The Gold Coast will introduce a third radio survey from next year. The region’s three commercial radio stations, 92.5 Gold FM, 90.9 Sea FM and 102.9 Hot Tomato, along with the ABC will now be surveyed three times a year, beginning January 2012.

The new structure adds an extra survey period to the existing bi-annual ratings, with the stations in survey for three separate 12-week periods, giving commercial clients in the growing market more regular ratings figures and increased accountability for their advertising dollars.

Commenting on the announcement, 92.5 Gold FM and 90.9 Sea FM General Manager Paul Bartlett welcomed the news and what it means for clients. “This new structure rewards program consistency. Being surveyed for 36 weeks annually means less likelihood of survey ‘spikes’, meaning that the station clients choose will deliver a stable and consistent audience.”

Graham Miles, the founding General Manager for 102.9 Hot Tomato said,  “since Hot Tomato began broadcasting on the Gold Coast 8 years ago, we have gone from zero to three surveys a year, showing the vibrancy that competition has brought to the local radio market. It augurs well for the industry and advertisers, delivering transparency, more market intelligence on their ad spend and almost all year accountability.”

Commercial Radio Australia CEO Joan Warner congratulated the Gold Coast radio broadcasters on their continuous improvement approach to radio audience measurement. “The increase to three surveys per year means that advertisers and agencies will now have three updates of the audience measurement data per year. This can only improve information available to the market and strengthen radio as an advertising medium.”

Peter Cornelius, the Managing Director of Media at Nielsen was equally delighted with the new Gold Coast survey structure for 2012. “Nielsen is continuously advocating a greater level of accountability and transparency for regional radio. We are delighted that the Gold Coast commercial operators and the ABC have decided to expand the survey coverage by going to three survey releases from 2012. This is a very positive outcome for advertisers and agencies in what is an incredibly dynamic and important radio market – the sixth largest in Australia.”