There’s been a changing of the guard in the latest Xtra Insights survey of Townsville with Hit 103.1 and their breakfast team of Bronte and Lakey (Bronte Langbroek and Danny Lakey pictured) who are networked from the Gold Coast the No 1 station and team overtaking stablemates Triple M 102.3. There was also a switch for the ARN stations with Star 106.3 surging to third overall, just pipping their stablemate Power 100. Archie and Donny on Star 106.3, in their last survey together, were up 1.9 to a 13.9% audience preferred and third, Bronte and Lakey however were up 3.7 to 23.8%.
The stations that suffered the biggest losses of audiences were Triple M and particularly the ABC’s local North Queensland station and triple j. Triple j’s audience more than halved in every day part and listeners 10-17 dropped from 7% to just 0.9. Hit and Star were the clear beneficiaries.
Cliffo and Kate, Guy “Cliffo” Clifton and Kate Jeboult were new together on Triple M Breakfast a year ago replacing long time and ACRA Hall of Famer Steve ‘Pricey’ Price. After an initial pick up of listeners this survey is the first time since 2022 that Triple M has not been No 1, but the two SCA stations are still the dominant forces in the region.
SCA Head of Regional Content, Blair Woodcock, said:
‘Townsville showed up in force today, reinforcing SCA’s duopoly dominance, with Hit103.1 and Triple M Townsville claiming the #1 and #2 stations, and owning the all-important 25-54 ‘Audience That Matters’ demographic as a network.
It’s been a great result today for Hit 103.1 with the station leading the charge thanks to Bronte & Lakey in Breakfast, who continue to deliver a fun and entertaining content every morning, supported by the community driven efforts of the Hit Squad, and a great final survey for Carley Whittington’s hyper-local workdays – thank you to Carley on her contributions as she embarks on her next adventure, Fresh from their Queensland trip, Carrie & Tommy (Carrie Bickmore and Tommy Little) have once again proven their universal appeal, taking the #1 spot in Drive for both P10+ (23.2%) and P25-54 (27%).
Not to be outdone, Triple M’s Townsville team have also set the bar high, not only for their impressive ratings in this book, but also for their impact in the community. The station raised more than $200,000 for Brighter Lives and the Townsville Hospital Foundation during their ‘Brighter Day’ radiothon, led by Cliffo & Kate (Guy Clifton and Kate Jeboult) and CK (Cliff Kern). Triple M also holds the largest audience in market, with 77,400 loyal listeners tuning in each week.
In one of Australia’s most competitive regional markets, SCA has flexed its dominance, reaching 31% more listeners than the nearest commercial network. These results make it clear that nobody captures the attention of Townsville quite like Hit and Triple M.”
For the ARN stations, Regional Queensland Content Director Stu Tolan said:
“I’ve never been prouder of our Townsville team. They’ve turned a year of change into a launchpad for success. By connecting with our local community, creating standout content, and bringing genuine passion to everything we do, we’ve made real progress and had a lot of fun along the way. Bring on 2026.”
And ARN General Manager – Regional Queensland Brad Jephcott said:
“Today’s results are a great reward for the whole team’s passion and commitment over the past year and beyond. With a powerful combination of new and experienced talent, Townsville audiences are embracing Power 100 and Star 106.3 as their preferred way to connect with the best mix of music, entertainment and news. I’m so proud of the team as they continue to deliver real results for our clients with our mix of on air, on location and online from our team based right here in Townsville.”
