You’ve seen the results, looked at the spin and read the analysis.
 
Now it’s time to hear from the Commercial Network’s Group Content Directors following the release of Survey 1 2017.
 
It was a survey of big swings for SCA. Sydney was good and all eyes were on it after changes to the programming line-up at 2DayFM over the summer.
 
The station was up to 4.7 and the Em Rusciano Show with Harley Breen, also up to a 4.0.
 
“Yes. a great start for Em and Harley,” says the Hit Network’s Gemma Fordham.
 
“It’s always an unknown where you’re going to land with a first survey of a new show – the audience is in tune and certainly Em and Harley are a very different breakfast show to what we previously had on air, so you don’t know what audience you’ve lost and gained.”  
 
On the eve of the survey results Em posted on Facebook she’d “be happy if [we] just hold steady. We may even drop…”
 
“Em has done breakfast radio before,” says Gemma. “For 5 years and subsequently she is realistic on how long it can take to get a show to rate, which is what her post was in relation to last night.”
 
Still in Sydney and ARN’s Duncan Campbell was pleased to see positive results for WSFM which gained a smidgeon to take the #1FM spot.
 
“I think three areas of strategic focus last year have paid dividends for us.
 
“Obviously the WSFM Smooth battle which has seen a resurgence in WSFM and that now needs to play out obviously, as we need to see a trend establish.
 
“The gap is nowhere at the level it was last year which is great.”
 
Duncan was also talking about the strategic focus put into place in Perth with 96fm seemingly finally turning the corner recording a strong upswing of 1.8.
 
“The Perth strategy was changing the format,” he said.

“We positioned the station and aligned the marketing to 100% of what was going on onair which, was a very strong call to action ‘Experience the Change’ and that has paid dividends for us today after a less than impressive 2016.”
 
As mentioned it was a survey of big swings for SCA and while Sydney was good Perth and Adelaide, were not so good.
 
“I was surprised to be honest,” said Gemma referring to hit107 in Adelaide.
 
“… as I think the breakfast show sounds fantastic and the audience certainly supported that as we saw towards the end of last year. I’ll reserve comment on this one for now as I’ll be interested to see next book.”
 
It may have been the Ben and Liam effect in Adelaide where the local lads had taken on Breakfast for Triple J nationally with big results in the City of Churches. They took the local breakfast show from a 5.9 share to 8.2 which propelled the station to a 9.2 in that market.
 
“Certainly Triple J have seen a nice leap given their new breakfast show which was previously obviously an Adelaide show,” says Gemma.
 
“We won’t be changing our strategy in Adelaide.”
 
And the Triple M Network’s Mike Fitzpatrick agrees.
 
“The audience sharing between 5MMM and JJJ is negligible. Two very different audiences. My ears don’t tell me that show has gone backwards almost 5 points. I’ll wait and see what survey 2 and 3 bring. No knee jerking here.”

In that day-part Triple M also lost to Nova Entertainment’s FIVEaa.

“It was our best day at FIVEaa in years​,” says Paul Jackson.

The station also beat the ABC to be #1AM in that market.

“Just so pleased, just so so pleased. It’s about being consistent and believing in what you do and in the end you get results.”

It was good news though in Brisbane for the Triple M stream with a 1.3 jump and a gain of 2.9 in breakfast following the signing of Robin Bailey, overtaking her old station 9.7.3 who she helped to take to number 1 last year.

“She’s on top of the world,” says Fitzy.  “Robin is a talent and her leaving 97.3 has benefited  SCA. There’s some males that were on 97.3 that have obviously been sampling MMM, and a lot of the females have moved to Hit 105. That’s a win/win. Even better, is that our core love Robin and she’s a great fit for the show. Having said that, it is only survey 1, and there’s 8 of these a year so it’s hard to make a call on where listeners have settled this early.”

It was a strong result for the Hit Network in Brisbane too with the #1FM Breakfast Show.

“Number 1 in breakfast is something the whole Brissy team are and should be exceptionally proud of. We put Matty Acton into the show and the 4 of the team together (Abby, Stav, Matty with Osher) just sounds on fire,” says Gemma.

“Obviously there was audience sampling with several changes in the Brisbane landscape and we’re thrilled with the result.”

And there was Melbourne.

“Melbourne is a very competitive market,” says Duncan, whose Melbourne station’s were down a bit.

“Gold is a strong station but obviously our goal is to improve that breakfast show,” he said.
 
“We know the challenges on KIIS but again the primary focus is to maintain that brand. We don’t have cume issues on those stations we just have to focus on breakfast and work day on KIIS but it’s a dynamic market.”

For Nova Entertainment Melbourne meantime proved to be the gun town.

smooth 91.5 grabbed the number one FM spot with a 9.4 share, toppling FOX on 9.1 after it plunged -1.5.

And a hefty rise (1.7) by the Breakfast team of Chrissie, Sam & Browny making them #1 FM Breakfast and an # 3 overall.

“I am ecstatic yes! This is the best Survey 1 the group has ever had. We are slow starters normally it’s not until survey 2 or 3 that we really get going,” says Paul.
 
“It was only a year ago we put that show together and that normally doesn’t happen. It has over a million cume and we have never, ever achieved that in Melbourne.
 
“It’s an outstanding show the station is very strong, the sum of their parts therefore work together.”