What a difference a year makes. ARN’s Star 101.9 have leapt from third to first in the latest Xtra Insights survey of the Mackay and Whitsundays region of Queensland, overtaking both SCA stations Triple M and Hit along the way.
There were several mirrored losses and gains. The 5.5 percentage losses for all audiences 10+ for Hit 100.3 Mackay (to 15.1) became 5.0 gains for Star, who were up to 21.9. Triple M 98.7 remained steady between them with 20.3. The ABC lost 1.1 (to 10.3), the exact amount triple j gained (to 8.6).
Breakfast was much the same, with all stations steady except Star and Hit. Rach and Jake on Star breakfast were up 3.6 to 21.4 to leap frog Triple M’s Jay and Dave Breakfast show (up 0.2 to 19.9), and the former top pairing of Bronte and Lakey.
Star FM Content Director Scott ‘Scotty’ Linden said of the results:
Bronte Langbroek was paired with Danny Lakey at the start of this year. Their show networks for Hit in Qld. Bronte’s previous co-host Guy Cliffo Clifton switched to Townsville Triple M when Steve ‘Pricey’ Price retired. Similar at Star, with last year’s trio of Scotty and Rach with Kaley seeing Scotty move to mornings, Kaley to afternoons and Rachel Zonta, as mentioned having recently returned from maternity leave, now joined by Jake. The shifts seem to have worked with Star mornings up 4.3 and afternoons 2.3. Jay and Dave are up to 13 years together at Triple M serving the people of Qld’s far north on breakfast and have been consistent in their growth.
Hit’s biggest losses were in their 10-17 age bracket where a previous 40.6% stranglehold was cut in half to 20.2. Cumulative listening was strong for all stations but particularly Triple M and Star.
