Released just days before the Easter break, a key headline from the GfK radio ratings Survey 2, 2022 was the return to form of the FM broadcasters around the metro markets.
While we heard from SCA’s Dave Cameron last week via an SCA statement, today Mediaweek speaks to the lead combatants in the FM metro wars – ARN chief content officer Duncan Campbell and his chief combatant, Nova Entertainment’s chief programming and music content officer Paul Jackson.
While there is no disputing the continuing leadership of Nine Radio’s 2GB and 3AW in overall ratings, when it comes to FM both ARN and Nova had a strong survey.
Radio ratings: How strong are ARN and Nova Entertainment?
Nova Entertainment leadership
Nova Network is most listened to network with 3,770,000 listeners
Brisbane: Nova #1 station in share and cume, #1 breakfast cume
Perth: Nova #1 station share and cume, #1 breakfast share and cume
Adelaide: Nova equal #1 station in share, #1 in cume, #1 commercial breakfast share & #1 overall cume
Perth’s Nathan, Nat and Shaun
ARN leadership
ARN #1 network in share and cume
Sydney: KIIS #1 FM share, #1 overall cume, #1 FM breakfast share & cume
Melbourne: Gold #1 FM, #1 FM breakfast
Adelaide: Mix equal #1 share
Nova’s Paul Jackson: “There is a real message here about the strength of radio. The cumes are very high across the board and we have some fantastic all-time high radio ratings numbers. It shows there are some great radio shows from not just us, but also our competitors as well.
“This could be the survey that sees the radio ratings numbers coming out of the two-year period where listening patterns were very different. We are seeing a real bounce back for many stations and it feels like there are lots of enthusiastic listeners.”
For the Nova brand it must be close to one of its best surveys ever with #1 overall stations in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth and competitive 1m+ cume audiences in Sydney and Melbourne.
Best ever? “That’s true if you leave aside previous market-leading shares from smoothfm. For Nova also look at Melbourne breakfast where Chrissie, Sam and Browny have a share of 9.2%. In that market there is now a real battle between three very strong radio stations.”
Nova even saw good results from mornings in Sydney where Jackson paid tribute to daytime announcers Jamie Rowe and Mel Tracina. “They get on great off air as well as on air. They are both very good and inject strong personality into what they do. The stations run simple, easy tactics where the promotions work really well but don’t get in the way of the music.”
Talking about the strength of the national Kate, Tim and Joel Nova drive show, Jackson noted that was despite Kate Ritchie being off air for part of the survey. “Tim and Joel worked with Ricki-Lee during that period and they managed to keep the show strong and engaging.
“Also performing very well was Smallzy who continues to be consistent year-in, year-out. This year the show has some new acts that he has championed together with his other great content.”
In Perth, Nova 937 has just recorded its highest ever breakfast share and cume and highest ever station cume. “When you look through the demos it is absolutely dominant and a big achievement for Nathan, Nat and Shaun. I remember when they got to a 14% share and everybody said it was astonishing. This is one of the great radio shows and in markets around the world, this doesn’t happen. To be 16.6% is absolutely incredible.”
Radio ratings and performance bonus triggers?
Jackson laughed when we asked if the results could have triggered bonus payments where announcers get a financial reward if they go #1 in a market. “I’m not exactly sure what all those arrangements are, but you would imagine so.”
Perhaps enjoying an extra payment too are Ben and Liam, now the kings of Adelaide commercial breakfast. “With Ben and Liam, this is what we have felt has been coming since they started in the market for us. This is the start of their third year and it takes time for audiences to be really familiar with what is now a household name in the marketplace. Ben and Liam and the team around them do the hard graft day after day and all of them make a great contribution. They have such great charm and style about them, and are so lovable, they deserve that number. They are stars in Adelaide and do brilliant nationally with the hour we run in Sydney and Melbourne. They will have a wonderful career with many years ahead of them.”
ARN’s Duncan Campbell: ARN had strong enough survey results to be able to keep its winning streak intact. “Our 19th national [metro] network win in a row with our best ever cume nationally,” Campbell reminded Mediaweek.
He did admit that the competition was stronger is Survey 2 with SCA and Nova Entertainment also growing audiences.
“There were a lot of big movements across the country. In Adelaide breakfast for example, Fiveaa was down 3.5, Mix was up 1.8, Nova up 3.5, ABC down 3.0 and Cruise up 1.4.
“There was certainly a continued return to FM listening this survey.”
Helping explain some of the movements was marketing spends at some of the networks, said Campbell. “SCA was marketing very heavily, particularly with Fox. ARN is not spending anywhere near what they others spend. Nova was also a big spender in this latest book in Melbourne and Adelaide.”
In Perth, Campbell noted, “96FM has put the cat amongst the pigeons in terms of Mix which we are targeting in the market. It is also good to see movement in breakfast in Perth. Ours is not your typical breakfast show, The Bunch with Clairsy and Lisa is quite laidback and can even be quite serious at times. It suits the Perth market and it’s good to see them get some traction.”
The Bunch: Clairesy and Lisa
Despite Mix climbing a little in Adelaide with its new show, Campbell admitted: “It was Nova’s book in Adelaide with breakfast up 3.5 and 2.3 overall. It comes off the back of three down books and with the marketing I mentioned previously, it shows the impact of the recall methodology in the diary system, marketing does impact. The question is can Nova sustain that after the marketing subsides. Time will tell.”
Campbell admitted that marketing is just part of the Adelaide radio war, there is also now more of a significant difference between the Mix and Nova breakfast offerings – “we changed ours and Nova has been more consistent with theirs”.
Elsewhere around the metro markets, Campbell pointed to the big cume audiences. “In Sydney KIIS has 1.1m, Gold is 1.1m, even KIIS in Melbourne is also over 1m.”