Sydney radio ratings: Solid trip for Mix, 2Day FM and Nova, more woes for Classic Rock
Most of Australia’s radio networks can find something to be pleased about in the latest set of radio ratings published by Nielsen this morning.
ARN’s Mix FM saw its new Andrew Rochford and Claire Hooper breakfast show creep up again – from a 4.6% share to 5%, while Austereo-aligned 2Day FM’s Kyle & Jackie O Show cemented its stranglehold on the FM market with a slight rise to 11.7% share.
DMG’s Nova Sydney has the biggest rise at breakfast time with Merrick, Dools & Monty up from 6.0 to 6.5%. The station also improved its share from 6.4% to 7%.
Among the setbacks were for DMG’s Classic Rock, falling from a 2.8% share to 2.5%. The station’s breakfast show fell slightly to 2.1%.
The Triple M breakfast show also saw a fall – down from 4.1% to 3.7%. However, yesterday saw Matty Johns join the lineup which is likely to help push that show forward.
Austereo boss Guy Dobson told Mumbrella he was disappointed with Triple M’s breakfast showing. He said: “We didn’t see that one coming. But we were waiting for Matty Johns. We were firing on eight or ten cylinders and now we’re on 12.” He predicted the show could reach a 6% share.
In FM drivetime, 2Day FM appears to have survived the end of Hamish & Andy’s drivetime show unscathed. The 4-7pm Fife & Jules slot took a share of 12.5%, up on last survey’s 12.4%.
The market also received the first indications of audience reaction to the revamped “generational change” lineup at talk station 2UE. Overcoming predictions that the wholesale lineup changes would lead to a drop in audience,2UE actually picked up a fractional increase- up from 5% to 5.1%.
However, 2GB cemented its position as market leader – up from 16.2% to 16.5%.
The 40 – 54 year old demographic:
2DayFM: 9.8%
Classic Rock: 4.3%
This statistic says it all about DMGs attempt at launching a 40 something radio station over 5 years ago.
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I don’t think the addition of Matthew Johns will save the sinking ship of MMM Sydney breakfast.
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If I were a betting man, I’d put money on some big things in the pipeline for Classic Rock or that frequency. It would be stupid to think DMG is sitting on their current share without some pretty aggressive plans…..
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Wondering if you guys have the results of the Fitzy and Whipper lineup on Nova drivetime? I’m interested to see how this has faired if Fifi and Jules has held its share. Thanks!
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Pete – I agree with you totally.
Although it is funny to think that a year ago the aggresive plan was to switch off vega and launch Classic Rock.
From the DMG website March 2010:
“In building these new stations we knew we needed a simple, focused music concept that would appeal to the 35-54 audience. Classic Rock 95.3FM and Classic Rock 91.5FM provides exactly that and will be a celebration of an era of music which evokes enormous passion from adult listeners.”
Classic Spin 95.3
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Matty Johns gets a job on brekkie rario after the group sex scandal?
What’s next for Austereo?
The Backpack Killer on the drive shift?
All class.
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Fitzy and Wippa results are:
Perth 11.2 +1.7pts
Adelaide 11.8 +0.9pts
Brisbane 12.5 +0.6pts
Sydney 7.8 +0.5 pts
Melbourne 8.0 –
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Well think about how cheap it must be to run the Classic Rock brand compared to the Triple M brand, and compare the ratings.
Their profit and loss has got to be looking in far better shape.
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whoa there # 6 – matt johns is not a criminal – he had group sex and the women regretted it later.
He didn’t rape anyone or commit a crime
Group sex is not a crime you know
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Dunno if you will be around to see Triple m brekky get to a 6 share Dobbo….
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Triple m gets a 3.7 with the cost of talent and the reputed 1m just spent putting on the foo fighters gig. I think there’s going to be some CV’s hitting the market when southern cross take over.
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Dobbo can put a good spin on anything, but Triple M’s results are deplorable. Current management have taken the station from a 6 or 7 to less than 4% share over the last 2 years – and they’re on a downward trend. Plus their two highest rating shifts (Drive and Nights) are coming out of Melbourne. People used to love this station – it’s sad what has happened to it.
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Mind you analog – DMG paid a whopping $108 000 000 for the 95.3FM licence. Surely that requires a higher than 2.6% rating to service the start up costs. At least Austereo bought 104.9FM in the 1990s without the massive capital outlay.
Why aim a station at over 35s if you do not understand them? Or if you only understand 2.6% of them?
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@analog – nobody wants to buy Classic Rock. The only reason they turned it into a juke box was to stem the losses. Classic Rock is the doormat before you leave. They’ve thrown out the cume from radio, lost all the traffic to their website, and try and give away airtime / web traffic in order to upsell Nova. The ship has no captain.
Mind you – Austereo are no better. They’ll undertake a massive digital build in order to sweeten a radio deal – not realising the losses they’re creating.
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What can be said about Classic Rock that hasn’t been already been said! The whole place needs a broom through it and start again from Programming to Sales…or not. It’s really becoming embarrassing for them now. It is so obvious that management at the highest levels are to blame for the loss of audience and direction at vega…ooops I mean Classic Rock. There is obviously no direction. What I cannot understand is that everyone can see this except dmg? Just goes to show the contempt for which they hold both audiences and clients.
@ analog, as Nick has mentioned the price dmg paid for the licence requires a much better result than a 2-3%. Triple M at least have kept their yield and do not panick, giving the station away which is what seems to be happening at vega …oops i mean Classic Rock.
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