In survey four 2022, Brisbane’s Nova 106.9 set a new cume record of 700,000 listeners across the city – an all-time high. Nova also broke their own record in the process, with their survey three cume of 686,000 the previous high mark.
Continuously performing well in a radio market that is notoriously dynamic, the success has come after a shake-up on the breakfast show and a lot of hard work behind the scenes.
Mediaweek spoke to group program operations director Brendan Taylor, and head of audience engagement and assistant program director Dee Curtis about how the station got here and what comes next.
Nova 106.9 launched in Brisbane for survey four, 2005 when, and recorded a cume of 343,000. Having now doubled that number, Taylor says that there are two parts to the success story.
Taylor: “It shows the quality of the product that the team and the station are delivering, but from an industry point of view, it just shows that people’s lives are back to normal post-pandemic – and they’re listening to radio more than ever. It’s a good thing for us, but it’s also great for the industry.”
As for what the game plan is now, the pair say that a lot of that rests on the ongoing success of Ash, Luttsy & Susie in the breakfast slot. In the last survey, the trio were the #1 breakfast show in the market with a share of 13.1% – a lift of 1.6%.
Ash, Susie & Luttsy
Curtis: “The way that I see it is to see the relationship with Ash, Luttsy & Susie continue – their chemistry at the moment is outstanding, and I think that’s also what the audience are tuning in for.
“We’ll foster that, and continue to grow that. We’ll also listen to what the audience wants – that will steer us in whichever direction we take.”
Taylor: “They’re really engaged, they’re happy at the moment, and they’ve got this real passion to have a connection with the Brisbane audience. That doesn’t happen overnight, that’s built over a number of years.
“They’re a team that is highly passionate behind the scenes – they’re passionate about their team, and they’re passionate about the show that they deliver.”
The last year hasn’t been without its curveballs for the breakfast team, however, with Kip Wightman leaving in October after 18 years with Nova. Curtis says that going from a four-piece to a trio has meant that Ash, Luttsy & Susie now have a bit more breathing room.
Curtis: “Any shake-up after the four of them had been together for such a long period of time was going to be an experiment, but their relationship is so strong. I think that’s what’s carried it through.
“Allowing them to have an equal share of voice is really not something that they set out to achieve, but that’s what we’re hearing a little bit more now.”
Kip, Susie, Ash, and Luttsy
The Brisbane radio landscape is particularly lively, and is full of listeners who aren’t afraid to let stations know what they’re thinking. For Taylor, keeping Brisbanites engaged means staying true to the Nova brand and keeping things upbeat.
Taylor: “The Brisbane market is so dynamic – it’s so competitive, and there are some real quality shows in the market. But I think it’s about staying true to the essence and the strategy of the station.
“We look for things to engage and connect with the audience – mystery voices or missing word. We’re finding that connection with the audience, and above all, making it fun.”
Whilst looking into the crystal ball can be difficult, the pair say that it’s onwards and upwards for Nova 106.9.
Taylor: “What’s in store? That’s an ever-evolving thing. We take bits of the show and evolve that into larger tactical elements. We’ve got a new target now of 700,000 listeners, which is amazing – we’ve set ourselves a new benchmark. What we want is to engage more people, we want to increase our share, we want to increase our cume.”
Curtis: “Balancing evolution and planning is always the tricky part. We are quite planned, and we’ve got a lot of plans ready for 2023 already. But it’s about being nimble enough to be able to react to the audience, the environment, and the team and their ideas. It’s a fine balance between all three, but we get there.”
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Top Image: Dee Curtis and Brendan Taylor