Nova group programming director Brendan Taylor told Mediaweek that the team are “thrilled with where we’re sitting” at the halfway point of the ratings year.
In a big survey, Taylor said the standout for Nova was “definitely Jase & Lauren, and their impact on the Melbourne market.”
“There’s been so much talk about the Melbourne market. This survey’s results are really, really pleasing, and quite emotional for the team, to see the results, to see that their connection with the audience has transferred.”
This survey was the second since Jase & Lauren switched their mic on at Nova, having been picked up after they were sacked from KIIS 101.1 to make way for Kyle & Jackie O’s expansion.
“Jase & Lauren have a 9.6 share – for Nova, to see those results in breakfast, you have to go back as far as 2017. It means a lot to get that result today, and to be the most listened to breakfast show in Melbourne from a cume perspective is just such a thrill for the guys,” said Taylor.
Around the Nova Network
Elsewhere, Taylor admitted that survey three was “rough”, a result that flattened out in survey four.
“The positive out of Sydney is the cume that’s connecting with the station. If you look across the board, you have KIIS, Triple M, WSFM, and 2Day coming off cume and Nova going up 48,000. With Fitzy, Wippa & Kate Ritchie going up 30,000 in breakfast, it just gives us confidence. We still have work to do and Sydney is a very tough market, but the audience is there.”
In Adelaide, Jodie & Hayesy took back the title of most listened to Breakfast Show. “The cume and the audience are so close in the Adelaide market, and it was really pleasing to see the result for them,” said Taylor.
In Perth, Nova returns to number one. “David McClung does such a great job with that team in Perth, and Amy the executive producer of Nathan, Nat & Shaun put on such a great show. To be over an 18 share for breakfast show and over 15 for a station is amazing.”
In Brisbane, Taylor said survey four “really wasn’t our day,” but notes that the team will use the dip as motivation. “It’s such a competitive show, Ash, Luttsy & Susie O’Neill – they want to win, they like winning. It’s always a good reminder at this halfway point of the year to know what we need to focus on for the back four surveys.”
Smoothfm
For the second survey in a row, Sydney’s smooth 95.3 has come out as the most listened to station in the country. In Melbourne, smooth is the number two FM station.
“To be playing up against some real heavyweights, they do so well,” said Taylor.
“It’s that consistency in the day-to-day product. They do it so well, and they’re such a great unit working together, the smooth team. While there’s a lot of talk in the Melbourne market about competitors, smooth deserves a lot of credit for the results.”
Looking ahead for the final four surveys of the year, Taylor said “it’s pleasing to see where we are.”
“Obviously, you want to continue the momentum, as we saw in Melbourne. It’s just about honing in and making sure that we’re feeding the audience, and we’re connecting with the audience in the respective markets in a way that they’re engaging with, we’re delivering on our product position.
“It’s something that we’re refining constantly, but when you get results like today, it’s good to reflect on them and just see that we’re on the right path.”