Hot Tomato is No 1 on the Gold Coast in GfK Survey 1 2025 but after obliterating the field last year the station has seen drops in all day parts (except evenings up 8.1 to 21.8) and overall to have an 18.5% audience share 10+. All the local commercial stations decreased their share of ear. Triple M Gold was down 1.5 to 12.8 and Sea FM down 0.3 to 8.7. However there were significant gains for ABC Gold Coast. This survey was delayed by three weeks due to the impact of Cyclone Alfred, and the local ABC appears to have benefitted as a result. They were up 2.6 to 5.9 overall and 3.4 to 7.6 on breakfast, by far the best result this survey.
The Gold Coast is an interesting market in that Brisbane ABC and commercial stations are included (Nova 106.9 the best of the bunch) but others that that more specifically service the Gold Coast but sit outside the area, for example Rebel FM and The Breeze and the Super Radio Network‘s Radio 97 (on 104.1 FM on the GC) aren’t. This survey there is around 30% of the Gold Coast audience that is listening elsewhere.
Galey and Emily Jade (main picture) were top in breakfast for Hot Tomato and the station still was ahead in all day parts and demographics with the exception of 65+ who were listening to ABC Gold Coast. It was also Hot Tomato’s highest cume figure with 222,000 listeners tuning in and a 15th consecutive survey win.
Hot Tomato Content Director, Brendon “Whippy” Dangar, said:
“When I asked chat GPT what to say, it said… ‘This audience result is a testament to how powerful radio still is when it’s done right – with local voices, real stories and genuine heart.’ Seems like something I’d say…”
Michael Stephenson, Chief Operating Officer of ARN, said:
“Number 1 in breakfast, Number 1 in mornings, Number 1 in afternoons, drive, evenings and all weekend. Our leading radio platform in combination with our live streaming, playlist and podcast content on iHeart creates a marketing platform for brands to connect with audiences at scale. Our audience performance is delivering brilliant results for brands, when you combine our scale, big creative ideas and a deep understanding of the Gold Coast, you build something truly valuable. That’s what Hot Tomato does better than anyone.”
Southern Cross Austereo (SCA) focused on their core people aged 25-54 and overall listenership.
SCA Head of Regional Content and Gold Coast General Manager, Blair Woodcock, said:
“While it wasn’t the Origin result Queenslanders were hoping for last night, there’s still plenty to celebrate on the Gold Coast this morning. SCA continues to reach the largest audience in market, amidst a ‘sea’ of new listeners, and we’re really pleased to see continued growth across both 90.9 Sea FM and 92.5 Triple M Gold to kick off the year as SCA dominates the ‘Audience That Matters’ as the #1 network for People 25-54.
Sea FM has delivered the biggest audience growth in the market – an incredible 22.2% lift, reaching 165,000 listeners each week – as Bronte & Lakey (Bronte Langbroek and Danny Lakey) continue to build connection and momentum across the Goldie.
Over on Triple M Gold, we’ve rolled out some big changes, so it’s great to see an 6.1% audience increase, up to 157,000 weekly listeners. With Leisel, Liam & Spida (Leisel Jones, Liam Flanagan and Peter ‘Spida’ Everitt) waking up the Gold Coast and The Rush Hour with Dobbo & Elliott (Ben Dobbin and Elliott Lovejoy) driving them home, we’re confident the growing audience reflects the strength of the shows and the calibre of our lineup.
There’s a lot to be excited about as we continue to build momentum in 2025. A huge thanks to our local teams on the ground who are delivering content that truly connects with the Gold Coast every day.”
Despite the drops for the local commercial stations cumulative listening was up for all, which again might be attributable to the impact of Cyclone Alfred and wishing to keep up to date with the news and after effects.
