When Mediaweek asked Greg Byrnes to sum up Nine Radio’s latest survey, he didn’t reach for numbers first. Instead, he leaned into philosophy. “People turn us on and rely on us at all times of the day and all times of the week,” he said, “and we put a lot of pride in delivering with TSL right across the week.”
It’s a fitting statement for a network finishing the year with two of Australia’s most dominant breakfast shows and a strong showing across Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.
READ MORE: Sydney Radio Ratings 2025 Survey 7
3AW steadies, mornings surge
Byrnes was quick to play down any concern about 3AW breakfast’s tiny dip from 20.3% to 20.1%.
“Breakfast down ever so slightly but remaining in the 20s,” he said, describing it as exactly the kind of resilience the station banks on.
The bigger story, he told Mediaweek, was mornings – where Tom Elliott jumped from 15.5% to 17.0%.
“Tom’s been around long enough to know how the ratings work,” Byrnes said. “There is consistent strength in his numbers and he’s made it his own shift.”
Afternoons with Tony Moclair (11.1%) and Jacqui Felgate’s Drive show (10.9%) continue to lock down the daytime audience. “The results Jackie is achieving are remarkable. And the same with Tony,” he said.
3AW also edged up overall from 14.6 to 14.7 to retain its #1 position.
READ MORE: Melbourne Radio Ratings 2025 Survey 7
Fordham ‘dominated the year’ as 2GB holds Sydney
Over in Sydney, 2GB breakfast delivered another commanding performance – 16.8, unchanged from last book and comfortably ahead of the field.
Byrnes didn’t hold back when asked about Ben Fordham’s streak. “He’s sitting over four points above compared to the nearest rival. It’s the biggest margin Ben’s had for some time. He’s certainly dominated the year.”
He also pointed to soaring engagement: “The TSL – the time spent listening – is the best it’s been. It’s almost five hours, and those who are listening are listening longer, and that’s a direct testament to the content.”
Mornings host Mark Levy also climbed, from 14.9 to 15.8, a result Byrnes said it exactly the confidence boost a first-year drive host needs: “What a wonderful way to go into a Christmas break… Levi to do that result today is wonderful.”
Locked-in lineup, open-ended future
When the conversation shifted to the future of Nine’s radio assets, Byrnes kept his language deliberately narrow. “They’re [Nine] are looking at a variety of options – selling or retaining. That’s being run by the CEO, and I don’t know any more.”
That caution reflects the swirl of speculation around the strategic review now underway.
As reported by The Australian, Nine has received as many as a dozen expressions of interest for its radio network, some lodged even before the review was formally announced in September, when CEO Matt Stanton confirmed the company had received “a number of unsolicited offers” for its audio assets.
Recent reports claimed a verbal agreement had been reached with a consortium led by adman John Singleton, with speculation of a bid in the $25–30 million range, accusations a source told Mediaweek were false.
A network built on habit, loyalty and length of listening
Across the conversation, Byrnes kept returning to one theme: connection. Not just reach, but the intimacy and consistency that talk listeners build with their favourite shows.
And as the latest numbers show – with breakfast in the 20s in Melbourne, 2GB miles ahead in Sydney and rising TSL across the network – that “companionship radio” strategy continues to pay off.