Despite a rather lacklustre result in the latest radio ratings, the team at Southern Cross Austereo (SCA) are remaining positive.
With meagre growth recorded across a number of new shows, the network is instead turning its focus to winning what it calls the “audience that matters”, after retaining its dominance in the 25–54 age group.
“When you strip out the ABC, we have a leadership of nearly 36% of the 25–54 audience nationally,” SCA Chief Content Officer Dave Cameron told Mediaweek.
“That’s more than 10 share points ahead of any other commercial competitor. It’s critical for us because that’s where all the advertising money is.”
The Jimmy & Nath Show with Emma
2DayFM sees modest growth as new lineup beds in
In Sydney, 2DayFM lifted its overall share to 4.5% (up from 4.3%), with growth seen in both Breakfast and cumulative audience. The Jimmy & Nath Show with Emma posted a 3.9% Breakfast share, up 0.5 points, with cume growing by 8,000 to 310,000.
For Cameron, the show’s performance is tracking exactly the way he suspected it would and aligns well with the station’s longer-term play.
“We’ve repositioned the whole station to focus on the under-40 demographic,” he said. “We’re happy with the small increases today, and it’s continuing to build momentum.”
He also addressed a rumours about a shift for Nova 969’s Breakfast team of Fitzy & Wippa with Kate Ritchie to 2DayFM.
But Cameron said “I’m really happy with [the current team] very committed to the product that’s currently on air”.
Triple M Sydney and Melbourne: A tale of two cities
Triple M Sydney also faced challenges this survey, with its overall share dropping to 4.9% from 6.4%, and a decrease of 41,000 in cumulative audience, bringing it to 732,000 listeners.
The station’s Breakfast offering of Beau, Cat & Woodsy recorded a 4.4% share, down from 5.9%.
Cameron noted the recent changes (with former co-host Natarsha Belling leaving earlier in the year) but told Mediaweek he remains optimistic: “We only started this show in its current form about six weeks ago. So when I get a slight dip like today, we’re realistic about what that actually means.”
Meanwhile, in Melbourne, Triple M maintained a steady overall share of 6.9%, with a consistent cumulative audience of 778,000.
However, the network’s Breakfast show offering featuring Mick Molloy on Mick in the Morning with Roo, Titus & Rosie experienced a decline, dropping to a 5.9% share from 7.3%.
Figures proved better for the network’s Drive program, The Rush Hour with JB & Billy, which achieved a significant milestone, recording a 10.6% share, the station’s best Drive result since Survey 4 in 2006.
Mick Molloy
Short-term dips, long-term focus
Despite some shows posting worryingly soft numbers, Cameron urged critics to take a longer-term view, particularly for newer lineups still in early stages.
“We’re realistic about what a single book means,” he said. “Surveys may be based on six weeks of data, but they’re more accurately a reflection of six months of audience sentiment.”
When quizzed on how he maintains his optimism in such a highly competitive industry, Cameron admitted that one of the biggest challenges for leadership in radio is resisting short-term reactions.
“You develop a high tolerance for being patient in this game,” he said. “We want our talent to come back from survey breaks hungry, not exhausted. That’s more valuable in the long run than chasing week-to-week wins.”