Nine Radio’s two biggest talk brands remain market leaders, but Survey 8 delivered a sharp reminder of how exposed spoken-word radio can be to seasonality.
In Sydney, 2GB was the clear outlier of the survey, slipping back overall from 13.8 to 11.2.
The station still held onto the number one position at breakfast, but even there the pressure showed, easing from 16.8 in Survey 7 to 14.9.
The fall made 2GB the biggest mover in the survey, down 2.6 points, while smoothfm 95.3 was the standout gainer, up 1.6 points.
Melbourne followed a similar pattern.
3AW remained the city’s dominant station but softened overall, sliding from 14.7 to 13.9.
Breakfast remained emphatically on top despite a marginal dip from 20.1 to 19.8, with Gold 104.3 the biggest gainer in the market, up 0.8, while 3AW was the biggest mover down.
For Nine Radio National Content Manager Greg Byrnes, the falls were neither unexpected nor alarming. Instead, he framed Survey 8 as a familiar summer reality for talk stations.
“Traditionally, summer is a bit more music-oriented,” Byrnes told Mediaweek.
“And it’s always been that music does better. So as it gets warmer, it can be a bit tougher for us, and certainly Survey 8, there’s a bit of a move towards lighter music.”
2GB’s Ben Fordham
A summer shaped by news, weather and Bondi
Beyond seasonality, Byrnes said the past few months had delivered an unusually heavy and complex news environment, reshaping how audiences engaged with radio.
“Obviously, the summer was like no other off the back of the Bondi Massacre,” he said.
Survey 8, he noted, effectively closes out the year for radio.
“ And we had a wonderful year in Sydney and Melbourne. Streaming dominated, as did the Breakfast and Morning programmes in Sydney and Melbourne.”
Byrnes pointed to weather-driven emergencies and rolling national stories as central to listener behaviour over the summer.
“Particularly in the larger markets, weather was a factor right across the country as it tends to be this time of year. And that becomes such a key programming ingredient. Monitoring and providing reassurance and giving the latest information,” he said.
“If you think of the cyclone in Queensland and the bushfires in Victoria. That kept us busy. But then overriding all of that was Bondi, which was very much a major story right across the country, right over the break.”
The expectation on talk radio, Byrnes added, doesn’t disappear over summer.
“The audience expects it. Reassurance, information, companionship,” he said.
News cycles still matter
That expectation only intensified as political and social issues carried through the holiday period.
“It was a pretty dark couple of weeks in the lead-up to Christmas. And then politically, there was a narrative that played right throughout Christmas and New Year. And that will be continuing right through into the new year,” Byrnes said.
“And it can be confronting, it can be exhausting for our listeners. But we have a responsibility to provide that information, analysis and commentary around it, and that’s what we do.”
Despite the intensity, Byrnes said audiences never fully switched off.
“I think everyone has felt that they haven’t totally disconnected over this summer,” he said. “It’s more of the same. It’s local. It’s live.”
Perth and Brisbane still in reset mode
While Sydney and Melbourne absorbed seasonal softness from a position of strength, the picture was more fragile in Perth and Brisbane.
In Perth, 6PR edged up overall from 5.1 to 5.2, while breakfast continued its gradual recovery, lifting from 7.7 to 8.5.
The station has been in the middle of a broader reset, with a run of presenter changes ahead of 2025–26, including Jamie Burnett moving into Drive, Tod Johnston returning to middays, and Simon Beaumont’s morning slot being reduced.
“It was a tough year for 6PR and for 4BC,” Byrnes acknowledged. “But we certainly feel that we’ve reset in relation to shifts and presenters in both of those markets.”
In Brisbane, 4BC remained at the lower end of the market. Overall share held at 5.2, while breakfast sat subdued at 4.6, with no fresh surge following its previous lift.
Byrnes said both markets were still works in progress.
“Big changes in Perth and Brisbane, really exciting changes,” he said. “New sound, returning to a more traditional format, but shift line-up in Perth. New Breakfast show, new Morning show, new Afternoon show in Brisbane. It’s an exciting 12 months ahead for 4BC.”
Eyes on 2026
Looking ahead, Byrnes said Nine Radio’s ambition was straightforward: protect dominance where it exists, and rebuild patiently where it doesn’t.
“We’re in a really good position, we feel, right across the network heading into ’26,” he said.
“If we can repeat what we did last year in Sydney and Melbourne, it would be another really impressive, remarkable result. And if we can maintain the dominance in Sydney, Melbourne and build an audience in Brisbane and Perth, if we got to the end of this year and that was the case, it would be another successful year for us.”