Amid the upheaval of Sydney’s Breakfast radio landscape, one network has kept doing what it does best: quietly, almost stubbornly, chugging along in the background.
Just like The Little Engine That Could, smooth FM continues to dominate each and every survey.
There are no scandals or on-air fights, and while some may find the all-music format a little prosaic, for others, that familiar wash of nostalgia offers a calming salvo, an escape from the noise.
To learn more about smooth FM‘s consistent strategy, Mediaweek sat down with the network’s Head of Programming, Peter Clay.
Mediaweek: smooth is such a consistent performer – is there a secret?
Peter Clay: Good people, loyal listeners, and a great team that tries to deliver ‘more music less talk’, a station that makes you feel good.
Mediaweek: Given the major changes to the breakfast landscape in Sydney – no doubt some Kyle and Jackie O listeners will be looking for a new home – have there been any discussions to perhaps ‘lure’ them?
Peter Clay: That would be about trying to attract a different audience, but Bogart Torrelli in the Mornings is the most listened to in Sydney, and delivers on every key element. Listeners love her, and we wouldn’t change a thing.
Bogart Torrelli
Mediaweek: It feels like every Uber I jump into is playing smooth. I’m often surprised when I hear a banger from the 90s, then a remix that’s trending on TikTok. What is your demographic?
Peter Clay: We don’t have a demographic as such – our aim is to appeal to anyone 10+ – because the station is about a feeling, not a demographic.
Our broad range appeals to multiple demographics: younger people might not know the original version of an earlier song, but it’s had a resurgence on TikTok, and they’re now familiar with it.
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Mediaweek: How much higher can smooth and the team climb?
Peter Clay: We stay in our lane, do what we do and give listeners what they want. We respond to all feedback. We stick to our ultimate aim of ‘more music, less talk’.
All radio stations appeal to a different audience, and commercial radio is the strongest it has ever been, by giving our listeners the content they want.”