With radio ratings survey three giving the first taster of Kyle and Jackie O’s Melbourne expansion, ARN’s chief content officer Duncan Campbell tells Mediaweek: “Internally, we felt that if it was flat, that would have been a good result.”
In the show’s first partial survey since launching in Melbourne, the duo dropped -0.5 points for a 5.9% breakfast share. Of the ten-week survey period, Kyle and Jackie O were only on air for three, so Campbell does admit “anyone who’s calling wins today is probably a bit premature.” He said the team “remain very confident.”
“The amount of churn that is occurring in Melbourne at the moment, particularly around breakfast is significant. If you change even one player on a breakfast show, that has an impact on the market,” Campbell said.
“We expect that now to settle down a bit – and the next survey we get eight out of 10 weeks with Kyle and Jackie O, so we’ll get a much better indication then. “
In the wider survey, Campbell described the results as “positive” for ARN, returning to equal number one network with SCA. “We had some good wins around the country and a couple of disappointments, but we’re really focused on the strategy,” Campbell said.
“When we do take a hit, we bounce back, which has been demonstrated by WSFM and Gold in particular today. We’re in good shape.
“Gold in Melbourne took a hit in the early part of this year, but that was up against very strong marketing campaigns from The Fox and Nova – even Triple M was marketing. We normally market in surveys one and two, we didn’t this time around and they were impacted by that. They’ve bounced back really, really well.”
When asked whether the team considered going out with a major marketing campaign for Gold, Campbell said: “We decided to keep our powder dry,” but admits, “we didn’t anticipate the size of the marketing campaigns for The Fox and Nova, which did have an impact.”
Looking to survey four, there are three main goals for ARN.
“The focus is on making sure Adelaide bounces back, continuing to grow and push forward with Brisbane – particularly in 25-54s – and with Kyle and Jackie O, making sure that we continue to drive home the messaging in Melbourne,” Campbell said.
2024: ‘A great year for radio’
Halfway through the calendar year, Campbell said “it’s been a good year for radio. We just need the ad revenues to return, ideally back to pre-COVID levels, but if they get a bit more buoyant then it’d be a great year for radio.
“What is great in 2024 is that radio is being talked about more than it has been for a while, that can only be a good thing. The three networks are back to being very competitive, which is good.
“Revenues could be a bit stronger, it’s such a short market – but I think H2 is looking more positive, even though it’s hard to forecast.”
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Top Image: Duncan Campbell