Southern Cross Austereo (SCA) is betting on consistency, local content, and a sharper focus on Sydney to build on its Survey 1 radio ratings result, according to the company’s Head of Content – Broadcast, Matthew O’Reilly.
Speaking to Mediaweek after the release of the latest Survey 1 figures, O’Reilly said SCA’s strong start to 2026 was tied to a stable programming strategy and a clear focus on the 25–54 audience.
Why SCA says its 2026 strategy is working
O’Reilly said the company made very few changes between 2025 and 2026, which helped create momentum across the network.
“It comes back to our overarching strategy,” he said. “We were really consistent with our line-up, with very minimal changes from 2025 to 2026.”
He said that consistency had been supported by a strong emphasis on local breakfast shows and locally led content.
“I think it’s that consistency, and also the fact we’ve really prioritised local breakfast shows and local content,” O’Reilly said. “We’re starting to see both that consistency and that localism, as well as a laser focus on the audience that matters, which is 25 to 54, start to pay off.”
Sydney remains the main growth market
O’Reilly identified Sydney as the market with the biggest upside for SCA, both in ratings and revenue, as major breakfast changes continue to reshape the city’s radio landscape.
He said recent movement across rival stations had created an opening for both 2DayFM and Triple M.
2DayFM’s Nath & Emma breakfast show (Nathan Roye & Emma Chow)
“There’s been a heap of movement in Sydney, and I think there’s only more to come,” O’Reilly said.
He noted that the full impact of recent line-up changes in the market may not be clear until later in the year.
“Fitzy, Wippa and Kate did the bulk of this Survey 1 period, and Kyle and Jackie O were on for most of Survey 2, so it’s really June before we see the full effects of those changes,” he said.
For 2DayFM, O’Reilly said SCA sees a chance to own the pop culture conversation in Sydney.
“From a 2DayFM point of view, it’s the first time in 25 years that the pop culture area is up for grabs, and we firmly want to win that at 2DayFM,” he said.
He said the station planned to lean further into reality TV, celebrity coverage and local storylines.
“We’ll do more MAFS, more celeb gossip, and more pop culture than anyone else, and mix that in with the local tug-of-wars and the chicken shop wars the show’s been doing,” O’Reilly said. “We think we’ve got a really good formula to capitalise on that audience.”
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Triple M also sees an opening
O’Reilly said Triple M also has an opportunity in Sydney, particularly among male listeners.
“And specifically around Triple M, I think there are males really up for the taking in Sydney,” he said. “Kyle had strong male appeal, as did Fitzy and Wippa.”
He also pointed to the long-standing connection several Sydney radio figures have had with the brand.
“Jonesy and Amanda were both originally Triple M staff, and Beau was the fill-in for Kyle for a number of years,” O’Reilly said.
“Our strategy is to try and get as many of those males to come to us as possible.”
O’Reilly also referenced SCA’s recent outdoor campaign in Sydney, describing it as self-aware as much as strategic.
“We thought that billboard was a bit of fun,” he said. “It highlighted that everyone else was changing while also laughing at ourselves.”
Triple M Sydney’s cheeky billboard campaign
No concern over Lu and Jarch rumours
Asked about speculation surrounding Lu and Jarch and a possible move to ARN, O’Reilly said he did not see that as a risk to SCA.
“I don’t think that’ll happen,” he said. “Just based on a few factors – confidential factors – I don’t think that move would happen.”
Triple M’s Lu & Jarch
He said both he and SCA Chief Content Officer Dave Cameron (who is now at ARN working as their Director of Content – Metro Radio) had been involved in bringing the pair to the business and believed they were settled in their current roles.
“They’re only about eight months into their journey with us, and I think they’re very happy doing what they’re doing,” O’Reilly said. “I don’t think that’s a risk for us.”
Where SCA still sees room to grow
While O’Reilly said Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth had been relatively stable markets for SCA, he made clear that Sydney would remain the company’s main area of focus in 2026.
“Definitely Sydney,” he said. “Sydney’s the market with the most ratings upside and also the most revenue upside for us.”
He said Melbourne’s Triple M breakfast show, led by Mick Molloy, was still early in its development but already showing signs of becoming established.
“We know the Triple M breakfast show in Melbourne is only 12 months old, but Mick already feels like a heritage figure there, as do Fifi, Fev and Nick,” O’Reilly said.
Even so, he said the clearest commercial and audience opportunity remained in New South Wales.
“For us, it’s a firm focus on Sydney, and we see that as the biggest opportunity for growth,” O’Reilly said.
Main image: Matty O’Reilly