Radio Ratings
BY Sarah Patterson July 10, 2024
Radio Ratings July 10, 2024
Not great, but still positive: Duncan Campbell’s take on K & J’s latest Melbourne survey result
Reporter
It’s not great, but it’s still a positive result.
That, in a nutshell, is Duncan Campbell’s take on the latest set of numbers for Kyle & Jackie O in Melbourne, off the back of Survey 4.
ARN’s Chief Content Officer is reflecting on the first full book for the Sydney powerhouse duo, who saw no improvement in share and remain at 5.9 on Melbourne’s KIIS 101.1.
In an interview with our sister publication RadioInfo, Campbell says “Kyle & Jackie O are still, in Sydney, the most listened to Breakfast show in the country, in terms of cume.”
“I would also say that I was relieved by Kyle and Jack’s flat result in Melbourne, because that’s actually, ironically, quite a … it’s a positive result.”
“We could have gone down, but we actually held, which bodes well for next survey.”
Across town, Nova’s Jase & Lauren, the former KIIS Breakfast duo who made way for K & J, increased 0.9 share points, leapfrogging Fox FM’s Fifi, Fev & Nick to become the city’s #2 FM Breakfast show.
Just over a month ago, when referencing Melbourne’s Breakfast radio wars, Campbell described it as a long game, played slowly.
According to Campbell, things are still yet to settle down.
“There’s a lot of audience churn at the moment in Melbourne, there’s significant change. Three networks are marketing extensively, so, a lot of noise.”
Is he feeling nervous?
“As I said last survey, if it had have gone down, I would have been a little concerned, but the cume’s gone up … everyone tends to compare it to Sydney, and it’s like … it’s a totally different scenario in Melbourne.”
“It’s a new show to Melbourne. The incumbent show left to go to Nova. You’ve had changes there. There’s a lot of churn going on at the moment, and the marketing is extensive for all three networks.”
“I just don’t believe the market’s stabilised yet.”
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Radio Ratings
BY Sarah Patterson July 9, 2024
It appears that the most accurate prediction of the Melbourne result wasn’t any of the content directors, it wasn’t any industry journos, no – it was “Jason from Mooroolbark Victoria” in the comments section of this website who predicted this outcome.
Also – Duncan Campbell, “The incumbent show left to go to Nova”??? That’s an interesting take!
Duncan they didn’t leave to go to Nova… Your top grade programming skills made a decision to let them go.
So being last of the Commercial FM Breakfast shows in Melbourne is a “positive result”?
That’s last after a big budget marketing campaign, which includes K&J ads all over train stations, tram stops and even their own bus driving around town.
That’s last after all the free publicity TV news bulletins gave K&J and their move into the Melbourne Breakfast market.
That’s last after importing a duo that’s already known to Melbourne, formerly hosting the Hot 30 on Fox (from Sydney), having their “hour of power” played for years on Kiis and have been a duo honing their ‘skills’ for the last 25 years.
That’s last, including their appearances (mainly Kyle) on TV shows across the years further promoting their brand.
All of that money and years of brand building, to not move the ratings needle one bit and finish last amongst commercial FM breakfast shows in the country’s 2nd largest city and biggest radio advertising market?
Yeah, I’m sure the shareholders see that as a “positive result”!
At the end of the day, it wasn’t a programming decision for Melbourne, it was a justification for K&J’s massive salary to keep them on KIIS Sydney, the real moneymaker. They saw what losing them did to the Hit network, and the sacrifice is perhaps not winning Melbourne to really win in Sydney (FM).
Duncan only ever claims talents wins as his own so let’s watch to see how he handles this situation.
A smart “Chief Content Officer” of radio in 2024 would invest in talent to survive. Stop spending on cash contests. $250,000 is a really solid amount to invest in future talent not a secret sound contest.
Talent are radio’s only point of difference.
We rse a d worse
Fir KIIS 101.1
Relieved by a flat result! LOL. Wow. Never said to any other breakfsst show ARN has when they have a similar result. When was this new leadership team on it’s way?
Well of course Duncan isn’t going to say he’s worried that things at KIIS 101.1 aren’t moving (even a little) upwards already. That would be signalling to the market that ARN are concerned, and that’s not what they want to be going out there with.
Obviously ARN are worried, and the continual downplaying of Jase & Lauren’s growing success at Nova is an attempt to soothe shareholder and management nerves.
Ultimately, it’s not ARN that should be sweating it but SCA. Clearly trying to turn Fifi, Fev & Nick into something akin to K&J Lite is turning listeners off. Jase & Lauren have shown that sticking with a consistent style works. They were building at KIIS and are now #2 FM at Nova – you can’t deny that success.
Dunc’s!!
Wtf man?
You did the one thing you don’t do!!!
You don’t syndicate breakfast shows!
I know you needed to justify the contract expenditure, but maybe a smarter move was instead of drooling over MMM you should’ve done you job, but you took the easy option…
Let’s hope this is a wake up call not to try the same rubbish in Brisbane. KIIS 97.3 is already heading downhill following recent playlist changes and networking. They need to change course with 97.3 and fast!
$6mil in marketing!! and its a flop.. Duncan def made the decision to keep KJ on for another 10 years… but remember while there contract states Melb if it fails they can be removed from the Melb network and still keep the same contract.. It was a win win for KJ!!! i give it 9 months and Mitch will be down there for a true live and local show!