Like a Melbourne Cup in March: Survey 1: Out TODAY

GfK will release its first metropolitan Radio Ratings for 2015 at 9:30 this morning.

For radio people the anticipation is akin to the first round of the season for football fans. 

Nowhere is that anticipation and excitement greater than it is in Melbourne. We’re talking radio now not footy. For it is in Melbourne where the contest is likely to be the closest, especially on the FM band. The winner is anyone’s guess. 

Here’s what it looked like coming up to the winning post for the Commercial FM Cup in the final Survey in December of last year – overall and in the prime shifts.

 

While the Breakfast line-ups by and large carry over from last year, three of the six stations have new is a whole new Drive Shows. The stayers include Gavin Miller who’s been doing 1pm – 6 pm for yonks on GOLD 104.3 and smoothfm 91.5 with Byron Webb

Nova 100’s Kate, Tim and Marty which has been going for all of a year has reasonable claim to stability with two thirds of the team having been together since 2011 with Kate Riche replacing Meshel Laurie who moved to Breakfast at the beginning of 2014.

Meanwhile, Mix101.1 has been reborn as KIIS with Hughesy and Kate taking over the Drive shift. Fox FM too has a new name, hit101.9 with a best of the 2Day Dan & Maz Breakfast Show as a place holder between 4pm and 6PM awaiting Hamish and Andy to take over mid-year. 

Over at Triple M, Merrick Watts beams in his one man national Drive show across the network.

They’re running in Adelaide too.

It will be interesting to see what happens in Adelaide now that the SAFM rebrand to hit107 with Amos and Dani in Breakfast. 

Now with two surveys under its belt, a whole cricket season has passed since it’s launch in October 2014.

At the time, SCA was guarded about its plans to roll out the brand with Craig Bruce adopting a “wait and see” attitude. Perhaps they’ve seen enough through internal tracking to move forward if recent activity among their stations is any guide.

Only time tomorrow will tell.

Join us here on radioinfo tomorrow when the first Survey of 2015 from GfK is released at 9:30 am.