’t happened. 2GB is still number one overall.
8. The ABC’s Triple J surprisingly went down in Monday to Sunday share from 6.2% to 5.5% – usually the Hottest 100 over the Australia Day weekend brings it up.
Tim Burrowes
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no accounting for taste:)
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KO prove misogyny rules! Not OK.
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It’s a brand new methodology Tim, of course everything’s shifted around! Zoinks!
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Will heads roll at SCA ? I think management (Board) at southern cross have twice made a decision to let the number one breakfast team in Sydney go. AJ at 2UE and now Kyle and Jackie O. Shareholders should hold a few of them accountable – perhaps they don’t understand the Sydney market.
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Yes a new methodology means there will be some changes, but why is Sydney so significantly different?
Gadzooks
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Sydney’s 100% digital radio gay radio station, broadcasting from Stonewall Hotel on Oxford St, continues to show fabulous growth!
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Is it fair to say this is a new survey methodology? It is still diary based i.e. fill in the times you listened to the wireless , add up the numbers, give extra points to the stations with an audience that listens longer (e.g. 2GB + WSFM) , throw out data that doesn’t match the criteria and you have the results.
It is funny, a week after the results that the leader (AM) has to go to the media to tell everyone that they are in fact the number one radio station in Sydney.
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