The second ratings survey for 2005 has just been released and details have now been added.
The survey was conducted for Commercial Radio Australia between January 30 and March 19.
Click Nielsen Ratings in the left hand margin (‘Knowledge Base’ section) to see the overall results, and click the links below for full shift and demographic breakdowns.
2GB retained top spot in Sydney, falling slightly to 11.4%, losing some of the 40-54s the station gained last survey, but picking up some younger listeners. Alan Jones breakfast dropped most, down 1.6 share points on last survey. Between 9am and 10am, where Jones now directly competes with John Laws, he had a 13% share compared with Laws’ score of 12.6% for that hour.
Music stations ended the dominance of talk in the top five Sydney stations this survey.
Second placed Nova was up 0.4 share points to 9.6%, losing listeners 18-24 but gaining listeners in the other younger age groups. 2DAY FM scored third place, up by 1.2 share points to 9.0% overall, with another big jump in breakfast as listeners continue to return to the station after Kyle and Jackie O replaced Judith Lucy.
WSFM jumped to fourth place with a 0.9 share point increase and rises in the 18-24 and 40-54 demographics. All WS shifts increased, especially drive and evenings. ABC702 dropped 0.8 share points, slipping to fifth place on 8.7%. 702 lost listeners in all shifts except afternoons.
Mix 106.5 tied with ABC 702 on 8.7%, down 0.3 share points. Mix lost listeners in all but the 25-39 demographic and across all at work shifts. 2UE dropped 0.5 share points to 8.6%, losing listeners mostly in breakfast and evenings.
Triple M was up 1 share point to 8.4%, with increases in the 25-39 and 40-54 demographics and good gains in morning and afternoon. 2CH was up slightly by 0.4 share points to 5.6%.
Triple J dropped 0.4 to 3.9%. Classic FM was up 0.4 to 2.6%, Radio National dropped by 0.4 to 1.5% and NewsRadio was down 0.5 to 1.3%.
Despite dropping 1.8 share points, 3AW remained top in Melbourne with 13.8%, a slight gain in 40-54s off-setting losses 55+. All shifts were down, especially Ross and John’s breakfast and Bruce and Phil’s evening shift.
Apart from 3AW, there was very little significant movement in most other Melbourne stations.
Second placed ABC774 increased slightly by 0.3 share points to 11.5%, followed by Nova, up significantly by 1.7 share point to 11.1%. Nova’s increased well in all under 40 demographics and gained in all shifts, especially drive, evenings and weekends.
Triple M was down slightly by 0.1 share points on 10.7%, followed by stablemate Fox FM, which also only moved slightly, up 0.1 to 10.0%.
ARN’s Gold 104.3 was in equal fifth place with Fox, scoring 10.0%, down 0.3 share points.
Magic 693 was steady on 5.5 share points and 3MP dropped slightly by 0.2 to 2.7%. Classic FM gained 0.6 to 2.6% and Triple J lost 0.6 to score 2.6%.
SEN slipped by 0.1 to 2.4%, followed by Radio National on 1.5% and NewsRadio on 1.3%.
Triple M has continued to increase its lead in the Brisbane survey, up by 0.6 share points to 17.1% with a good increase in 25-39s, followed by stablemate B105 which was dropped 1.1 share points to 12.5%, losing listeners in mornings, afternoons and weekends.
Third placed New97.3 gained 0.9 share points to 11.7% with good increases in all young demographics. The top three music stations will soon find out what the Nova effect is as the station will be formally measured from next survey.
4KQ gained 0.2 share points to 8.3%, followed by BC 612, which was up 0.6 to 8.3%. Triple J lost 0.7 share points to 8.0%.
Southern Cross talk station 4BC slipped 0.1 share points to 7.4% and 4BH dropped 0.6 to 7.4%.
Radio National scored 2.2%, followed by Classic FM on 2.1% and NewsRadio on 1.2%.
As in survey one, this Adelaide result covered a time when SEN was formerly known as 5DN and so the results reported include some 5DN listening during January.
FiveAA topped this survey after a strong gain of 2.4 share points moved it just ahead of former leader Mix. FiveAA’s 16.8% overall share was built on good gains over 55 and increases in all shifts except breakfast.
Mix 102.3 was a close second on 16.7%, the same result as last survey. Third placed SAFM dropped a further 1.1 share points to 14.2%, losing most listeners in the 18-24 demographic and during the at work timeslots.
In fourth place, Nova 91.9 gained 0.9 share points to 12%, up in the younger demographics and scoring good increases in Jodie Jules and Tony’s breakfast show and in drive.
ABC Adelaide increased by 0.2 share points to 10.8%, followed by Triple M, which was up 0.8 to 10.1%.
Triple J dropped by 0.5 to 4.3%. Classic FM scored 3.0% while NewsRadio and Radio National were both 1.7%. SEN continued to shed listeners as the format change kicks in, losing 1.5 share points to 1.6%.
Mix 94.5 continued its fall, dropping significantly by 1.6 share points, but still retaining its market leadership with 16.7%. Breakfast, mornings and drive all recorded significant falls for the Austereo station.
96fm gained 1 share point in second place on 14.2%, with increases in most shifts, especially afternoons and a good gain in the 10-17 demographic.
Nova 93.7 slipped 0.2 share points to 11.3%, followed by ABC720, which was down 0.3 to 11.2%. 92.9 also slipped slightly, down 0.2 to 9.2%.
6PR regained lost listeners from last survey, jumping 1.8 share points to 7.3% with gains in all daytime shifts and a significant jump in evenings.
6IX gained 1.2 share points to 5.3% with an increase in 40-54s. Triple J lost 1.9 to 5.3%. Classic FM scored 3.3%, Radio National was 1.8% and NewsRadio was 1.5%.
AUSTEREO
Austereo’s Today and Triple M networks have continued their momentum with strong ratings results.
Sydney’s 2Day FM increased its total ratings by 1.2 points to 9 per cent, led by a 2.5 point increase by the new Kyle and Jackie O Show at breakfast, the biggest gain by any breakfast show in the country for the second straight survey.
Judith Lucy and Pete Hellier’s The Arvo in drive increased its audience by 1.7 percentage points in Sydney.
Triple M Brisbane increased its ratings by 0.6 points to stay Brisbane’s favourite station with a 17.1 per cent audience share.
Austereo chief executive officer Michael Anderson said the nationwide results were dead on strategy for both networks.
“It’s very pleasing momentum and right in the direction we’d expect, given the changes we’ve made to both networks. It’s particularly pleasing to see Judith Lucy and Kyle and Jackie doing so well after we swapped their shifts with each other. Fox FM and 2Day are still the most listened-to stations in their markets in terms of cumulative audience.
“The improvements we’re seeing in Triple M are also continuing without any significant marketing. The Shebang remains the best drive show in the country and is continuing to increase its ratings in important markets such as Sydney and Melbourne.
“We also expect to see further improvement with Triple M now that the top-rating football call is back on air. We were so impressed after it topped Melbourne’s ratings last year that we put it on air in Sydney and Brisbane as well for Swans and Lions games.
“The solid growth by both networks show that the listeners are liking what we’re offering. We spent a lot of time last year remaking both networks and the hard work is now beginning to pay off – but there is still a lot of work to be done.”
Austereo chairman Peter Harvie said: “I’m impressed with the hard work that has gone in to both networks, and I’m looking forward to seeing us continue this great momentum.”
Sydney’s 2Day FM has had the biggest ratings increase of any Sydney station, gaining 1.2 points to a 9 per cent audience share in today’s Nielsen ratings.
Austereo Sydney general manager Patrick Joyce said the results showed 2Day’s listeners were loving the station’s fresh new sound.
“We made some significant changes by swapping Kyle and Jackie with Judith Lucy in the Breakfast and Drive shifts and that’s starting to pay off. Both shows have had the biggest increases in their shifts. 2Day is really building the momentum we’ve been looking for.”
Commenting on Triple M Joyce said: “The new Triple M is playing the sort of music that Sydney loves to tune in to while they’re working. Listeners are enjoying our totally random approach to songs.
“The Cage and the Shebang are also continuing to increase their ratings, while The Shebang remains Sydney’s favourite drivetime show. We’re providing the best comedy shows and great music and it’s paying off.”
Triple M and The Cage with Ian Skippen remain at the top of Brisbane’s radio ratings. Triple M led with 17.1 per cent audience share, with The Cage and Skippen remaining ahead of its nearest competitor with 16.2 per cent.
Austereo Brisbane general manager Richard Barker said: “Today’s result is consistent with what our listeners are telling us. They are hearing radio like it has never been heard before. We play songs other FM stations don’t play, we randomly change announcers, combine it with great spontaneous shows like The Cage with Ian Skippen, ‘Tough Love’ with Mick Molloy and The Shebang then add in innovative activity like Greedy Pig.”
There’s still more to come in Brisbane with an announcement next week about a new addition to The Cage with Ian Skippen.
Adelaide’s Triple M has increased its audience share by 0.8 points to 10.1 per cent. The ratings result was led by strong gains during the workday, with mornings increasing by 1.3 points to 13.3 per cent, and afternoons increasing by 1.2 per cent to 14.5 per cent.
Austereo’s SA.FM built its audience in the 10 to 17 age group with a 2.6 point increase to 29.1 per cent and remains number one in the 25 to 39 age group with a 22.9 per cent share.
Austereo Adelaide general manager Sam Ciccarello said: “We’ve had solid results for both stations, and we’re building the momentum we need. Triple M has had solid growth across its key age groups and SA.FM is settling in after a big change in programming at the start of the year.”
DMG NOVA
In the week of its fourth birthday, DMG’s Nova 96.9 in Sydney achieved the leading FM position for the tenth consecutive time.
In the second AC Nielsen survey, the Sydney performance underpinned an outstanding result for the Nova network which simultaneously led the Under 40’s in every city in which it operates – Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.
And next Monday April 4th, DMG will officially launch Brisbane’s Nova 106.9, completing the metropolitan Nova network across Australia.
Along with the Sydney result, Melbourne’s Nova 100 reclaimed the leading FM position with a large increase in overall share from 9.4% to 11.1%. Nova 100 has now led the FM market in Melbourne for three out of the last four surveys.
In Adelaide, Nova 919 increased its audience share for the third consecutive time from 11.1% to 12%.
Not wanting to be outdone by its newer counterpart, DMG’s talk station Fiveaa became Adelaide’s No. 1 station overall for the first time in over 30 years.
Significantly, Adelaide is the first metropolitan market in which DMG owns and operates two stations. DMG is the No. 1 company in the Adelaide market in terms of the combined shares of its two stations. DMG will launch its much anticipated second FM stations in Sydney and Melbourne later this year.
In Perth, Nova 937 consolidated its consistent recent growth with an overall audience share of 11.3%.
Nova’s breakfast shows also increased their shares in all markets:
· Merrick and Rosso in Sydney 10.2% to 10.7%
(leading FM)
· Hughesy, Kate and Dave in Melbourne 10.2% to 11.7%
(leading FM)
· Jodie, Jules and Tony with Fitzy in Adelaide 8.7% to 11.1%
· Nathan and Nat in Perth 10.0% to 11.6%
In terms of Nova’s key demos:
· Leading FM Sydney and Melbourne
· Leading Under-40 in all markets Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth*
· Leading 18-39 Sydney and Melbourne
· Leading FM breakfast shows Sydney and Melbourne
Today’s survey further demonstrates the strong growth of DMG in metropolitan radio across Australia.
In Adelaide, where 5AA topped the market, General Manager Paul Bartlett said, “This is fabulous result for the FIVEaa team – one we’ve
worked towards for many years. The FIVEaa breakfast team of Keith Conlon, Tony Pilkington, Jon Blake, Jane Doyle and
Chris McDermott are the number one Adelaide breakfast show at 19.5%… K G and Cornes are number one drive, Bob Francis dominates night time radio… and Michael Keelan’s Weekend achieved number 1 on both Saturdays and Sundays.”
In Melbourne, Nova 100 ‘pimped and ho-ed’ to become Melbourne’s most listened to FM radio station and the most popular station for audiences under the age of 40.
The station ran a promotion called ‘Pimp Up Your Life’ culminating in the least appropriate party of the year attended by nearly a thousand Melbournians all vying to win the prize booty.
Nova 100 General Manager Fiona Cameron mused: “The oldest profession in the world is certainly alive and well in Melbourne and earned the station lots of bling… Pimping our announcers is just the beginning.”
2UE
Sydney continues to turn to 2UE, with the latest radio ratings indicating 2UE’s cumulative audience has increased to 506,000 people, up by 23,000 this year.
Despite the programming changes at other Sydney radio stations, John Laws continues to increase his audience share; up from 10.8 to 11.4 and gaining 9,000 listeners between 9am & 10am. (Alan Jones on Radio 2GB lost 16,000 listeners in the same timeslot, narrowing the gap between the two programs to merely 4,000 listeners).
Steve Price continues to perform strongly on the 2UE Drive Show; being the number one talk radio program between 3pm & 6pm Weekdays in Sydney.
S E N Melbourne and Adelaide
SEN1116 Melbourne dropped 0.1% in Survey#2, to reach a 2.4% (all people 10+) audience share. Peter Gowers, SEN’s Program Director, believes the figures reflect the lull that sports focussed radio stations suffer prior to the launch of the footy season.
“As Melbourne’s only radio station dedicated entirely to sport, the figures are not a concern. We believe SEN’s programming can withstand these minor fluctuations.
“There is no doubt our breakfast team is still trying to find their feet with a new crew member and I am hopeful they will have a better survey in May. We are pleased with the results achieved during the afternoon and drive shifts. There is no doubt our target audience (males 25-54) continues to respond well to our product and SEN’s continued coverage of live sport will boost the station’s performance in the future.”
Commenting on the network’s Adelaide result for SEN 1323 Gowers said:
“We are well aware that it takes time to establish a new product in the market place and SEN1323 is slowly carving out its niche in the market. We will not react hastily. A realistic understanding of how the station is performing will be realised from survey #4 onwards.”
A R N
The Australian Radio Network (ARN) has furthered its lead in the
highly competitive 25 – 54 year old market in Sydney, driven by strong performances from both
Mix 106.5 and WSFM.
Mix 106.5 maintained its position as the number one station with its target audience of 25 – 54
year olds, with its breakfast show hosted by Sammy Power and Jason Bouman gaining 0.5 points
overall. A 0.3 point rise for the station’s evening show – Love Song Dedications hosted by Richard
Mercer – propelled the Love God to equal number one in this time slot.
WSFM 101.7 in Sydney gained 0.9 points overall and achieved positive results in all time slots,
including a 0.2 point gain for its new breakfast show hosted by Amanda Keller and Brendan
Jones.
The second survey also confirmed that WSFM is the music station Sydney most likes to tune into
on the weekend, with a 1.3 point gain further increasing the station’s lead in this slot. The station
continued to grow with its target market of 25 – 54 year olds, up from 10.4 to 11.2 points.
In Melbourne, ARN posted good results with Mix 101.1’s brand new breakfast show, hosted by
Paul Holmes and Jane Marwick, putting on 0.8 points among listeners aged 10 plus. The station
gained 0.5 points overall.
97.3FM in Brisbane posted the biggest gain with listeners aged 10 plus, rising 0.9 points to 11.7.
Barry Drinkwater’s drive time show gained 2.2 points – the biggest gain in the Brisbane drive slot.
Mix 102.3 maintained its position as the leading FM station in the Adelaide market and gained 0.8
points in the 25 – 54 market.
The Chief Executive of APN News & Media, Brendan Hopkins, said the company was pleased
with the performance of the Australian Radio Network across all states.
“This has been a very solid result for the network across the board. We are particularly pleased
with our performance in Sydney, where both our stations have performed well, and the leading
five players are only separated by 1.2 points.
“We continue to focus on the commercially important 25-54 demographic, where we lead the
market. We remain confident of the long term positioning of our two key music formats of Classic
Hits and Mix, and look forward to maintaining our leading position as the year progresses.”
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