Ratings Survey 6 2002 has been released. To view the figures click on the ACNielsen Ratings tab in the left margin and go to the market you are interested in. Shift breakdowns and graphs are now available from ACNielsen . Comments from stations are included at the end of this article – use your refresh/reload button to ensure you have the newest update of this story.
See previous results from 1997 – 2001 here.
SYDNEY
In Sydney 2DAY retained top spot with 10.5%, down 0.1 from last survey. 2DAY lost most listeners in the 10-17 demographic but picked up listeners aged 25-39. The station dropped in daytime shifts, but picked up on weekends. 2GB was in second spot with 10.1%, up 0.1. Breakfast was down 0.9 to 13.6 share points, daytime shifts were up and evenings were down. Jones is the city’s number one breakfast announcer, followed by Harmer and Moon on 2Day then Price on 2UE.
2UE was down 0.5 to 8.8%, with falls in all shifts except weekends, coming in at third place in the market. Fourth place getter was 2MMM, down 0.2 share points overall to 8.7%, with a significant fall in 18-24s.
Fifth placed Nova was down 0.5 share points to 8.2%. WSFM snapped up sixth place, up 0.9 to 8.1%, equal with ARN stablemate Mix 106.5, which was also on 8.1 (up 0.6). Both ARN stations had good gains 18-40. ABC702 was up 0.1 to 7.9%.
2CH was down by 0.2 share points to 6.7%. Triple J regained some listeners, gaining 03 share points to 4.8%. and Classic FM was up significantly by 0.6 share points to 3.0%
MELBOURNE
In Melbourne 3AW retained top spot just ahead of FOX. 3AW was down 1.2 to 14.0%, losing in all shifts. In second place Fox scored 13.9%, up 0.7 share points. Fox’s gains came in the 10-17 and 25-39 demographics, with drive and weekends all up significantly. 3AW dominates breakfast, with ABC774 second and Fox third placed.
Third placed ABC774 was steady at 12.1%. Gold 104.3 was in fourth place with 9.0%, up 0.5 on last survey with gains 18-24.
Nova dropped 0.6 share points down to 7.8%, in fifth place. Nova lost listeners across most shifts, especially drive. 3MMM was down 0.1 to 7.7, followed by Magic693 on 6.6, up a significant 1.2 share points. Magic’s gains were in the 55+ demographic. Mix 101.1 was steady at 6.2%.
3MP on 3.4%, down 0.4 on last survey, followed by 3JJJ on 2.7%, down a further 0.2 on recent losses, 3AK on 2.4% (up 0.1) and Sport 927 on 2.4% (up 0.6).
BRISBANE
In Brisbane B105 remains in top spot on 19.8%, down 0.5 share points since last survey. Second placed MMM gained 0.6 to 14.3%, ahead of New97.3, which dropped 0.7 to 12.9%.
4BC came in at fourth place with 9.3%, up 2.1 on last survey due to gains in all weekday shifts. 4BH was next at 8.0%, up 0.4 on last survey. 4KQ lost the good gains from last survey, dipping 2.5 to 8.0% ABC612 was next with 7.6%, down 0.2 on last survey.
4JJJ was down by 0.7 to 5.6%, Classic FM dropped by 0.1 to 2.4%, Radio National was up 0.4 share points to 2.6% and NewsRadio was also up by 024 to 1.6%.
ADELAIDE
In Adelaide SAFM maintained its top position with 27.3%, up 0.4 share points on last survey with a good gains in evenings. Second placed 5AA was also up, scoring 17.1%, a jump of 0.9 share points due to a good increase in evenings.
5MMM was in third place, slipping 0.5 share points to 11.5% with losses in 10-17s, but gains in 18-24. Mix 102.dropped 1.7 share points in fourth place, scoring 9.9%.
ABC891 was down 0.2 to 7.6%, followed by 5JJJ on 6.8 (up 0.6), 5DN on 5.6% (down 0.4) and Classic FM on 4.1%, up 0.4.
PERTH
Perth’s top station, Mix 94.5 dropped 1.9 share points to 22.9%. Second placed 92.9 was up significantly by 2.0share points to 16.5.
Third placed 96FM gained 0.4 share points to 13.2. ABC720moved into fourth spot with 9.7%, up 0.7, followed by 6JJJ on 9.0 (up 0.9) and then 6PR which was down a significant 2.6 to 8.6%.
6IX lifted 0.4 to 6.2%, with good gains over 40. 6IX breakfast was up by 1.0, with other ‘at work’ daytime shifts also up and an increase on weekends. The station moved into second position for the 40-54 years demographic.
ABC Classic FM was up 0.2 to 2.6%, Radio National was up 0.2 to 1.8% and NewsRadio slipped 0.3 to 1.0%.
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Austereo
Austereo has “strengthened its position as Australia’s Number One radio network with some clear ratings victories in Survey 6.”
Group Managing Director, Brad March told radioinfo: “Nationally, Austereo’s share of the revenue crucial 25-39 demographic has increased from 40.4% to 42.1% which is a great result… In Sydney, Australia’s most important revenue market, 2DAY FM remains the city’s number one station overall, increasing its lead over its FM rivals. 2DAY also recorded a strong increase of 1.2% to lead the very important 25-39 demographic, and is clearly leading the field 18-39 as well… Triple M remained steady 10+, and is comfortably Sydney’s number two FM station. Amanda Keller, Mikey Robins and Peter Berner increased yet again, to 8.7% – equal second FM.”
Melbourne’s FOX FM has shown “a strong increase overall, to consolidate its position as the number one FM station.” FOX and Triple M are overall number one and two in the 25-39 demographic, with FOX boasting an increase of 3.3%. Triple M’s weekend listening showed a healthy increase of 0.5%, boosted by the AFL football coverage.
B105 and Triple M “continue their powerful performances in Brisbane, to be number one and two 10+, 25-39’s, and across breakfast.” SAFM in Adelaide has the highest market share in Australia, further increasing its 10+ figure to 27.3% and leading all demographics under 40. Triple M is “a very strong number two FM with a greater lead over the competition.”
“Despite a fall, MIX 94.5 remains Perth’s number one station at 22.9%.” Sister station 92.9 lifted 2.0% 10+. The two stations are one and two in the 25-39 demographic with 92.9 taking the lead at 23.5% followed by MIX at 22.6%.
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ARN
Radio stations WSFM and Mix106.5 “are the only FM broadcasters in Sydney to have grown their audience share since the start of 2002.”
The two stations are “the only FM stations to have gained listeners in a market described by industry observers as the most competitive in over a decade,” according to ARN. In the commercially important 25-54 year-old demographic, ARN’s Sydney stations are now just 0.5 points behind its rival Austereo stations.
WSFM has gained more than 2 audience share points since the first survey for 2002, to reach an overall 8.1 share. Similarly, Mix106.5 polled strongly in the latest survey, also reaching 8.1, well up from its rating of 7 in the first survey.
APN News & Media chief executive Brendan Hopkins told radioinfo about the stations’success in the 25-54 demographic: “These are the listeners with real disposable income and are the people advertisers want to reach… When you combine our audiences from WSFM and Mix 106.5, we are just 0.5 points behind Austereo’s stations in this demographic, and well clear of Nova… The listeners are clearly responding to our programming and our advertisers are reaching a bigger and more affluent audience.”
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Nova 96.9 Sydney
“The big news is that Nova has delivered its highest total audience ever,” says Nova’s Larry Bruce.
Survey 6 “confirms that the promise to sound different is reaching an increasing number of Sydney radio listeners.” Nova continues to grow in total audience, with 761,000 total cume, an increase of 25,000 and the highest in the station’s short history. Nova cume has increased steadily since Survey 3, with a total audience increase of 120,000 since April. Nova’s results from the survey showed the station is number one for listeners 25-34 (19.2 %) and number one 6-10pm all people (11.8 %).
Nova GM Larry Bruce told radioinfo: “Nova’s six months of continuous growth in total audience is a key result for us. Having said that, honesty compels us to mention that the growth in total listeners has been balanced by a decline in time spent listening, and this gives us something to look at while we continue to stir up Sydney radio”.
Nova 969 Program Director Scott Muller said: “We continue to focus on trying harder for our listeners. It’s encouraging to see the overall numbers of them growing consistently”.
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Gold 104.3 Melbourne
The station is Number 1 in the target of 35 to 54 year olds with a share of 15.1% (was 14.7%) with a cume of 371,000 people. Grubby & Dee Dee continued their growth with an increase of 0.6% to 8.4%. GOLD104 has a cume of 760,000.
The station is Number 2 At Work (10+) with 17.4% (was 17.6%).
Dave Smith, GOLD104 Program Director, rang from Memphis where he is on Wilbur Wilde’s Ultimate Elvis Tour to tell radioinfo: “Wow, I should leave the country more often! Another amazing result for GOLD104 – Grubby & Dee Dee have increased again, we’re still hitting our key targets, and we continue to grow ten plus … that’s great! And of course, moving into the second position with 25 to 54 year olds is a huge achievement. It’s been a fantastic year for GOLD104 and just gets better with each survey result. Now I’m off to the Memphis Hard Rock Café to party!!”
Steve Smith, General Manager of ARN Melbourne said: “I’m ecstatic that the stable of GOLD104 and MIX101.1 continues to grow the 25 to 54 year target. In combination, MIX101.1 and GOLD104 deliver a total cume of 770,000 people (up from 761,000) – we’re a very strong option for anyone looking to hit this important market.”
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Nova 100 Melbourne
Nova 100 is number one 18-24 and number two 18-39, but down on last survey.
DMG CEO Paul Thompson told radioinfo: “While it may seem a strange thing to say after a down result, I believe Nova 100 has now turned the tide and will go up in the next survey.”
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2UE
With less than three share points separating the top eight Sydney stations, indicating tight market competition. There is 3.6 share points between 2GB’s Alan Jones and 2UE’s Steve Price. John Laws returned “another number one survey, a clear share point ahead of his nearest rival.”
Commenting on the Sydney ratings 2UE General Manager Ian Sheppard told radioinfo: “2UE is outrunning 2GB among Baby Boomers… Both stations have had excellent survey results in the past three surveys, but it’s been incredible to watch the divergence in audience appeal. We have had some drop off in our 60+ audience this year, while our share of people aged 40-54 has gone from strength to strength – dominating this age group is the key to running a profitable talk radio station.”