The latest Survey 7 capital city ratings results have been released a day early to avoid conflicting with the Melbourne Cup.
The survey was conducted for Commercial Radio Australia between Sun July 31 – Sat September 03 and Sun September 18 – Sat October 22.
Click the links below to see the demographic and shift breakdowns results, or click the Nielsen Research link in the left margin (in Knowledge Management section) to see each city’s rankings.
Refresh this story during today to see the latest updates.
In Sydney ABC702 had the largest drop (down 1.3 share points) as the positive effect of overnight cricket last survey fell away and the station suffered from not having permanent hosts on breakfast and morning during the survey period. Sydney market watchers will also be asking themselves whether there is a hidden Vega effect in the ABC702 figures as well with the new station perhaps siphoning off some 702 listeners. Vega’s first results will be known next survey.
Nova also dropped this survey (down 0.5), also perhaps indicating some older DMG Nova listeners may be sampling Vega.
2GB won the survey again, increasing its lead by a further 0.8 share points to 12.5%. Second placed 2Day dropped by 0.3 to 9.1%, followed by ARN’s WSFM up 0.8 to 9.1%. WS FM won the tightly contested FM breakfast slot ahead of Merrick & Rosso and Kyle and Jackie O.
2UE was in fourth place with 8.9%, followed by Triple M on 8.7%, both up 0.3. ABC702 was sixth on 8.2%. Mix 106.5 gained 0.3 to 8.2%, followed by Nova on 7.7%. 2CH dropped 0.3 to 5.7%, Triple J was up 0.2 to 3.5%, Classic FM was 2.5%, Radio National was 2.4% and NewsRadio dropped 0.5 to 1.5%.
The 10-17 demographic was won by 2Day, Nova won 18-24s just slightly ahead of 2Day, Austereo’s 2Day and Triple M topped 25-39s. WSFM won 40-54s and 2GB topped the 55 plus demo.
2GB won breakfast and mornings overall. ABC702 remains second placed in breakfast. 2UE’s John Laws gained slightly in equal second place with WSFM in mornings. Triple M won afternoons and drive. 2GB won evenings and weekends with the help of its finals football coverage.
In Melbourne there were only small movements, with market leader 3AW increasing by 0.7 to 14.8%, while Nova had the biggest drop, down 0.7 to 9.5%.
Second placed Gold increased by 0.2 to 11.5%, followed by ABC774, down 0.5 share points to 11.4%. Fox was in fourth place down 0.3 to 10.5%, followed by Austereo stablemate Triple M, up 0.4 to 10.1%. Nova slipped to sixth place, losing 0.7 to 9.5%, followed by Magic down 0.6 to 5.3%. and Mix 101.1 which fell further, down 0.2 share points to 5.3%. Triple J was ninth on 3.0%, Classic FM scored 2.9%, 3MP was on 2.8%, followed by Radio National at 1.8% and NewsRadio on 1.4%.
Fox dominated 10-17s, Nova won 18-24s, Triple M was top in the 25-39 demographic, Gold won 40-54s and 3AW won 55 plus.
3AW increased strongly in breakfast, consolidating its top position, with ABC774 second at breakfast, and Nova 100 falling sharply in that timeslot. 3AW also won mornings ahead of Gold and ABC774. Gold won afternoons, ahead of Triple M and 3AW won the drive timeslot. ABC774 won nights despite dropping slightly in that timeslot and 3AW won weekends.
4BC had the biggest gain of the survey, jumping 1.2 share points, while New 97.3 dropped the most, losing 1.1 share points.
Triple M topped the Brisbane market with 15.0%, down 0.8 share points, followed by Nova up 0.5 to 11.8%. 4BC was third with 10.0% and 97.3 dropped to fourth place on 10.0%. 4KQ is in fifth place on 9.2%, down 0.2.
B105 increased by 0.5 share points to 9.2%, followed by ABC612 also up 0.5 share points to 8.6%. 4BH gained 0.9 to 8.0%, followed by Triple J on 5.4%, Radio National on 2.5%, Classic FM on 2.0% and NewsRadio on 1.6%.
4BH breakfast scored the biggest increase in that timeslot, with ABC612 also increasing strongly. Triple M won breakfast, weekends and all daytime shifts, with Nova winning nights.
Nova won the under 25 demographics, Triple M won 25-39s, 4KQ lead the 40-54 demographic and 4BC won 55+.
ABC891 had the biggest drop, down 1.8 share points, and Mix also dropped significantly, losing 1.6 share points in the Adelaide market. Triple J and both Austereo stations all had good gains.
Despite its drop, Mix 102.3 is again top with 16.9%, followed by 5AA on 15.9, up 0.4. In third place, SAFM gained 1.1 share points to 12.7%, followed by Nova, which was up 0.1 to 12.3%.
ABC891 scored 11.7%, followed by Triple M on 10.6, up 1.2 share points. Triple J was 5.3%, followed by Classic FM on 2.5%, Radio National on 2.3% and NewsRadio on 1.9%.
In Perth 6IX had the biggest gain of the survey, jumping 2.6 share points, while 6PR and Triple J recorded the biggest losses.
Mix 94.5 remains in top position on 17.8%, up 0.3, followed by ABC720 on 13.5%, also up 0.3. 96fm is in third place on 12.5% after a rise of 1.0 share points overall. Nova dropped 0.3 to 11.6% in fourth place.
6PR lost 1.3 share points to 11.1%, putting the station in fifth place, followed by 92.9 on 8.5%, down 0.8. 6IX scored 6.5% overall in seventh place, followed by Tripel J on 4.7%, Classic FM on 2.5%, RN on 2.4% and NewsRadio on 0.8%.
COMMENTS
3AW
3AW has now won 23 surveys in a row – again a new record for the Melbourne radio market.
Program Director Clark Forbes said:
“I felt like Makybe Diva going into this survey – and now its 3 years at the front of the pack. Its another great result for 3AW and its team.”
Highlights for 3AW include:
Breakfast with Ross and John 5.30 – 8.30am – rating 18.3% – number one for 31 consecutive surveys – (number one since survey 1/2002)
Morning with Neil Mitchell 8.30am – midday – rating 17.0% – up 2.8 points and number one
Afternoon with Ernie Sigley – rating 10.8% – up 1.2 points and top rated talk program in the afternoons
Drive with Derryn Hinch 4 – 6pm rating 15.2% – number one for 23 consecutive surveys (number one since his return to 3AW in survey 1/2003)
3AW Gardening – number one Saturday and Sunday (8am – 10am with Jane Edmanson and Darren James). Sat 16.9% and Sun 18.5%
Austereo
Austereo has dominated the key 25 to 39-year-old age group in today’s Nielsen radio ratings, winning the audience share in every capital city except Perth.
Austereo chief executive officer Michael Anderson said it was the best national result for the group in more than a year.
“It shows that our strategy has begun to work coherently, rather than just certain elements succeeding,” he said.
“We have delivered on the 25 to 39-year-old demographic, leading it in every city except Perth. In Sydney and Melbourne we have both the number one and two stations in the age group.
“The ratings are a result of the momentum we have built through delivering a consistent performance to our listeners, giving them the mix of music and compelling entertainment they want.
“We’re pleased to see this sort of consistency after a year of change with our stations and in the industry.”
Austereo chairman Peter Harvie said: “We have made a commitment to be the number one group in the 25 to 39-year-old demographic and we have done that.
“The challenge now is to sustain our leadership in that demographic.”
Today’s radio ratings showed Triple M was the number one station in the 25 to 39-year-old age group in Melbourne and Brisbane while 2day fm was number one in Sydney and SAFM number one in Adelaide.
In Sydney, Triple M was the number two station in the age group, while FOX FM was number two in the age group in Melbourne.
In overall ratings, Austereo had the equal number one FM station overall in Sydney with 2day fm, with Triple M number three.
In Brisbane, Triple M was the number one station and Mix 94.5 topped the ratings in Perth.
Austereo had the number two and three FM stations in Melbourne with FOX FM and Triple M, and the number two FM station in Adelaide with SAFM.
2DAY & 2MMM
Austereo’s 2day FM has held its position as Sydney’s number one FM station for its second consecutive survey at the top in today’s Nielsen radio ratings.
2day FM tied for the top position with an audience share of 9.1 per cent, with Triple M filling the third position with 8.7 per cent.
The two stations also dominated the key 25 to 39-year-old age group, with 2day FM the leading station with 15.1 per cent and Triple M at number two, gaining 1.7 percentage points to 15.0 per cent.
Triple M was Sydney’s number one FM station from Mondays to Fridays with a 9.4 per cent audience share, with 2day at number two with 9.3 per cent.
Triple M’s success was driven by yet another ratings increase from The Shebang, which was the number one drive show with 11.4 per cent. The afternoon shift, led by Mick Molloy’s Tough Love at lunch, was also number one with a 11.3 per cent audience share, 0.4 points clear of all its rivals.
Austereo Sydney general manager Helen Davies said: “Triple M and 2day FM are now consistently leading the 25 to 39-year-old age group.
B105 & 4MMM
Triple M has retained its position as Brisbane’s number one radio station after it posted a 15.0 per cent audience share in today’s Nielsen radio ratings, 3.2 points clear of the next station.
The results were led by The Cage with Ian Skippen in breakfast, who stayed at number one with an audience of 15.0 per cent.
Triple M continued its lead in the 25 to 39-year-old age group with a 27.9 per cent audience share, 12.2 per cent more than its nearest rival.
Austereo Brisbane general manager Richard Barker said: “Triple M has held the number one position for a year now and we have our listeners to thank for that.
“We are encouraged by B105’s result. During the last survey period, we announced the departure of Jamie Dunn and the B105 Morning Crew after 16 years.
“It is obvious Jamie’s announcement has increased interest in the station as they countdown to their final show on December 2.
“The upcoming Christmas Appeal including the Walk across Brisbane which will give listeners the chance to say goodbye.”
“This result was all about delivering a consistent experience for our listeners.”
Easy 882 4BH
The most surprising result in the latest Nielsen Media Radio Research Survey 7/05 released today, was Easy 882 4BH’s Breakfast Show announcers Kim Mothershaw and Leisa Sheehan recording a rating of 8.4% (+1.4), moving them ahead of music competitor 97.3FM. Even more remarkable, this is the highest movement for any Breakfast shift in the market.
Kim and Leisa’s result of 8.4% rated them ahead of 4BH’s station average which was 8.0%. It is unusual to see an AM music station beat an FM competitor in recent times. However, this result reflects upon Kim and Leisa’s commitment and the quality of program they are currently producing.
General Manager David McDonald, “said he is extremely pleased with the result as the growth in their program is most deserved and a payback for the dedication and time they are currently putting into the show.”
A R N
The Australian Radio Network’s Classic Hits stations in Sydney and Melbourne are now
the number one FM commercial stations in their respective cities across all ages.
According to the latest radio ratings results released today, WSFM is now the top
commercial FM station in Sydney among all listeners, having increased its audience
share by 0.8 points to be equal first with an audience share of 9.1.
The WSFM breakfast team of Amanda Keller and Brendan Jones has now moved ahead
of its rivals to become the most listened to breakfast show on Sydney’s FM band with an
audience share of 8.8 – up by 0.9 points.
In Melbourne, GOLD FM not only retained its number one position on the FM band
among all listeners, but increased its audience share by 0.2 points to 12.2. This
represented GOLD FM’s 4th consecutive survey win across all ages, including its key
demographic of 25-54 year olds.
There was good news, too, for MIX 106.5 in Sydney, which increased its overall share of
the audience by 0.3 points to 8.2.
In Adelaide, MIX 102.3 retained its number one position on the FM band among all
listeners.
The chief executive officer of APN News & Media, Brendan Hopkins, said the results
were further indication of the continuing success of the Classic Hits formula in the key
metropolitan radio markets.
Mr Hopkins said ARN was now the number one network among listeners in the
Network’s target demographic, namely listeners aged 25 to 54, who are generally
regarded as the biggest spenders.
“These latest results confirm the continuing strength of the Australian Radio Network
brands across both music formats, at a time when competition for radio audiences and
advertising clients has never been tougher,” he said.
Group PD Jeremy Millar has told radio he is very pleased with the survey: “Having the number one FM station in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide is not a bad result, but as is always the case in radio there’s plenty more to do.”
Nova
In the seventh Nielsen Media Research radio survey for 2005 released today Nova stations secured the leading share of 18-34’s in every market across Australia.
Nova scored well in key demographics:
· Leading position overall for All People 18-24’s and 18-34’s in every capital city
· Leading position overall for Under 40’s in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth
· Leading 18-39’s station Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth
As foreshadowed in September, Sydney’s Nova 969 lost ground overall, however Merrick and Rosso maintained an equal leading FM position with an 8.7% breakfast share in their timeslot of 6am-9am Monday to Friday
Nova 100 in Melbourne achieved a 9.5% share overall and remained the leading station for 18-24’s and 18-39’s in the market
Nova Brisbane in its fourth survey increased share from 11.3% to 11.8% and remained the No. 2 station overall in Brisbane
Nova 919 increased overall share in Adelaide to 12.3% and increased its breakfast share to 11.0%
DMG’s talk station Fiveaa in Adelaide increased share from 15.5% to 15.9% and remained the No. 1 station in breakfast, drive and nights Monday to Friday.
In Perth, Nova 937 scored an overall share of 11.6% and increased breakfast share from 11.0% to 11.2%.
DMG’s new FM stations vega 95.3 in Sydney and vega 91.5 in Melbourne will be listed in the final ratings result for the year on December 6.
Nova Adelaide
The Gates opened with Nova 919 the leading station in Adelaide Under 40 for the 5th time running.
· Breaky with Jodie, Jules, Tony and Fitzy increased their share by a nose to 11.0%
· The betting ring was busy with Nova gaining an additional 10,000 listeners – now 274,000
Proven stayers, Merrick and Rosso increased their share to 27.2%
Jason Staveley said: “Race number 7 2005 has been a great one for us, Giddy Up!”
Nova Melbourne
“Nova’s got a heart like Phar Lap, but we’re not stuffed,”
said Nova 100’s General Manager, Sam Thompson on the release of the Survey 7 2005 results today.
Nova 100 dropped a bit but continued to win with
listeners aged 18-34 & 18-39.
Our tip for tomorrow – remember to leave a bit in the tank for Oaks Day – starting at 6am at the Anglers Tavern for brekky with Hughesy, Kate and Dave.
Nova 93.7 Perth
Well, sure Nova 93.7 sounds different, but our survey result sounds exactly the same as last time… and the time before that… and the time before that. (You get the picture…)
There’s nothing new to say, really.
For Survey #7, 2005, Nova 93.7 is:
▪Still by far the leading station for 18 to 39’s…
▪Still by far the leading station for Under 40’s.
For Breakfast, Nathan and Nat are:
▪Still by far the leading show for 18 to 39’s…
▪Still by far the leading show for Under 40’s.
When Nova 93.7 Managing Director Gary Roberts was asked to comment he said, “What did I say last time? And the time before that? And the time before that?”
ABC702
ABC702 Manager roger Summerill has told radioinfo the station has scored its highest reach, scoring 753,000 weekly listeners. The station, despite dropping overall, is number one with the 35-54 demographic. Summerill says he is very pleased with the way Virginia Trioli is sounding after her first week on air.
Macquarie Radio Network 2GB/2CH
Macquarie Radio Network (MRN) was first past the post today for the seventh survey of 2005, with the release of Nielsen Media Research Survey 7, 2005. Macquarie Radio maintained its position as the number one commercial network in Sydney, with a massive 1 in 4 share of listening.
Macquarie Radio CEO, Angela Clark said, “We never take our number one position for granted, and we believe our greatest achievement this year has been the ability build audience throughout the year. Survey one for 2005 saw MRN with a 16.8 total market share, our survey seven win is an impressive 18.2 total market share.
“Our ability to increase our winning margin is a testament to the energy and innovation of both our on-air team and their respective production teams.”
Macquarie Radio Network’s listener profile offers a powerful audience for all advertisers seeking loyal, active listeners.
The MRN audience profile is as follows:
o 2GB 873 – Outright Number One Commercial station in Sydney with 17.9% commercial share of 10+ listening
o Macquarie Radio – Number 1 commercial network in Sydney with 26% share (Austereo 25.5% and ARN 24.7%)
o Macquarie Radio attracts 865,000 different listeners 10+ each week.
o Almost 40% of Macquarie’s audience do not listen to any other key commercial radio station
o Macquarie’s audience listen for the longest period of time – an average 15hrs 56m per week
o Champion of Breakfast radio, Alan Jones won again with 22.9% share (5.30 – 10am) – 81% more listeners on average than the next best station (WSFM 12.6%)
o Ray Hadley – Number 1 again in the morning slot once again growing to a 16.8% commercial share
o 2GB Weekends – Number 1 commercial share with 19.1% – well ahead of the next best station (WSFM with 13.5%)
5AA
FIVEaa has strengthened its solid number 2 position in the Adelaide radio market, recording rises in
every weekday shift with the release today of the latest Nielsen Media Research.
Highlights:
• The FIVEaa Sports Show with Ken Cunningham and Graham Cornes built on its already
strong number 1 position with 19.3%, 3.4% clear of its nearest competition – the first time
the show has recorded 7 number ones in a row.
• FIVEaa’s number 1 breakfast team of Keith Conlon, Tony Pilkington, Jon Blake, Jane
Doyle and Chris McDermott – jumped 1.6% to 19.6% – five points ahead of their nearest
rival.
• Leon Byner regained the number 2 position with FIVEaa mornings achieving a 13.7%
share.
• FIVEaa’s Bob Francis continues his domination of night-time radio listening in Adelaide,
8.7% in front of his nearest rival at 24.1%.
FIVEaa General Manager, Paul Bartlett, said: “FIVEaa has maintained and built on a strong survey
#6 result to consolidate its number 2 position in the Adelaide radio market. Here’s to Survey #8!”