The latest Survey 7 Capital City Ratings have been released.
The survey was conducted for Commercial Radio Australia between Aug 1 to Sep 4 and Sep 19 to Oct 23, a period which covered the Federal Election and the Olympic Games, generally favouring talk stations.
Click Nielsen Ratings in the left hand margin (see ‘Knowledge Base’ section) to see the overall results and click the links below for full breakdowns.
In Sydney, the big improver this survey was 2CH, up 1.2 share points overall, while stablemate 2GB continues to lead the market, but dropped by 0.8. The combination of a talk and a music station targeted towards the same demographic continues to work well for Singleton’s Macquarie Radio, the two stations often see-sawing as in this survey but maintaining an effective overall two-station buy for advertisers. While Alan Jones’ breakfast slipped slightly, 2CH breakfast, which has a new presenter, increased to compensate.
Second placed Nova also improved, up 0.7 with good gains in the under 40 demographics. 2UE jumped the field into third place with a gain of 0.9 share points, reflecting strong gains in the 40-54 demographic and good increases for John Laws’ mornings and weekends.
Triple M in fourth place was stable, slipping only 0.1 share points, and ABC702 increased by 0.4 in fifth place. 2Day and Mix both slipped slightly. WSFM lost some of the good gains it put on last survey, down by 0.6 share points to 8.0%, but retained ownership of its target 40-54 demographic. Triple J was up slightly, while Classic FM and News Radio slipped slightly and Radio National was steady.
In Melbourne, the dominance of AM talk radio is complete this survey, with Southern Cross’ 3AW in first place with 14.8% (down 1.1) followed by ABC774 in second place (up 1.0).
Nova was third with 10.7%, up 0.8 share points on last survey thanks to good gains in the 10-17 demographic. ARN’s Gold dropped 0.8 share points to 10.1%, but still dominates the 40-54 demographic which is an important revenue earner for ARN. Fox slipped fractionally in fifth place to 10%.
Triple M lost its recent gains, down 1.2 to 9.3%, with losses 10-17 and a significant fall in weekends now that the football season is over. Mix 101.1 was up 0.9 share points with gains in the under 40 demographics, while Southern Cross’ Magic lost 0.9, falling to 5.4%.
SEN was up 0.7 with another improvement in breakfast and daytime shifts. 3MP and all ABC stations improved slightly.
In Brisbane, B105 shed some more listeners this survey in the face of continuing market changes, dropping 1.4 share points to 16.0%, with most losses in the under 30 demographics. Evenings and weekends lost the most listeners for B105.
As Nova is now on air with test broadcasts in the Brisbane market, the next few surveys should continue to see instability in the younger demographics as they await the official launch of the new market entrant.
Austereo stablemate Triple M remained steady in second place, giving Austereo the coveted one-two share spots in the market. As ARN rolls out the ‘Feels Good’ brand across the country, New 97.3, which now carries the slogan, dropped a little, down 0.6 share points to 12.3% but easily retained third place.
ABC612 grabbed fourth place, up 0.3 to 9.6%, followed by the market’s other talk station, Southern Cross’ 4BC, which picked up from its recent slump by gaining 1 share point to 8.7%. Stablemate 4BH dropped 0.7 to 7.5%.
ARN’s 4KQ slipped 1.3 to 7.5%, losing listeners at breakfast and in daytime slots. Triple J dropped 0.5 to 6.6%, while Classic FM gained 0.3 to 2.7% and Radio National was up 0.5. NewsRadio was steady at 1.0%.
In Adelaide, ARN’s Mix 102.3 retained top spot in the market with 19.7% (up 1.2) after having toppled SAFM last survey. Second placed SAFM dropped a further 2.6 share points to 15.0%.
Third placed 5AA lost 1.3 share points to 14.7%, with falls in the 55+ demographic in all shifts except evenings. Leon Byner’s mornings dropped most, down 2.4 share points on last survey. Rival talk station ABC891 gained 1.7 share points, with a strong gain in breakfast leading the charge for gains in most other shifts.
Triple M slipped by 0.9 to 9.9%, ahead of Triple J, which gained 0.7 to 6.0%. 5DN was up 0.8% in Jeremy Cordeaux’ last survey, scoring 5.4%. Classic FM gained 0.3 share points, while Radio National and NewsRadio were both slightly down.
In Perth, Austereo’s 94.5 retained top spot with a dominant 20.5%, followed by Southern Cross’ 96fm, which slipped by 1.6 share points to 11.8%.
ABC720 was in third spot with a rise of 1.3 share points to 11.4% coming from strong gains in breakfast and daytime shifts. 92.9 was up 0.7 to 11.3, while Nova gained 0.5 to 10.1%.
6PR dropped 0.8 share points to 8.0%, gaining listeners 40-54, but losing some over 55s. Triple J was steady on 5.6%, while 6IX slipped 1.4 to 4.6%. Classic FM, Radio National and NewsRadio all had slight gains.
Nova Network
The bookies are paying early in Sydney and Melbourne following the release of today’s AC Nielsen Survey results.
For the first time, Sydney’s Nova 969 and Melbourne’s Nova 100 are the leading FM stations in the same survey.
The Breakfast shows in both cities are also paying dividends with Merrick and Rosso in Sydney, and Hughesy, Kate and Dave in Melbourne, concurrently leading the FM race at breakfast for the first time.
Nova stations across Australia increased overall audience share in every market.
Nova scored a trifecta with Sydney’s Nova 969, Melbourne’s Nova 100 and Perth’s Nova 937 the leading stations for 18-39 and Under-40.
The Form Guide:
Leading FM Sydney; Leading FM Melbourne; Leading Under-40 Perth; Leading Under-40 in all 3 markets; Leading 18-39 in all 3 markets
In Adelaide, the recently launched Nova 919 will receive its first full ratings result in December with the release of Survey 8.
And in Brisbane, Nova 106.9 is on air with test transmissions attracting early interest…
The Nova National Network is here. Giddy Up.
A R N
The Australian Radio Network has posted a strong performance in its core demographic of 25–54 year olds for the seventh radio ratings survey.
The network made good gains in the Melbourne market on the back of a solid result from Mix 101.1, which was up 2.2 points in listeners aged 25-39 and 1 point in the 40-54 age group.
In Sydney, Mix 106.5 and WSFM maintained the number one position in the commercially significant 25 – 54 market.
Mix 102.3 in Adelaide produced another strong result, maintaining its position as the number one station in all listeners 10+ and increasing its position in the 25–54 market by 0.8 per cent.
The Mix 102.3 breakfast team with Kym, Ali & Dzelde further increased its lead on the time slot with a 1.7% rise taking the team to 19%.
The chief executive of APN News & Media, Brendan Hopkins, says: “We are pleased with the results of the seventh survey particularly in our target demographic of 25–54 year olds. We are again number one in this market in Sydney and made good gains in Melbourne and Adelaide.
“We are particularly pleased with the result for Mix 102.3 in Adelaide as it holds the number one position overall for the second survey in a row, and in Sydney where Mix 106.5 has gained 18,000 new listeners in the 25–39 age group.
“The steady result is a reflection of our continued focus on our targeted demographic – listeners aged 25 to 54.”
Austereo
The leading shows for the Triple M and Today networks, The Shebang and the Kyle and Jackie O Show, have underpinned a solid ratings result for the two Austereo networks in a volatile market environment.
Triple M’s The Cage at breakfast in Sydney also had a 0.9 point increase to an 8.9% audience share, its sixth consecutive increase and its highest ratings result.
The Today network’s Kyle and Jackie O Show is still the nation’s favourite drive show, with Triple M’s The Shebang continuing to post excellent ratings in the same shift.
Austereo chief executive officer, Michael Anderson, says the success of the three shows demonstrates the success of Austereo’s long term strategy.
“We wanted to give those shows time to bed in and allow the word-of-mouth to work and they’ve now among the leading shows in their timeslots.
“The Cage is now the number two FM breakfast show in Sydney and is improving every day.
“The Shebang has continued its solid performance while the move to the drive show for Kyle and Jackie O has paid off with great ratings.
“But despite some improvements the market remains volatile – in Melbourne we’ve seen three different networks on top this year.
“We expect that volatility to remain for at least another year as the new licences begin to come on line.
“We’re confident that our medium to long-term strategy will allow us to weather that volatility in the market.
We are committed to continually improving our on-air product, city by city, station by station.”
Anderson has told radioinfo: “Austereo is concerned about disappointing results for Triple M and SAFM in Adelaide.
“Adelaide is facing increased competition and we knew there would be a small correction. We still have confidence in our strategy but there is obviously some more work to be done.”
Austereo chairman, Peter Harvie, also believes the market is currently volatile, “but Austereo is adjusting to the turbulence, ensuring that we continue to lead the overall industry now and into the future.”
Sydney
2Day FM –
The Kyle and Jackie O Show at drive up 0.3 points to 10.6%.
Number one in the 10 to 17 age group, and number two in the 18 to 24 age group.
Triple M –
The Cage at breakfast has its sixth consecutive ratings increase with a 0.9 point lift to its highest figures of 8.4%.
The Shebang the most popular drive show with an 11% audience share
Melbourne
FOX FM –
New-look breakfast show with Matt and Jo up 0.3 points to an 8.9% audience share.
Higgo and Alexis in the evening up 0.6 points to 14.2%
Triple M –
Remains number two in 18 to 24 age group with a 17.2% share.
Brisbane
B105 –
Remains Brisbane’s number one station with a 16% audience share.
Kyle and Jackie O up 0.3 points to be the favourite drive show with a 19.9% audience share
Triple M –
Up 2.4 points in the 18 to 24 age group with a 23.5% share.
Increase of 21,000 listeners to a three-year high of 455,000.
Number one in the morning with a 16.9% audience share.
Number one in the afternoon with a 19.1% audience share.
Adelaide
SAFM –
Number one in the 25 to 39 age group with a 24.1% audience share
Triple M –
Dominant number one in the 18 to 24 age group with a 30.8% audience share
Perth
Mix 94.5 –
Number one again with a 0.2 point increase to a 20.5% audience share.
Number one in every day part.
Breakfast up 0.4 points to 20.5%.
92.9 –
Number one in the 10 to 17 age group with a 3.6 point increase to a 38.2% share
2UE
2UE has consolidated third position in the latest radio ratings; achieving a solid increase in overall audience share and time spent listening.
2UE has achieved a rise across the board, with John Laws’ audience rising by 20% to a share of 11.5 and Steve Price’s audience by 16% to a 9.3 share. Complementing these rises were John Stanley, Sports Today, Stan Zemanek and 2UE Weekends.
In the crucial 18+ demographic, 2UE rests comfortably in second place and proudly holds first place with 25 to 64 year olds.
2UE’s rise in time spent listening comes off the back of consistent marketing, such as the recently launched television campaign ‘2UE puts the cat among the pigeons’, which airs during breakfast television.
2UE continues to engage with our audience through new and innovative promotions that encourage listener involvement on the station, such as the John Laws’ Rising Star and Mike Carlton’s High School Editorial.
2UE General Manager, Bob Miller, says: “This is the first time we are number one in the 25 to 64 demographic. This is a historic occasion for 2UE as we start to celebrate our 80th Anniversary.”
5 AA
FIVEaa maintained its overall number three position in the Adelaide radio market, recording a 14.7% share.
The FIVEaa Sports Show, hosted by KG Cunningham and Graham Cornes, held on to the number one spot weekdays between 4pm and 7pm with a 20% share.
Nights with Adelaide radio legend, Bob Francis, jumped 3.3% to record a 24% share.
Michael Keelan’s weekend is still the leading Breakfast show on both Saturday and Sunday mornings with
18% and 19.5% shares respectively, and FIVEaa weekday breakfast with Keith Conlon, Tony Pilkington
and Jon Blake held on to the number two spot with a 16.8% share and weekends overall on 16%.
FIVEaa General Manager, Paul Bartlett, says: “Despite constant changes in the Adelaide radio market, we’ve held our number one position with KG & Cornesy, Bob Francis and Michael Keelan and sustained strong number two ratings with Keith Conlon, Tony Pilkington and Jon Blake.”
Mix 102.3 Adelaide
In an amazing radio survey result, Adelaide’s MIX102.3 scored a trifecta with wins in all demographics and shifts the day before the Melbourne Cup.
NUMBER 1 STATION IN ADELAIDE
19.7, up from 18.5. This is MIX’s second survey at #1
NUMBER 1 BREAKFAST TEAM WITH KYM, ALI & DZELDE
19, up from 17.3. First time the trio has enjoyed the #1 spot.
ADELAIDE’S MOST LISTENED TO RADIO STATION
327,000 people tune in each week (up from 310,000)
In other shifts MIX102.3 is:
· #1 in mornings with Karen Prater – 21.2% (up from 20%)
· #1 afternoons with Kev Mulcahy – 21.7 (up from 21%)
In an amazing 12 months for MIX102.3, All people share 10+, MIX102.3 has jumped from 9.4% to 19.7%; MIX Breakfast (Kim, Ali & Dzelde) has grown from 8.6% to 19%; Karen Prater mornings – 10.8% to 21.2%; Afternoons with Kev Mulchay was 10.1%, 12 months ago – now 21.7%
GM Steve Rowe says: “In terms of a radio ratings result, it couldn’t have been better. I’m thrilled for the breakfast team as they have put in the hard work over the past 12 months. We have come so far in the past year and we still haven’t finished some of the things we’ve started.”
Steve also celebrated his 50th birthday on the weekend – the celebrations are sure to continue today!
4BC
The latest AC Nielsen radio survey results show Radio 4BC as Brisbane’ NO:1 AM station Monday to Friday. Station management is ecstatic that their recent programming changes have paid off.
Afternoon presenters Peter Dick and Clare Blake have helped take weekdays to a NO:1 AM position with an incredible 1.8% increase and former TV man Tony Murphy has taken his new evening program up by 2.3%.
All shifts throughout the day have showed a remarkable increase. These positive survey results have placed 4BC in a strong position as we head towards the final survey of 2004.
4 MMM
The “Totally Different” Triple M continues its rise with an increase of 21,000 listeners to a three-year high of 455,000 listeners tuning in each week.
The station remained strong with an overall audience share of 15.5 percent.
Austereo Brisbane general manager, Richard Barker, says the ratings show Brisbane listeners’ continued support for the changes to Triple M.
“Triple M has gone through enormous change in the past three months. It is great to see Brisbane turning Triple M on in increasing numbers and supporting the changes they wanted from the station.”
Ratings highlights include:
Increase of 21,000 listeners to a three year high of 455,000 listeners each week; The number one radio station for the 25 to 39 age group with and increase of 0.6 points to a 27.1 per cent audience share; Number one in the morning with a 16.9 per cent audience share; Number one in the afternoon with Mick Molloy’s Tough Love and Music from 2pm with a 0.5 point increase to a 19.1 per cent audience share; Weekends up 2.3 per cent to a 13.4 per cent audience share.
SEN1116
SEN1116 posted a 3.8 share in the second last Nielsen radio survey for 2004.
SEN1116’s Managing Director, Danny Staffieri, has described the result as ‘outstanding’.
“SEN has increased its reach and grown its audience share, cume and averages across all daily sessions. We have proven that SEN1116 is indeed a true ‘all sports’ radio station and our approach to sport has been welcomed by Melbournians. Our growth in the ‘males 18-39’ demographic has been exceptional across all programs, with more men tuning in than ever.”
Paul Gardner, Group Chairman of Grey Global Group, says: “In ten months SEN has established itself as a true radio presence in sports mad Melbourne. It is certainly a station that I listen to and one I encourage my clients who are looking to reach the inner heart of Melbourne to be a part of.”
Staffieri believes the result reflects the ‘consistent and encouraging growth’ of SEN1116 over the past ten months and augurs well for the future.
720 ABC Perth
Survey 7 for 2004 sees 720 ABC Perth register an increase of 1.4% of the Perth market, with a share figure of 11.3%. In every session, 720 strengthened its position as the Number One talk station over commercial rival, 6PR.
Eoin Cameron’s breakfast show received 17.4% of the market in the 5.30-7.45am time slot increasing his lead as the number one presenter in the talk market, and number two overall with average audience numbers of 49,000 listeners.
All other 720 ABC Perth programs experienced healthy increases in survey seven. In the important morning talkback market, Liam Bartlett increased his audience share by 1.4% to 11.1% consolidating his position as leader in the morning time slot.
In the afternoons, 720 continued to build its audience share with an increase of 1.2%. Russell Woolf’s Drive program registered a 2.1% increase over the Survey 6 figure with an 8.9% audience share between 4 and 6pm. Evenings continue to keep the station as the leader in talk, with an 11% share of the audience.
The upward trend has continued into the weekends, with a 1% share increase – a reflection on the continued excellence of Sarah Knight, Michaela Carr and the WA Sporting team.
James O’Brien, ABC acting local radio manager in WA, is delighted with the station’s result: “We are pleased to have increased our growth in the younger demographic where we recorded a 2% increase in the 25 to 39 year old group.”
“This survey period has been a particularly busy one for us with Glenn Mitchell, Karen Tighe and Wally Foreman providing an exciting Olympic coverage from Athens. 720 ABC Perth has been actively involved in the community with outside broadcasts at WA on Show, the Royal Show and even Fremantle Gaol. We provided extensive coverage of election
issues with studio interviews with all major party leaders.
We are especially pleased to have so substantially increased our listener numbers. We welcome new listeners, and thank our existing audience for their loyalty.”
Nova 96.9 Sydney
Who would’ve thought the sound of someone peeling 22 potatoes in 22 minutes could make riveting radio? Or, what about tying the laces on 12 pairs of shoes in 22 minutes?
Nova 969 took a punt with Catch 22 [where listeners won $5000 for completing a mundane task in 22 minutes] and it’s worked.
Nova 969 has delivered a 10.1% [10+] ratings result for survey 7 [up from 9.4%] to remain the leading radio FM station in Sydney.
The Merrick & Rosso Breakfast Show has gained ground to be 11% [6-9am].
Bianca Dye Mornings [9am-12pm] 10.6% leading FM [up 1%]
Afternoons [12-4pm] 11.6% leading overall
Rabbit [4-7pm] 10.4% [up from 10%]
All under 40 20.9% leading by 5.5%
And in Melbourne Cup week, for the first time, Nova has its nose in front as the leading FM stations in Sydney and Melbourne at the same time.
Nova 97.3 Perth
In the radio ratings sweep, Nova 93.7 took the trifecta and clearly won Perth’s 18 to 24 year olds, 18 to 39 year olds and under 40s.
Not bad for an almost 2 year old.
On top of that, Nova 93.7’s early morning riders, Nathan & Nat, led the field to win by a clear margin with Perth’s 18 to 39 year olds.
Official crowd figures were also outstanding with 298,000 people turning up for Nova – an increase of 17,000 from Nova’s last outing.
With the Melbourne Cup tomorrow, why not try your luck on 9, 3, and 7?
Disclaimer: Nova 93.7 accepts no responsibility for loss of money, loss of dignity, motor skills, or resultant hangovers, as a result of anything contained herein. However we do take full responsibility for ‘Never More Than 2 Ads In A Row”.