The penultimate GfK radio ratings survey was released this week, and Mediaweek has caught up with some of the top programming heads in the industry to discuss the results and the radio industry at large. Today, Mediaweek catches up with ARN chief content officer, Duncan Campbell.
See more radio ratings coverage here.
Kyle and Jackie O
The big news for ARN came out of Sydney this survey, with Kyle and Jackie O toppling 2GB’s Ben Fordham for the second time – the first being survey 4 of last year. The momentous achievement for the pair makes them Australia’s most successful radio show ever, only weeks after being inducted into the ACRAs Hall of Fame and topping the Mediaweek Star Power 25 list.
“We don’t have to say number one FM Breakfast Show in Sydney anymore, we can just say the number one Breakfast Show!” says Campbell.
“They have a cume of 818,000 people which is an increase of 80,000 on last survey – the nearest competitor is smooth on 595,000. It’s a very, very impressive result for them, and fantastic that they’re getting their best ever results at ARN.
“It flows on to the rest of the station as well, with KIIS being the most listened to station in Australia.”
As for the pair themselves, Kyle and Jackie O aren’t often left speechless, but this was one of those times.
“The thing about those guys is that some people get the impression they’re fairly blasé about these ratings, but they’re not,” says Campbell. “They’re very passionate about the show and they take the ratings very seriously. They were both very, very happy – and rightly so. There’s a lot more life left in The Kyle and Jackie O show.”
Kyle and Jackie O
Around the Network
Staying in Sydney, WSFM recently announced the signing of a multi-year deal that will keep its Breakfast duo Jonesy and Amanda at the station for the foreseeable future.
“They’re up in cume, the breakfast show increased and there have been increases across the workday,” says Campbell.
“We expect to end the year with another increase in survey 8, which will be great – so it’s been a good result for that station.”
Heading south to Melbourne, Gold 104.3 is the top FM station in Melbourne for the 23rd consecutive survey.
“It’s the 20th survey in a row for Christian O’Connell as the number one FM radio show in Melbourne. It’s the definition of consistency really – it’s doing incredibly well.
“Gold is the third most listened to station in Australia behind KIIS 106.5 and Fox. Daytime figures are very strong, it’s a very strong station.”
In Adelaide, Mix 102.3 has landed as the top station overall in the market. After facing more hurdles than most of ARN’s stations throughout the year, Campbell says that the result is one to be celebrated.
“One of the things about how we operate here is that we do the research properly, so we know what the issues are with these radio stations, and we know the strengths and weaknesses of our competitors. We have put some time into Adelaide, and that’s paid dividends.
“We’re still in recovery mode for Breakfast, but expect that to grow further into survey 8 and into next year as well. The battle is still on, but great to have the number one station back in Adelaide.”
The Christian O’Connell Show (l-r) Jack Post, Christian O’Connell and Patrina (Patsy) Jones
Finishing Strong
With the end of the year in sight, Campbell and the team at ARN are looking to finish the year strong.
“We had the best ever cume for the network this survey. The network is well-positioned to have a very solid end of the year.
“We’ve got some issues in Brisbane and some challenges there, but we’re working on that. Perth has settled back again after it spiked last survey – which was to be expected.
“We also were number one in 25-54, and they are a very talked about commercial demographic.”
It’s been a big year for ARN in a number of ways, not least due to the sale of Brisbane’s 4KQ to SEN. The impact of that handover was certainly felt, however Campbell says that the strength of the network has proven itself after the loss.
“We lost one of our radio stations a few surveys ago with 4KQ, so we never expected to be the number one network – but we’re so close. Nova is on 16.7, we’re 16.5. That in itself is a is a fantastic achievement and a real testament to the teams of people around Australia in ARN stations, who work so hard to keep these shows and stations powering ahead in terms of ratings.”