Radio Ratings

Sydney

• 2GB on a roll – Ben Fordham and Ray Hadley dominate market
• Nova and smoothfm breakfast shows tumble, Wendy & Robbie climb

See More: Sydney Radio Ratings 2021, Survey 6: 2GB on a Roll with big wins

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Melbourne

• New highs at 3AW, Gold remains clear #1FM in anniversary year

See More: Melbourne Radio Ratings 2021: Gold remains clear #1FM in anniversary year

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Brisbane

• Nova breaks free from the pack, 4KQ now #2 breakfast & 10+

See More: Brisbane Radio Ratings 2021, Survey 6: Nova breaks free from the pack

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Adelaide

• MIX remains #1 10+ and #1 FM breakfast, David & Will down

See More: Adelaide Radio Ratings 2021, Survey 6: MIX remains #1

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Perth

• Nova recovers to again lead overall and in breakfast, 96FM recovers

See More: Perth Radio Ratings 2021, Survey 6: Nova 93.7 returns to the top

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Covid claimed many FM stations across the Survey 6 radio ratings. There was one notable exception, and ARN was able to claim the #1 network trophy again for share and the margin for the #1 network in cume, claimed again by Nova Entertainment, was razor-thin.

“Our FM stations did see an impact [from Covid] this survey, but it was nowhere near as great as it was last year,” ARN’s chief content officer Duncan Campbell told Mediaweek.

And the impact was nowhere near as great as the hurt felt at Nova Entertainment. Three of SCA’s four stations in lockdown actually lifted, but it was off a very low base and hardly qualifies, yet, as a ratings rally.

ARN was claiming the start of a third year as the #1 network in share.

Campbell continued: “Gold and WSFM have really held their ground and Gold even managed to grow. I put that down to what I call a bit of Covid fatigue. While there has been a drift to the talk stations, the classic hits format has continued to resonate with listeners. Something that smoothfm wasn’t able to benefit from interestingly.”

Campbell also noted his stations have momentum, something he said ARN has worked hard to build over the past few years. “We took some risks and we have had some luck. We also signed our talent to long-term contracts which secures that consistency. This year there hasn’t been any changes to key shows.”

One station Campbell is keeping an eye on is KIIS Melbourne breakfast where Lauren Phillips is settling in alongside Jason Hawkins. As to what Campbell looks at when assessing early audience feedback, he mentioned cume. “The cume has usually been very strong for KIIS 101.1, and it went up nearly 50,000 which is a good thing. Now we have the cume, we just need to deliver the audience and have them listen longer.

“We need to change from having a P2 audience, which means it’s a station they listen to some of the time. We are therefore focussing on a different execution of content. We are also driving the familiarity of Lauren. She has been a great addition and the dynamics between Jason and Lauren are very good.”

Campbell added KIIS Melbourne breakfast is his primary focus at present.

The most extraordinary ARN result continues to be at 4KQ which is #2 overall behind only Nova in 10+ and breakfast share.

Campbell noted two reasons for the success: “The product is great and the digital platform many listen to the station on now love it in stereo instead of what used to be AM mono.

“The music at 4KQ is very good and the music director Brent James is very passionate about the station. Laurel Edwards is also a great broadcaster and has been in breakfast for a long time.”

Edwards co-hosts with Gary Clare and Mark Hine. James doubles as the 4KQ evening host.

Paul Jackson on Nova & smoothfm radio ratings

Nova Entertainment claimed to rank #1 metro network in cume. The margin has slipped to just 168,000 though. (The gap was 404,000 in Survey 5.)

The Nova Entertainment stations felt the brunt of the Sydney and Melbourne lockdown more than anybody. Nine Radio went up, ARN and SCA were steady, but Nova sunk.

Speaking to Nova Entertainment chief programming and marketing officer Paul Jackson on survey day, he smiled when Mediaweek suggested maybe he should have stayed in bed.

However Jackson did have a good explanation about the key market performance, and there’s not much wrong with Nova’s market-leading stations in Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide.

“As a programmer, you look at today’s result and shake your head. Nobody ever wants to go down. After listening to all the shows in Sydney and Melbourne I have no concern that there is an issue with the product. Our cume numbers indicate we still have a big audience, but they are not listening as long because of things like there have been no school runs during lockdown. The family radio we broadcast in breakfast is geared for the school run and school runs have totally evaporated.”

Post-lockdown radio ratings recovery

“At smoothfm we are a lot about workplace listening and during lockdown there has not been much workplace listening going on.

“I would expect a recovery by Survey 8 at the latest when you could normally expect us to be #1 in Sydney and #2 in Melbourne.

“If Nova isn’t a couple of points higher by the end of the year I’ll acknowledge that there might be a product issue. If you flashback to the first three surveys this year and we had two of our biggest network numbers ever for Nova.”

When asked about the performance of ARN, Jackson said: “When you have personality breakfast shows like Kyle and Jackie O or Jonesy and Amanda, they could be the type of shows that with tradies and workers who are able to be up and about, those are the shows that will probably do better.

“If these were Survey 3 numbers this year I’d be horrified if Nova had a decline like this. But in lockdown this is what I expect.”

When asked if Nova needs to pull the lever harder on marketing spend, Jackson said they currently have Nova TV ads on air across October.

Top photo: C&J – Christian and Jack win their 11th consecutive breakfast survey at Gold

Nine Radio is getting used to being a magnet for listeners during big news events like lockdowns. When asked if the stations are employing a strategy to lock in some of the extra listeners, Nine Radio head of content Greg Byrnes gave Mediaweek three words: “Live and local.”

Byrnes explained: “That is the strategy. We can put it in station promos, but we have to make sure we actually do it day in and day out.

“Our stations can also get stuff done. People power is a wonderful thing – we can help get decisions overturned and we can hold people to account. If we are putting presenters on air who are passionate about achieving that, it’s a recipe for success.”

Being on the spot when local news breaks is also one of the attractions for listeners, Byrnes explained: “That’s the beauty of the larger association with Nine. We have an even bigger network of news resources around the country and around the world. Each of our radio stations has on the road reporters, but being able to utilise the resources of the Nine Network gives us real extra strength.”

That network includes TV and newspaper reporters. “It’s a wonderful resource to be able to call on,” added Byrnes.

The key players at the Sydney and Melbourne stations all performed well. Ray Hadley in particular had a blinder, share pushing above 20% for the fourth time in his career at 2GB. Byrnes: “He’s been remarkable on air during the vaccine debate, and Ray leads with his chin every day. People don’t give talk presenters enough credit for presenting strong opinion on a daily basis. Ray accepts the challenge and takes them all on.” Hadley is also a strong performer in Brisbane where he is #2 in mornings, not far behind 4KQ meaning AM stations rule Brisbane radio in that timeslot.

The AFL and NRL results have been good in both markets. “We are #1 for AFL in Melbourne and the Continuous Call Team is really strong in Sydney.”

The results of both AFL and NRL Grand Finals and the lead-ups and aftermaths will be felt in Survey 7. Byrnes noted their stations won’t be carrying any cricket commentary during The Ashes. “We will have regular updates and Mark Taylor will play a prominent role in our Wide World of Sports programs in Sydney and Brisbane across the summer.”

Nine Radio’s nighttime warriors

Continuing pillars of strength across the east coast stations are the evening shows – Denis Walter in Melbourne and John Stanley in Sydney and Brisbane. “Part of what those shows do is offer companionship and we are so lucky to also have Tod Johnston at 6PR in addition to John and Denis.”

The breakdowns for these announcers in their 8pm to midnight slots tell the story:

3AW  25.7%  Denis Walter #1
2GB  31.4%  John Stanley #1
4BC  15.0%  John Stanley #1
6PR  14.1%  Tod Johnston #2

Just one week ago the ABC Radio Sydney breakfast hosts, Wendy Harmer and Robbie Buck, announced this will be the last year they will present their show. The move shocked their large Sydney audience as the breakfast co-hosts told their listeners they had made the decision to “go out on a high” with their last show scheduled for Friday 10 December 2021.

This morning Robbie and Wendy shared with their audience news about who would be taking over their breakfast timeslot.

Just before they made the reveal, which they had been touting since they started on air at 6.15am today, Robbie Buck had a quick chat about radio ratings. “It’s not something we normally talk about, but the results yesterday were thought to be the highest-ever at the station.”

The Survey 6 breakfast result saw ABC Sydney on 15.7%, up 1.7 from 14.0% in the previous survey. The only show outperforming the station at that time of day is 2GB’s Ben Fordham.

As to a comment from one listener this morning about why they are leaving when ratings are so high, Wendy and Robbie responded: “Our job here is done,” joked the dynamic duo.

As to the new announcer, Robbie Buck explained again how the decision to leave was all their own.

Getting the breakfast role is current longtime afternoon host, James Valentine. “We are so glad it is you,” said the current breakfast hosts who welcomed Valentine to the show.

Valentine joked about how he has had to work for 23 years at the station – one year in morning and then 22 years in afternoon – before getting the promotion.

“What I am going to do in breakfast…I haven’t a clue. We will find out together,” he promised listeners.

Valentine added: “When I first worked at the station in the mid-90s, it was Clive Robertson, then Phil Clarke, with Andrew Olle on afterwards. Angela Catterns, Adam Spencer, Wendy and Robbie — that’s a legacy to build on and I’m excited and grateful for the opportunity.

“I know I’m going to love doing breakfast. It’s a completely different time of the day, so it will be completely different radio.”

New ABC Sydney breakfast show hours

While Valentine gets’ ABC Sydney breakfast, he has new hours. He will be on air at 6.15am after early AM and will stay until 9am, returning for 30 minutes after AM ends at 8.30am.

ABC Sydney morning host get extra hour

Cassie McCullagh gets a new morning show at ABC Sydney, hosting from 9am. Since joining the ABC in 2007, McCullagh has presented and produced a wide range of programs for Radio National, Local Radio and Classic FM. She currently hosts a daily one hour ABC Sydney show starting at 10am. McCullagh’s new show will run for two hours from 9am.

Who replaces James Valentine?

One of the favourites tipped to replace Wendy and Robbie, Josh Szeps, has been given Valentine’s afternoon slot from 12.30pm to 3.30pm. Szeps inherits the #1 Sydney afternoon show from Valentine after the station recorded a share of 12.7% in Survey 6.

See also: Robbie Buck and Wendy Harmer to leave ABC Radio Sydney Breakfast

ABC Radio released the full 2022 program scheme

Breakfast with James Valentine (6.15am – 8.00am).
AM (8.00am – 8.30am).
Breakfast with James Valentine (8.30am -9.00am).
Mornings with Cassie McCullagh (9.00am – 11.00am).
Conversations with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski (11.00am – 12.00pm).
The World Today (12.00pm – 12.30pm).
Afternoons with Josh Szeps (12.30pm – 3.30pm).
Drive with Richard Glover (3.30pm – 6.30pm).
PM (6.30pm – 7.00pm).
Evenings with Sarah Macdonald (7.00pm – 10.00pm).
Friday and Saturday Evenings with Sirine Demachkie and Christine Anu.
Nightlife with Phil Clark and Indira Naidoo (10.00pm – 2.00am).
Overnights with Trevor Chappell and Rod Quinn (2.00am – 6.00am).
Weekend Breakfast with Simon Marnie (Saturdays 6.00am – 8.00am).
This Week (Saturdays 8.00am – 8.30am).
Weekend Mornings with Simon Marnie (8.30am – 12.00pm).
Australia All Over with Ian ‘Macca’ McNamara (Sundays 5.30am – 10.00am).
Weekend Mornings with Simon Marnie (10.00am – 12.00pm).

Mediaweek reported just last month that Nine Radio announced that 4BC will swap frequencies with sister station 4BH, moving to 882 AM. 4BH moves up the dial to 1116 AM.

This is the first time a radio station in Brisbane has ever swapped frequencies, and 4BC’s new position on the dial is effective from Friday, October 8, at 8.08am.

That day has arrived and the station saw the move happen this morning during Neil Breen’s 4BC breakfast show.

On air at 4BH was Stevie Jacobs who has networked music show which is also heard on Melbourne’s Magic 1278 and Sydney’s 2UE. It can also be heard in Perth on DAB+ station 6GT.

The first track played on the new 4BH was “Get It On” from T. Rex.

4BC has been running a major awareness campaign for the past few weeks, with on-air promos featuring Neil Breen and a print advertising campaign. From today, 4BC will be giving away $882 a day to listeners in a daily breakfast competition.

Neil Breen explained to listeners the talk radio station also has a new phone number: 133-882

4BC content manager, Max Dudley, said: “We have made the decision to move 4BC down the dial to 882 AM to enhance the listening experience of our loyal talk radio listeners. Whether they’re on the move, at work, or listening from home, audiences right across the south-east will now have better access to our live and local programming throughout the day.”

Flicking the switch during a special stunt on 4BC this morning was the couple Nine Radio has been promoting as the King and Queen of Brisbane – Wally Lewis and Hayley Lewis. They are also Cannon Hill locals, the Brisbane suburb where 4BC and 4BH broadcast from.

Breen was reading out messages from loyal listeners who were looking forward to having a better signal – including the Gold Coast and Bribie Island.

4BC went to the 8am news as usual. It came out of the news at 8.07am and then threw to Wally and Hayley who flicked over a giant switch to highlight the frequency move.

Top photo: 4BC’s Neil Breen with Hayley Lewis and Wally Lewis ahead of the switch to 882 AM

See also: Brisbane’s 4BC to swap frequencies, moving to 882 AM in October

After six years as the director of news, analysis, and investigations at the ABC, Gaven Morris, has announced he will leave the ABC when his contract expires.

Morris began working as a reporter aged 20, working for outlets including the Canberra Times and the 10 Network, and then internationally at CNN in London and Al Jazeera – whose launch he was involved in.

He eventually came back to the ABC in 2008, and was appointed director of the news division in October 2015.

His impact on the platform is clear to see. ABC News has now been Australia’s No 1 digital news brand since January 2020 in overall monthly unique audience, and also on smartphones and among women. ABC News was first ranked the top online news brand five years ago with a unique audience in July 2016 of 6.5 million Australians, or 33% of the active online population.

See More: Audience update: ABC News reports record numbers online, TV and radio

“Gaven’s contribution to the ABC has been enormous,” ABC managing director, David Anderson, wrote in an email to staff.

“His strategic vision and boundless drive and energy have been integral to a string of achievements, including leading the 2010 launch of the ABC News channel; spearheading ABC News’s rise to digital excellence; creating the journalistic powerhouses of ABC investigations and the specialist reporting team; fostering News’s culture of diversity and inclusion; and driving the strategy to make News’s content and services more relevant to all Australians.”

Gaven Morris said in an email to staff that he will be staying on in the role until somebody else is found to replace him.

“I’ve provided David [Anderson] with plenty of notice and I’ll continue to serve the ABC for as long as he needs me to,” he said. “I’ll keep you updated on the recruitment process for the next director over the coming weeks.”

“To have had the opportunity to lead ABC News is a personal and career highlight. It’s without doubt a challenging job, but also fulfilling and worthwhile. I’ve given it my all.”

A new partnership between Domino’s, Gogglebox, Wavemaker and Foxtel Media will see Domino’s pizza, sides and drinks will make their way into the hands (and mouths) of Australia’s favourite Gogglebox families. 

While Domino’s has been a long-term brand partner of Foxtel Media, this is the chain’s first national, integrated, 360 campaign. The campaign will include show moments delivered through billboards, social media, commercials and commercial playouts which will highlight the cheesiest moments of the Gogglebox season.  

The new season has already proved to be a success, with the premiere episode’s audience up by 5% when it compared to the previous season. This comes despite Gogglebox having to adjust their format due to ongoing stay-at-home orders across some states. With some household members Goggleboxing virtually this season, the campaign highlights the shared viewing experiences and delicious food that can help us feel connected and together. 

Sarah Lattouf, head of entertainment partnerships at Foxtel Media said, “It really is the ideal time for families to escape a little bit and share those moments on the couch while binging their favourite weekly program and enjoying several slices of pizza. While the program itself has had to pivot slightly, we have still managed to bring Australia’s favourite households together- even if it is virtually.”

Teneille Rudd, Domino’s senior brand manager AU/NZ said, “We loved the concept of integrating into Gogglebox. Domino’s is all about spending quality time with loved ones while partaking in enjoyable activities, and the families and friends on Gogglebox really embody this idea. 

“The integration also allows for a wide-ranging campaign that extends beyond the original broadcast of the show. We have those special, cheesy moments in the show itself that are then carried through social media, standalone TV commercials, and commercial playouts. It enables us to really extend the life of this brilliant campaign and reach a massive audience through Foxtel platforms.” 

ABC is gearing up for the return of the political drama series Total Control.  Launching Sunday 7 November at 8.40pm, the new series features powerhouse performances from two of Australia’s popular, multi award-winning actors Deborah Mailman and Rachel Griffiths. 

Applauded by critics and embraced by audiences, the first season saw political newcomer Alex Irving (Deborah Mailman) engineer a remarkable coup against Rachel Anderson (Rachel Griffiths), the Prime Minister who appointed her to the Senate. 

In season two, both Alex and Rachel find themselves treading different political paths in the corridors of power.  After being dumped by her own party, Rachel relies on strategist Nick Pearce (Alex Dimitriades) to guide her political ambitions, while Alex finds herself surrounded by a new team, led by her brother Charlie (Rob Collins).  But politics can be a nasty business.  Will Alex’s determination and the tenacity of her grass-roots driven team be enough? Can she survive a system determined to shake everything she values?  And can these political adversaries become political allies?

Reprising their roles in Blackfella Films’ critically acclaimed series are; Rob Collins, Wes Patten, Anthony Hayes, William McInnes, Huw Higginson and Lisa Flanagan.  They will be joined in the corridors of power by an exciting line-up of Australian talent including; comedian Steph Tisdell in her first dramatic role, Wayne Blair (who also directs) Rob Carlton, Alex Dimitriades, Daniela Farinacci, Colin Friels, Harry Greenwood, Benedict Hardie, Brenna Harding, Anita Hegh and Vico Thai.

The series is written by a team of writers including Stuart Page, Larissa Behrendt, Angela Betzien, Pip Karmel and Nakkiah Lui.

Filming in Sydney, Canberra – including at Parliament House – and Broken Hill, the new season will premiere on the ABC Sunday 7 November.

In the lead up to season two, all episodes of season one are available to watch now on ABC iview.

New Aussie drama New Gold Mountain (Wednesday on SBS) is another success story from our multicultural broadcaster. Set in the Victorian goldfields during the 1850s, it’s great to finally saw a period drama where the Chinese settlers are more than just background extras.

Starring Yoson An, Alyssa Sutherland, Dan Spileman, Alison Bell and an unrecognisable Rhys Muldoon, New Gold Mountain is an ambitious mix of murder, corruption and snobbery. There is also bigotry from all races, particularly when it comes to the local Indigenous people. Well done SBS.

10 are feel good next week with Celebrity Masterchef (Sunday) and then The Dog House Australia (Tuesday on 10). The latter, narrated by Dr Chris Brown, is a replica of the UK original but with a bit more bogan. Thankfully though there is welcome diversity with the prospective dog owners. Lovely. 

There will need to be a few dogs on Love Island Australia (Monday on Nine) to make its move to the main channel worth the upgrade. If the ratings aren’t all that flash, maybe there will be another Josh and Luke, the twins who have bit off more than they can chew on The Block (Sunday on Nine). 

The Real Housewives of Melbourne (Sunday on FoxArena) opens its fifth season with a shot of the just-closed Melbourne Star Observation Wheel. Let’s hope there is a bit more movement with just three remaining castmates spinning new ways to bring in four new housewives.  

So far there is yoga teacher Cherry, who points to her own head while saying “There’s a lot going on up here”, and champagne-mad Kyla who wants to be the new troublemaker. Episode two will introduce former CNN journalist Anjali Rao who says she is “keen to explore her bisexuality on the show”. Really?

CSI: Vegas (Sunday on 10) is an “epilogue” to the original Crime Scene Investigation series which ended six year ago. This one opens with new Crime Lab boss (Paula Newsome who replaces Marg Helngenberger) getting a severed head in the mail. Her reaction to the gruesome package is how I felt after watching the episode – whatever.

Some icons are out in force this weekend with World Of Madonna’s Madame X (Paramount+) and Hey Hey We’re 50 (Sunday on Seven) but none will be as anticipated as the third season premiere of Succession (Monday on FoxShowcase). It picks up right where it left off and is still as monstrously hilarious as ever.

Next week – How Veneno, the best drama of 2021, quietly snuck onto iView 

Total TV Ratings for September 30, 2021

The top non-news show in the total TV ratings was Home and Away with an average of 1.134m for its first two eps after increasing its overnight ratings by 20%. The third episode had 1.071m after increasing by 22%.

Gogglebox was the top show on 10 with 1.031m after improving by 18%.

On Nine, A Current Affair cracked 1 million after improving by 4% and RBT had 793,000 an increase of 5%.

October 7 Overnight TV Ratings

Primetime News

Nine News 1,019,000/966,000
Seven News 1,001,000/959,000
ABC News 686,000
10 News First 317,000 (5:00pm)/ 199,000 (6:00pm)
SBS World News 139,000 (6:30pm) 124,000 (7:00pm)

Daily current affairs

A Current Affair 740,000
7.30 533,000
The Project 241,000 (6:30pm)/415,000 (7pm)
The Drum 160,000

Breakfast TV

Sunrise 231,000
Today 233,000
News Breakfast 209,000

Late News

Nine News Late 118,000
The Latest 73,000
ABC Late News 73,000

Nine

Nine continued its winning week with a comfortable victory last night. The broadcaster was the top primary channel by over 10 points with 24.4% and also the top network by more than 11 points with 33.3%.

A Current Affair had 740,000 viewers as the show examined the Taliban’s backflip on women’s rights and spoke to Waheedullah Hashimi, an English-speaking Taliban Commander from Kabul who claimed, “we are forgiving people now, we are hugging people”.

On a rare Thursday night episode of The Block (due to the NRL GF),  Josh and Luke were on the verge of conceding defeat just two days out from hallway and laundry reveals, after pool distractions and plasterer drama. Tanya and Vito copped an unexpected hit to their budget when they were forced to pay for cabinetry installation they thought they were getting for free. The episode had an audience of 849,000, making it the top non-news program of the night.

The Tom Cruise action film Jack Reacher then followed with 298,000.

Seven

Home and Away didn’t air its usual triple header this week with fans of the soap having to settle for just one episode last night. The ep was the top entertainment program of the night for Seven with 565,000 viewers.

The women’s international T20 match between Australia and India aired at 7:30 on Seven’s primary channel but the match was called off due to rain during the first innings. The match was declared a draw as India was on its way to a healthy total with 4/131. The match was a rematch of the World Cup final, and the sides have two more matches in the series left to play.

10

The Project had 241,000 (6:30pm) and 415,000 (is 7:00pm) as the show discussed the new reopening plan from the new NSW premier Dominic Perrottet and if regulators have made it harder to get in the housing market.

In place of Making It Australia which has been bumped to the weekends on 10, the broadcaster aired Prince Philip: The Royal Family Remember which brought in 338,000 viewers. Making It had 341,000 viewers in the timeslot last week.

Gogglebox was the top program on 10 with 634,000 viewers.

ABC

A repeat of Foreign Correspondent had 414,000 as Linton Besser visited the exclusion zone to see the devastation of the nuclear meltdown in Chernobyl.

Q+A was live from Sydney with Stan Grant as 281,000 viewers watched the show discuss online crime, misinformation, and the shock departure of Gladys Berejiklian.

SBS

The top program on SBS was a repeat of Lost Temple of the Inca with 155,000 viewers.