Sydney radio ratings: Nova sees big fall in first radio ratings for 2019 while Alan Jones slides
Sydney radio leader 2GB saw a 0.5 point fall in audience share in the first GfK radio ratings survey for 2019, as the station continues negotiations with star breakfast host Alan Jones.
Jones’ show, which has dominated the city’s radio ratings for 18 years, fell by 1.3 points to a 15.2% share of the breakfast time slot.
It still comfortably beat FM rivals Kiis and Nova, which both saw drops in audience share in drive and breakfast during the January 20 to March 2 survey period.
Sydney radio ratings survey 1 2019 Source: GfK [Click to enlarge]
On the FM band, Smooth picked up 1.0 point to lead drive time with 10.2%. 2CH and 2GB on the AM bands picked up 1.3 points to take 3.2% and 9.5% respectively.
2DayFM increased by 1.0 point to 6.9%, putting it even with Kiss, which dropped 1.5 points.
In the breakfast slot, both Nova’s Michael ‘Wippa’ Wipfli and Ryan ‘Fitzy’ Fitzgerald, and Kiis’ Kyle Sandilands and Jackie ‘O’ Henderson saw falls with Nova dropping 2.0 points to 6.4% while Kiis slid 0.4 to 10.1%
Both shows were beaten by Jones’s 15.2% and ABC Sydney, which recorded a share of 10.4%, up 0.1 points over last year’s final survey.
Overall Nova, which had crept close to rivals Kiis FM in 2018’s final survey, was the big loser of the survey with a 2.1 point fall in total people 10+, finishing with a 6.5% share overall.
Sydney radio ratings survey 1 2019. Total audience share. Source: GfK
Kiis also fell in the first survey, losing 1.1 points to take a 7.7% audience share.
SmoothFM took the lead in the FM stations, picking up 0.6 points to claim a 9.7% share, 2Day also gained with a 0.5 point increase to 5.9% while WSFM moved 0.1 to take 8.8% of the market.
The first survey’s biggest over audience share increase was 2CH 1170, which leapt 1.5 points, shifting its audience share to 4.5%.
Nova and then Mix copying 2Day FM backfired – all three stations sound exactly the same. Nova used to be good when it started as they played different music. Now all three stations have the same playlist and you can’t tell them apart.
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Sydney FM radio is boring, only Triple J now plays what you’d call “new music”. Kiss, Nova and 2DAYFM are basically cannibalising each other’s audiences, similar best of 80s and 90s and 2000s playlists.
Smooth FM are good at what they do, if easy listening stuff is your thing.
How much longer will Macquarie media persist with the sports radio format on what used to be 2UE?
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In your article, you haven’t mentioned Triple M which shed 25% of it’s audience in the breakfast slot. The management of this station have made the same stupid mistake that Macquarie Sports Radio did when it started by pandering to the equal rights brigade and put an unknown (to the Triple M audience) and unlikeable (to most people) woman into a shift and station whose audience would be 80% male that like and want “the Triple M sound”. Before the cries of “sexist pig” ring out, I made the same comments about Beau Ryan when he was put onto a sports station that was always going to (predominantly) listened to by men that wanted to listen to sports, not the brand of (alleged) “humour” that Beau Ryan deals in. Thankfully MSR management punted Ryan and then Mieke Buchan and Tiffany Cherry (both poor choices) and Shane McInnes & Sam Stove (equally poor choices). The station now has a brilliant lineup and this will no doubt be reflected in the next ratings results.
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Me and my mates aren’t too keen on triplM’s new breakfast show with “comedian” Laurence Mooney and crew. The laughs always sound forced and they all yell, laugh and talk over each other. TripleM should’ve stuck with just two presenters. It works for other stations.
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100% agree. Jess fake laughs all the time. I find the show super boring and predictable I am now switching between stations. I loved the footy talk and expertise. They are obviously wanting to capture a new audience at the determent of their core audience. Good luck with that. Maybe it’s the same person calling the shots that changed the Footy Show and Breakfast TV and we all know how that has turned out for them….
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Agree triple M new breakfast show deserves to be last and barely rate
Tried to listen to the new format with Mooney etc but it’s just not funny and sounds like they don’t like each other
Pagey and Gus should jump ship before it goes under completely
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I’m surprised you didn’t mention the biggest drop in the survey, ie the 5 point dive by ABC Radio in the 7pm to Midnight slot. I would venture to say that most of that would be down to Chris Bath’s 7pm to 10pm show. I’m perhaps not the only person who finds her style irritating to the point of forcing a switch of stations.
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