The final survey of the year, Xtra Insights of the NSW Central Coast, has the Nova Network’s Star 104.5 top of the tree as they have been for the last four years, with a small drop in overall listening but gains in mornings, weekends and particularly evenings. There is however a change in the SCA stations second and third. For equally as long as Star has been on top, Hit 101.3 has been a strong second and Triple M 107.7 third. This time, off the back of 3.9% growth in all audiences 10+, more than anyone else, Triple M are the second most listened to station in the region.
Matt Baseley joined Gina Jeffreys (main picture) on Star breakfast this year after the retirement of Dave ‘Rabbit’ Rabbetts and, while down 0.8 they’re still clear No 1 with an 18.6% audience share. Matt used to host Hit NSW Breakfast with Maz Compton but when that was disbanded near the end of 2023, and he joined Star, Maz moved to Triple M to host the 107.7 breakfast show alongside Paddy Gerrard. Both Star and Triple M have done some wonderful local stories and promotions this year with Paddy and Maz up 2.1 to 13.4%. The Hit 103.1 breakfast pairing of Jess and Ducko (pictured below), they’re based out of Newcastle, were steady with 14.5%.
The biggest audience growth in breakfast however did not belong to any of the above. ARN might not have a physical presence on the Central Coast but, as their Sydney stations can be heard in the region, they are measured. KIIS 106.5 was up 2.1% for all audiences 10+ to 7.7 and fourth overall ahead of the local ABC. Kyle and Jackie O saw the biggest growth of all shows surveyed on breakfast, up 2.4% to an audience share of 8.5.
Cumulative listening was particularly strong in the region showing that people are tuning in and checking out their options. The only station, sadly, that really suffered losses was triple j with listeners across the day (but not evenings) looking elsewhere.
The Star 104.5 team
Star 104.5 Program Director Shayne Sinclair said:
‘Today is a truly historic day for the team at Star 104.5, achieving the #1 station on the Central Coast for the fourth consecutive year and making history as the first station in market to connect with more than 100,000 weekly listeners.
Our brand new Breakfast show hosted by the incredible Matt Baseley and Gina Jeffreys not only took the #1 spot, but has grown our Breakfast audience since we launched the show, which is a truly outstanding achievement.
Rounding out 2024 with a clean sweep of #1’s in every daypart for the second year in a row reflects the loyalty of our audience, who know that when they tune in to Star 104.5 they’ll always get the best content on the Coast. It’s also true recognition of the hard work of everyone at the station who has helped deliver these amazing results.’
SCA Head of Regional Content, Blair Woodcock, said:
“Congratulations to our Central Coast team for delivering an outstanding survey result to finish 2024, solidifying SCA’s #1 position in the market and reaching over 45.2% of the market (P10+ Cume).
In their first survey, Paddy & Maz have made an impressive debut, with their fiercely local approach clearly resonating with listeners as they claim the M25-54 demo. Triple M Central Coast’s audience has grown significantly to 86,700 listeners, reflecting an 31.4% increase.
On the Hit Network, Jess & Ducko (Jess Farchione and Nick ‘Ducko’ Allen-Ducat) capped off a fantastic year, as Hit101.3 Central Coast audience grows by 7.6% to reach 82,100 listeners.
Well done to our hard-working team on the Central Coast on finishing 2024 off with this great result; these results reflect the significant commitment from our local team to create compelling, engaging content that resonates with audiences.”
