Ratings survey 4 results 2025: Music beats talk in Sydney and Melbourne

Interesting results in every market!

Some thoughts about Brisbane – I cannot see how 4BC would be profitable considering their ratings numbers and demographics.

Also, KIIS 97.3 is a mess, and should either switch to the Gold or Smooth formats (if I’m correct either would be possible since I believe the license is part owned by Nova), although I wonder if ARN might be concerned about River 94.9 and being too similar to that format when it overlaps into a significant portion of the Brisbane market.

Surely switching formats would be more profitable than what it is currently, and I highly doubt syndicating Kyle and Jackie O into the market will make things better.

If I’m not mistaken, Smooth 95.3 have made history this survey by getting its first ever outright timeslot win over 2GB between 9am and midday. Would’ve been even better for this to have happened when Ray Hadley was still on, but congratulations nonetheless go to Ty Frost for outrating Mark Levy.

The station will also be pretty happy that “The More Music Breakfast Show” with Bogart Torelli and Emma Duxbury just managed to edge ahead of Jonesy & Amanda in the shares. Hopefully this result along with Christian O’Connell’s rising ratings in Melbourne, won’t tempt ARN to do a two-city simulcast of brekky in 2026.

Now we’ve had a full survey of it, probably safe to say 2DayFM’s “Today AF” format isn’t really clicking with Sydney listeners. As breakfast also lost ground it probably can’t afford to (plus Jimmy & Nath’s rather crude tampon joke…), I’d say there’s likely an above average change of 104.1 Sydney getting another new brekky show this August!

Speaking of declining ratings, Classic Hits 2UE and SEN 1170 – is it time for all relevant parties to consider canvassing the idea of a frequency change (and possible rebirth of the 2CH brand in the process)? Heaven knows a swap between 954 and 1170 would at least generate some publicity/interest around two stations which don’t get all that much of it!

Interesting results indeed.

Don’t think SCA are too worried about 2Day’s format given that they’ve grown their shares in 18-24 and 25-39 demos; but those Breakfast and Drive numbers would be a concern and does reiterate a view that some of the current on-air talent don’t really suit the new format.

For ARN, looking at the (small) increase for K&J in Melbourne and the drops in Breakfast for KIIS973 and Mix 102.3, I wonder if they’re thinking more seriously now about biting the bullet and networking K&J into Brisbane and Adelaide next year? And as for Christian on Gold 101.7; he’s great and I think he would be successful in Sydney, but I think ARN might want to focus on bedding down one networked Breakfast show first before it turns to adding another.

And Nine must surely be a little worried that 3AW has lost its supremacy!? It’s one thing for 2GB to have dropped behind the music stations (has been happening on and off for years), but 3AW has been unassailable for decades!

@SydneyCityTV – I can’t see ACE / Nine agreeing to a frequency swap with SEN for 2UE as there’s no upside for them moving to 1170AM. The only time such swaps happen successfully is when the same owner holds both the stronger and weaker frequencies. Unless SEN comes along with truckloads of cash to ‘buy’ the 954AM frequency (or even 2UE’s licence off Nine), why would ACE / Nine agree to a swap?

Just looking at ARN’s results – number 1 in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, number 1 FM breakfast and number 1 25-54 in Sydney (and Brisbane, where they were consistently the top station a few years ago, has become the ugly duckling). Hardly think they’re performing badly.

An interesting suggestion from SydneyCityTV.

I would, however add that SEN would probably have to effectively buy the frequency of 2UE, if not the station itself, to get that superior spot.

I would also suggest a ‘2UE 1170’ infers reinforcing the heritage of two great old stations rather than one. Kind of like: the ‘Wests Tigers’ of radio.