• 2GB holds top spot despite losing share in all dayparts – Ray Hadley down 4.4 points
• KIIS FM starts new year as #1 FM on 9.8% as Kyle and Jackie O lift 2.4 to 12.4%
• smoothfm and Triple M the big improvers both up one point or more
2GB 11.6%
Conflicting headlines can be drawn from the results here. The station remains a clear leader in the Sydney market, but with reduced share across the board except in breakfast and on weekends. Alan Jones built his audience to 16.0% after ending 2015 on 15.2%. Ray Hadley will draw comment about his fall of 4.4 points, but the former highest-ratings 2GB announcer still easily wins his timeslot with a share of 14.1%. There were falls of 3.5 in afternoon and 2.5 in the evening. The station lifted 0.6 to 29.0% 65+ and was down 2.5 to 12.7% 55-64.
KIIS 1065 9.8%
Might be a good time for breakfast hosts Kyle and Jackie O to negotiate that much-discussed new ARN contract after their breakfast show climbed 2.4 to 12.5%. Their nearest FM competitor is now Triple M breakfast over five points behind. Strangely the morning and afternoon slots at the station dipped, but the Hughesy and Kate drive show surged, lifting 2.3 points to 11.6%, putting them 2.5 points ahead of previous market leader Nova. A lot of the new KIIS listeners look to be under 18, but the station demos were also up 18-24 and 25-39. KIIS is #2 in the former and leads in the latter.
Smoothfm 95.3 8.6%
The station is a clear #2 after 10+ share lifted 1.7 to 8.6%. The good times are based around the station’s grip on at-work listening where it ranks #1 FM with 9.5% in morning and afternoon. Sydney has voted for smoothfm on weekends too where it is #1 overall with share up 1.8 to 10.3%. Breakfast with Bogart Torelli jumped close to a point and even small growth here and in drive could secure the station top spot again. smoothfm widened its gap 40-54 with share up 3.2 to 17.8%. And get this – share lifted 5.8 points to triple its 25-39 share to 8.2%.
2MMM 7.1%
The station has again climbed to be #2 FM breakfast, leading WSFM by the smallest of margins with a Grill Team share of 7.2%. Meanwhile drive up 1.9 to 7.3% and evening up 2.8 to 6.2%. The drive share was a good result for Merrick Watts at Triple M. Some big demo moves too with 18-24 share more than doubling to 10.4% and 40-54 up 3.9 to 12.9% where Triple M ranks #1.
WSFM 7.0%
By the narrowest of margins ARN has lost ownership of the top two FM breakfast shows. Jonesy and Amanda only shed a point but it was enough to let The Grill Team slip ahead. Breakfast was the only session that didn’t lift with the biggest move in evening with 3.7% turning into 6.0%. WSFM now ranks #3 40-54 after Triple M’s surge and remains #2 55-64 behind smoothfm.
Nova 96.9 6.8%
A mixed set of results with Fitzy and Wippa at breakfast down 0.6 to 6.5%. Smallzy was down 1.7 to 5.6% in evening and drive with Kate, Tim and Marty was off 0.4 to 9.1%. However, both morning and afternoon were up less than a point. Nova remains #1 18-24, but has slipped further behind KIIS to trail by 7.0 in 25-39.
2UE 4.0%
A down book right across the day and on weekends. Breakfast with John Stanley and Garry Linnell was down 1.2 to 4.0%.
2DayFM hit 1041 4.0%
SCA remains confident the station is on track to rebuild with increased cume and growing female share. 10+ breakfast share was steady on 3.0% for Rove and Sam, but at-work listening saw morning and afternoon share up by 2.0 or more.
2CH 3.5%
With the station soon to change hands, perhaps the last survey under the ownership of Macquarie Radio was down 0.6 to 3.5%. Breakfast shed a point to 2.2% to be 2CH’s smallest rating timeslot.
Sky Sports Radio 0.8%
In two of the dayparts that really matter, breakfast with Michael Slater and Terry Kennedy was up 0.2 to 1.2%, while listening on weekends lifted 0.5 to 1.6%.