Outright #1 in Sydney. Peter Clay on Smooth’s stellar survey result

Smooth FM and 2GB might be rival stations, but you’ve got to hand it to the team at Nine Radio for being good sports.

As Smooth’s Head of Programming Peter Clay reveals, Greg Byrnes and Tom Malone were the first to jump on the phone to offer their congratulations after Smooth knocked the talk station off its perch to become outright #1 in Sydney in GfK Survey 4.

For Clay, it’s one of those pinch-yourself career moments he’ll never forget.

And so, with Smooth also the #2 FM station in Melbourne, Clay is feeling suitably chuffed as he sits down for his post-survey interview with Radioinfo’s Steve Ahern.

Clay doesn’t put the latest results down to any one particular demo.

“We have such a broad demo appeal and I think it’s just the environment we create,” he says. “Sometimes, people just want a release from all of that noise other stations may provide.”

“I’m not discounting that there are some great shows out there, but sometimes (people) want a great music playlist curated for them which just puts them in a great frame of mind for either what’s coming up on the day ahead or on the weekends when they’re driving the kids around at sports.”

Smooth has just launched its first listener promotion of the year, the $50,000 Winter Wishlist.

Clay says the key difference between this and other kinds of radio promotions is that this one effectively grants people their wish.

Instead of being told what they’ll win, the listeners themselves nominate their prize.

And, given the current cost of living crisis, Clay says every single day, he marvels at how little they ask for.

“Sometimes it’s just the smallest things, like going to a hair salon. It could be a kid’s cubby house. It could be a new vacuum cleaner.”

“Our listeners never ask for much. They’re not greedy, and you know it’s actually making a difference to their lives, because sometimes they don’t treat themselves – they basically put all the money into the mortgage, rent or food on the table.”

“So they never actually get to treat themselves, and what we’re trying to create is those little moments to help them out and just ease the pressure a little bit or maybe give them that little surprise that they’ve been wanting for quite some time.”

When it comes to giveaways, Clay thinks radio stations need to be in tune with their listeners about what they really want.

“Sometimes doing an overseas trip is actually quite hard for people with the family because they just can’t pick up pack their bags and jet set off overseas when they’ve got to think about who’s looking after the kids.”

As for what lies ahead for the station, Clay says Smooth will keep doing what it’s always done – delivering on its promise of more music, less talk.

And listeners will continue to have the reassurance of knowing exactly what they’re going to get when they tune in.

“It is what it says on the tin,” he says.