After a turbulent year for ARN, one marked by cost cuts, competitive pressure, and the announcement of CEO Ciaran Davis’s departure, Chief Audience and Content Officer Lauren Joyce says the network is focused on stability and rebuilding audience momentum heading into 2026.
Her comments come after a mixed Survey 6 for ARN: KIIS continued its FM breakfast dominance in Sydney, but the network faced market softness elsewhere as 2GB reclaimed the overall crown and 3AW extended its Melbourne lead.
Holding ground in Sydney
In Sydney, KIIS 1065 posted an overall share of 9.8%, down from 11.1%, with a weekly cume of 1.119 million listeners, a fall of 46,000. On Breakfast, Kyle & Jackie O remained the undisputed FM leaders despite easing from 15.3% to 13.6%.
Joyce said that while there were fluctuations, the consistency of ARN’s Sydney brands remains encouraging.
“I think that Jonesy and Amanda in particular have done a really good job of holding things really steady this book,” she told Mediaweek.
The team, who will move to the Drive shift in 2026 to make way for Melbourne’s Christian O’Connell, recorded 8.1% this survey, compared to last survey’s 8.2%.
“We’ve seen some ups and downs across the market, so for them to remain consistent is a really good thing.”
“I think that shows that the product obviously has that 25–54 appeal, which is what we want. So, I’m with where that’s landed,” Joyce said.
Kyle and Jackie O
KIIS holds but growth slows
Joyce said KIIS’s FM dominance continues, but audience growth has tapered after several strong books.
“On KIIS in Sydney, Kyle and Jackie O have now recorded 54 survey wins. They’re also just so far and away ahead of the competition,” she said.
“ On a 25–54 basis, it’s more than 10 share points between them and the next show. And then on a 10+ basis, they’re 4.4 points ahead of the closest competitor.”
Meanwhile, it’s a different story in Melbourne, where KIIS 101.1 dipped slightly from 5.6% to 4.9%, but added 21,000 listeners, reaching 967,000 weekly cume. Kyle and Jackie O Breakfast show softened to 6% (from 6.1%).
It’s movement… barely.
But Joyce isn’t too bothered, adding it’s important not to judge results in isolation.
“I try not to look at one survey on a standalone basis,” she said. “If you actually look at today’s result, it’s not outside of our historical performance range. There’s many highs in there that I’m happy with, and I’ll focus on what we need to do to capitalise on those.”
As for the grand national plan? Well, according to Joyce that’s still in place, albeit with a few caveats: “I’ve always said the show stands on its own two feet. It’s universally entertaining content and, you know, when the time is right, we’ll absolutely be playing it to its strengths.”
Meanwhile, Melbourne’s sister station Gold 104.3 once again proved a rock-solid performer for ARN, steady at 11.2% overall, with a cume rise of 71,000 to 1.224 million listeners. The Christian O’Connell Breakfast Show also climbed from 10.1% to 10.9%, reinforcing its position among Melbourne’s strongest FM programs. And soon Sydney’s, if those stats are anything to go by.
Resetting for 2026 amid leadership change
Joyce described 2025 as a “rebase” year – one focused on cutting costs, refining content strategy, and rebuilding ARN’s momentum.
“I think the Upfronts (set to be held later this month) represent a really great moment in time for ARN,” she said.
“It’s no secret that we’ve had a really tough year and we’ve worked incredibly hard to kind of rebase the business, taking a lot of cost out and evolve with the media market.”
Her comments come as ARN prepares for a major leadership transition: long-time CEO Davis will step down in early 2026, with Michael Stephenson, the network’s current COO and former Nine commercial chief, set to take the reins.
Joyce said the change, combined with ARN’s 2026 roadmap, marks a turning point for the business.
“Looking ahead to 2026, we couldn’t be more excited. In a couple of weeks’ time, we’ll be revealing a lot of our plans, then it’ll be the catalyst for momentum going into 2026,” she said.
“This is the real kind of line in the sand for ARN and allows us to step up and move forward as a business.”