SCA’s Matthew O’Reilly: Great results and ‘weird’ results from Survey 6

Matthew O'Reilly. Image: SCA

Some things in life have no logical explanation, and radio survey results are often one of them.

The wash-up from GfK Survey 6 has certainly left SCA Head of Broadcast Content Matthew O’Reilly scratching his head.

While Triple M enjoyed a strong finish to the season with both its AFL and NRL coverage, O’Reilly noticed some odd results.

Take, for example, The Rush Hour, Triple M’s sport-focused Drive show. Normally in September, Triple M’s best results go hand-in-hand with footy finals. But O’Reilly says there were some weird drops in some markets this time around.

“The one that really surprised me was Brisbane, where we had the Broncos win the NRL (Grand Final) and the Lions win the AFL … and sort of … the sports-based show went backwards,” O’Reilly notes in his post-survey chat with Radioinfo’s Steve Ahern.

O’Reilly says there’s no cause for concern. It’s just that it’s … well, yes … weird.

He notes that the Triple M brand has evolved in recent years and today is much less blue collar than it once was.

“Our female-male split of cume is about 55% male, 45% female. It’s definitely an evolving brand that doesn’t just rely on tradies like it once did.”

O’Reilly says SCA continues to dominate ‘the audience that matters’ – in other words, the 25 to 54 demographic. It’s an oft-used slogan, which, as he explains, refers to agencies.

“(With) 70% of our sales briefs, we have 25 to 54 demographic written on it. Essentially, if we win that, we’re going to win a larger percentage of sales briefs.”

O’Reilly is full of praise for The Fox’s Fifi, Fev & Nick – who grew their Breakfast share – as well as Hit Network duo Carrie & Tommy, who reclaimed the crown as Brisbane’s #1 Drive show with a 13.7% share and enjoyed strong growth nationally.

He says Carrie Bickmore and Tommy Little not only have great on-air chemistry, they’re never afraid to champion a cause.

“I think what their show provides is a level of fun, a level of escapism to end the day, which is exactly what I want at the end of my day – just some fun and some light-hearted content.”