What to expect from Survey #1

Former Assistant Editor

The first GfK radio ratings survey results are out tomorrow, so what are the big questions to be answered from Survey #1?

Traditionally, new shows will take a hit in the first few surveys of the year, so eyes will be cast over shows where lineups have changed since last year.

Here’s what else to look out for in each metro market when the results are released tomorrow:

Sydney:

  • Triple M made sweeping changes to its Breakfast show over summer following the departure of Matty Johns. Will Lawrence Mooney be able to replicate the results he achieved in Brisbane?
  • Kyle & Jackie O finished 2018 as the #1 FM Breakfast show, and the only FM show in double digits. Who’ll be challenging them for the mantle this year, and what will the first survey for 2DayFM Breakfast look like?
  • smoothfm pulled out some great results in the back end of 2018, so will it remain the #1 overall FM station?

Melbourne:

  • All eyes will turn to Fifi, Fev & Byron on Fox FM who spent the entire of 2018 as the #1 FM Breakfast show. Will they continue their dominance?
  • Christian O’Connell definitely started to bed-in with listeners towards the end of last year, so how will he fare in 2019?
  • Melbourne is the only market where Kate, Tim & Marty didn’t finish the year as the top rating Drive show, so will they be able to cement nation-wide dominance in the slot?

Brisbane:

  • It was all about Triple M in 2018, with the SCA station finishing #1 overall on FM and #1 on Breakfast. Can they maintain these sorts of results in the long-term?
  • Eyes will inevitably turn to ARN’s 97.3FM and its breakfast show, who have struggled to keep pace in recent times.

Adelaide:

  • The final survey of 2018 saw Will & Woody lose out on Drive to Nova, despite Mix102.3’s supremacy overall and on Breakfast. Can they have a better year in the National Drive slot?
  • Nova and Hit’s Breakfast shows are either brand new or still relatively new. Will either of these two stations be able to hold a candle to Jodie & Soda this year?
  • The battle for AM is tighter than in most markets, with FIVEaa and the ABC both within striking distance of current leaders Cruise1323.

Perth:

  • The battle for FM in Perth has become something of a two-horse race in recent times, with Mix94.5 (#1 overall) and Nova (#1 at Breakfast) set to deck it out again.
  • There was a swing towards 96FM in the final survey of the year, but ARN could be in for another long year with that station and its long-term struggles.

Stay tuned to Radio Today tomorrow for all the #1s, ratings graphs, analysis and spin rolling in from 9:30am.

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nick bartlett
11 Mar 2019 - 1:15 pm

My prediction is that Kyle and Jackie O will rate above an 11 in Sydney and that Macquarie Sports Radio in Melbourne will see the breakfast show move from a “*” to a 0.1 or 0.2.

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