Survey Results: Fox FM is Melbourne’s #1 FM again; Nova & smoothfm continue winning streak

Staff Writer

Survey #3 results are in – there are some notable new #1’s in the capital cities and key shifts; including a return to #1FM for Fox FM, also leading in breakfast and drive.

All the GfK numbers, market by market insights and key takeaways are below, to bring you up to speed quickly.

Radio Today will also continue its rolling coverage, including The Spin and comments from network content directors throughout the week.


SYDNEY: ABC Sydney is now #1 in drive, ahead of the dominant 2GB

#1 FM Overall – smoothfm
#1 AM Overall – 2GB
#1 FM Breakfast – KIIS 1065
#1 AM Breakfast – 2GB
#1 FM Drive – smoothfm
#1 AM Drive – ABC Radio

As 2GB hold strong as Sydney’s clear favourite but loses the #1 drive position to ABC, smoothfm managed to maintain its newly found dominance on Sydney’s FM dial, with stellar numbers, especially in drive with Byron Webb (12.4%).

But it was no match for Kyle & Jackie O (9.7%) in breakfast, who remain the city’s most listen to brekkie show. triple j’s Ben & Liam remain steady (5.3%), ahead of 2Day FM breakfast (3.1%) which lost one point. Even 2CH (3.9%) was just ahead of 2DayFM (3.8%) overall. Nova delivered a nice jump (+4.4%) in people 18-24, compared to 2Day FM who lost market share (-4.2%) in the same demo.

Even 2CH (3.9%) was just ahead of 2DayFM (3.8%) overall. Nova delivered a nice jump (+4.4%) in people 18-24, compared to 2Day FM who lost market share (-4.2%) in the same demo. It’s worth noting that Em missed only one week from the 10 week survey period.


MELBOURNE: SCA-owned Fox is again the #1 FM station in breakfast, drive and overall

#1 FM Overall – Fox FM
#1 AM Overall – 3AW
#1 FM Breakfast – Fox FM
#1 AM Breakfast – 3AW
#1 FM Drive – Fox FM
#1 AM Drive – 3AW

A remarkable rebounding from the Hit Network with Fox FM #1 FM in breakfast (8.6%), drive (12.7) and overall (9.8).The SCA-owned station also gained listeners (+4.9%) in the people 18-24 demo.

Triple M’s Hot Breakfast remained steady (8%). smoothfm lost some ground but still #2 FM in the market (9.3%) while KIIS 101.1 enjoying a small increase overall (7%) and in breakfast (7%) and drive (8.8%).

ABC Radio lost some ground overall (9.2%) and SEN remained steady (3.9%). A great result for 3AW, up 1.7 overall to 15.5% – including strong audience increases across all key shifts.


BRISBANE: 4KQ jumps ahead of ABC Radio as Brisbane’s #1AM station

#1 FM Overall – Nova
#1 AM Overall – 4KQ
#1 FM Breakfast – Nova
#1 AM Breakfast – ABC Radio
#1 FM Drive – Nova
#1 AM Drive – 4KQ

The Robin Bailey effect begins to somewhat settle in Brisbane, with Nova delivering another incredibe book in Brisbane with #1 overall (15.8%), in breakfast (14.8%) and in drive (21.7). It’s audience climbed in all these key shifts.

Triple M and Hit105 both delivered a 10.9% share in breakfast, ahead of 973FM on 10.6%, the latter of which saw an anomaly rise in people 10-17 of 4.4%. This is 97.3FM’s third consecutive overall station decrease for the ARN-owned station.

4KQ will be wrapped with today’s results. The station is #1 AM (9%), and the market’s AM leader in breakfast (8.6%) and drive (5.7%) – a nice jump in key shifts.


ADELAIDE: FIVEaa returns to the #1 spot in Adelaide, ahead of ABC Radio

#1 FM Overall – Mix
#1 AM Overall – FIVEaa
#1 FM Breakfast – Mix
#1 AM Breakfast – ABC Radio
#1 FM Drive – Nova
#1 AM Drive – Fiveaa

Mix remains the #1 FM station in Adelaide with 12.1%. They also have the #1 breakfast show with Jodie & Soda (11.1%). ARN’s Cruise is also fairly steady with 9.9%.

Lewis & Lowe with Hayley Pearson in breakfast is steady for Nova breakfast, on 10%.

The battle between ABC Radio and FIVEaa continues. This book though, FIVEaa is on top as #1 AM (12.3%) compared to ABC Radio (11.1%). In breakfast ABC Radio is #1 on 15.2% and in drive, FIVEaa is #1 with 11.5%.

Over to SCA and Hit107 are up 1% overall to 9% and Triple M ahead on 10.2%.


PERTH: Mix94.5 loses ground to Nova in breakfast and drive as Perth’s #1 FM

#1 FM Overall – Mix
#1 AM Overall – ABC Radio
#1 FM Breakfast – Nova
#1 AM Breakfast – ABC Radio
#1 FM Drive – Nova
#1 AM Drive – ABC Radio

Nova is the new favourite FM in Perth, by a small mile, outstripping Mix as the market leader. And that’s in key shifts too, including breakfast and drive.

ARN’s 96FM lost some of the momentum is gained in Survey #2, but Carmen & Fitzi are up 0.7 to 8.6% in breakfast and Hughesy & Kate are down 0.5 to 7.8%.

Hit92.9 are relatively steady overall on 11% with a nice 1.1 gain in breakfast to 11.4% and, in drive with Hamish & Andy, up 0.5 to 13/1%

Overall at 6iX, there has been a small increase e to 5.3%. Again this book, not a great one for 6PR who dropped 0.3 in people 10+ to 6.6% and experienced slight dips across most sessions including breakfast (-0.3) and drive (-0.8).


Do you have any insights and analysis to contribute? Have you spotted a trend everyone should know about? Share your constructive take on today’s results in the comments below.

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Recent comments (15)
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The Wolf
6 Jun 2017 - 9:56 am

2GB is Number 1 Sydney Overall.

MrMusic
6 Jun 2017 - 10:28 am

The story in Melbourne….

Ross and John are Radio Gods! 21.1 in Breakfast… killing it!

SEN Breakfast… big bucks down the drain, they slide again to 2.9. According to the online footy forums, listeners find Hamish bland and can’t stand McClure trying to ‘break’ non-news stories.

Talking Lifestyle… officially in the toilet at 0.5. Even 3AK, MTR and Vega didn’t sink that low.

MrMusic
6 Jun 2017 - 10:39 am

SEN Breakfast up rather…. 2.9 to 3.3 – I’m a goose for getting that one wrong!

nick bartlett
6 Jun 2017 - 10:44 am

I have spotted a trend. If Melbourne’s Talking Lifestyle continues to broadcast it will be rating less than a * in the next survey.

Thommo
6 Jun 2017 - 10:50 am

Wow. When Triple M Adelaide put Roo and Ditts into breakfast they were miles behind Mix… now they are 0.6 off number 1 FM. Congrats to Matty O’Reilly and the team around that show. Quiet achiever.

Anon
6 Jun 2017 - 10:52 am

2Day got smashed this survey. Again. Where do you go from here?

Ian Holland
6 Jun 2017 - 11:36 am

I predicted on this site last year Smooth would be number one in survey one this year providing they ran some promotions building quarter hour maintenance. They didn’t do that but despite it all they’ll certainly take out number one this year. A remarkable effort this survey that deserves all the accolades possible.

TL fan
6 Jun 2017 - 3:55 pm

I’m a Melbourne listener that quickly took a liking to Talking Lifestyle. But I’m not a common listener and don’t feel too comfortable being one of so few listening. Seems that the complementary relationship between 3AW and 1278 is due for review. The boundaries between the two formats are not as distinctly clear as they are between 2GB and 954 (It is called ‘lifestyle’ yet I question if 1278 can really own the word). Being 100% Sydney, particularly at breakfast, might be causing 1278 listeners to scratch their head and leave out of confusion. I also seriously doubt some of the segments are as proportionate as they should be (an hour of travel or entertainment can be cool, but you really going to dry my ears out with an hour of superannuation or an hour of stain removal same time every day? Or has quarter-hour maintenance been thrown out the window?) Could still be a worthy experiment, especially if reverting to music is a road to nowhere, but appears too clear now the change was badly managed with a lot of adjustment required. 

Seagull
6 Jun 2017 - 6:03 pm

In recent good old days radio stations chose to drop out of the radio ratings when they fell to 2.0%.

Magic 693 … lost heaps when it was forced to go to Magic 1278. It would seem now that the lot is gone down the Macquarie toilet.

Talking Lifestyle will never work. It’s lost ratings in SYD/BNE/MEL. In MEL to 0.5%!

Bring back the Best Hits of All Time!

Steve
6 Jun 2017 - 10:30 pm

The ABC is deserting its core radio audience. Its executive continues to disappoint.

Anonymous
6 Jun 2017 - 10:39 pm

Mix is still market leader in Perth. Not Nova.

Glen
7 Jun 2017 - 10:37 am

Talking Lifestyle must surely go. At least in Melbourne and Brisbane.
Brisbane needs an easy listening (Smooth) station so bring back 4BH and play the Smooth FM playlist.
Melbourne needs a classic hits/oldies station so bring back Magic.
Simple!
For those that say AM music stations can’t work look at 4KQ and Cruise, both nipping at the heals of Triple M in their markets. Besides DAB is starting to make inroads so that will help level the playing field in years to come.

Craig
7 Jun 2017 - 1:36 pm

Scroll up and down the DAB dial and look at the stations where the signal says “Off Air.” Elf Radio(they broadcast during Christmas only), 7 Rio live, 80’s & 90’s and now EON Sports. The classic rock spot on the dial is still there also saying “Off Air”. Someone please bring it back and show Triple M that they stuffed up big time.

TL fan
8 Jun 2017 - 3:53 am

Fair point about Brisbane radio. It does lack a ‘Smooth’ option tailored just to that city and perhaps 4BH should have been allowed to evolve into that option instead of being bound up in networking. Not so convinced Magic 1278 is a great loss. That station was only ever successful at the expense of its one-time stablemate 3MP. The market for AM music radio in Melbourne had since dried up even more than in Sydney. There’s nothing inherently wrong with Macquarie focusing on talk radio brands. It’s just that I doubt the 1278 switchover was done with a clear sense of an end in mind. Here I like to refer to the ‘brand insistence’ model used in marketing theory. If you consider the drivers of brand insistence and the steps you take to get there (and stumbling blocks that may inhibit you from getting there), I suspect 1278 needs local, familiar personality in breakfast (if nowhere else) and the network program needs to be a much more subtle, varied and proportionate programming approach that fits the convention of a quarter-hourly maintained commercial station and not the ‘new program every hour’ approach you expect more from your local community station.

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