Melbourne Radio Ratings
• 3AW share dips, but Ross and Russ still double next best
• Gold 104.3 and Christian O’Connell maintain 2020 FM winning streak
UP: 101.9 Fox FM +1.5
DOWN: 3AW -1.0
3AW 19.6% (20.6%)
Cume: 881,000 (-77,000)
2020 results: Best/worst
Best 10+ 20.6% (13.3%)
Best Breakfast 28.4% (15.9%)
The new breakfast show with Ross Stevenson and Russel Howcroft didn’t maintain its spectacular Survey 7 result, but a breakfast share of 25.0% is still a brilliant result and keeps the show as the highest rating breakfast in any metro market. Across the day all the other timeslots held their previous positions with Neil Mitchell on 22.1% and evening with Denis Walter on 20.7%.
Gold 104.3 9.0% (8.9%)
Cume 1,046,000 (+23,000)
2020 results: Best/worst
Best 10+ 10.8% (8.7%)
Best Breakfast 9.4% (7.2%)
ARN’s Sue Carter and Duncan Campbell (left) thank Gold 104’s Christian O’Connell and Jack Post for their 2020 results
#1FM for the eighth consecutive survey for Gold 104.3 and #1FM breakfast for Gold 104.3’s The Christian O’Connell Breakfast Show for the fifth consecutive survey meaning the team have been #1 on both counts for over a year. Station rates highest in morning and afternoon where it is also #1 FM as is the drive show, and weekends. Gold is now stand alone #1 40-54 after sharing leadership with 3AW last survey.
smoothfm 91.5 7.8% (6.5%)
Cume 883,000 (+66,000)
2020 results: Best/worst
Best 10+ 9.7% (6.5%)
Best Breakfast 7.3% (5.0%)
Share recovered in breakfast and all other dayparts with special mention of evening (+3.5 to 9.8%) and morning and drive (both +1.5). smoothfm shares weekend FM leadership with Gold on 9.0%. Station is again #1 55-64 on an improved share of 11.9% (+2.5).
101.1 Fox FM 6.7% (5.2%)
Cume 1,056,000 (+107,000)
2020 results: Best/worst
Best 10+ 8.4% (5.2%)
Best breakfast 8.3% (5.0%)
SCA might have breathed a sigh of relief with a recovery here. Station cume is back over 1m and Fox again has the biggest Melbourne audience on 1,056,000. Breakfast share for the final Byron Cooke survey was up 1.6 to 6.6%. That’s still below where it should be, but it’s heading back in the right direction. All timeslots were up over 1.0 with the final Fox drive share for Hughesy & Ed on 7.7%, narrowly trailing the FM drive leader by 0.1. And get this – share 18-24 jumped 11.5 to 20.5%!
105.1 Triple M 6.2% (6.2%)
Cume 676,000 (-46,000)
2020 results: Best/worst
Best 10+ 6.2% (5.0%)
Best breakfast 6.8% (5.2%)
The Hot Breakfast team have gone out with the best ratings Eddie McGuire and Luke Darcy had all year. However, a 6.8% breakfast is lower than anything the show had between 2016 and 2018 and close to the average for 2019. While the station share of 6.2% was equal best this year, it was the lowest share for 2019. Drive share dipped 1.4 to 6.5%, dropping in the rankings from #1 FM to #4 FM. Triple M performs best 40-54 with a share of 11.2% only behind Gold on 16.7%.
Nova 100 5.6% (5.6%)
Cume 937,000 (-4,000)
2020 results: Best/worst
Best 10+ 8.3% (5.3%)
Best breakfast 8.3% (4.6%)
Chrissie, Sam and Browny have been knocked around by Covid as has most of the FM breakfast shows. Their breakfast share lifted 0.4 this survey and they will be back looking to return it to its former best in 2021. The brightest spot at the station was drive where the new Kate, Tim and Joel improved 0.5 to 6.8%. After leading 18-24 and 25-39 last survey, Nova has slipped behind Fox in both.
KIIS 101.1 FM 4.5% (4.4%)
Cume 903,000 (+43,000)
2020 results: Best/worst
Best 10+ 6.4% (4.4%)
Best Breakfast 7.1% (4.4%)
Station cume pushed back above 900,000 while breakfast cume also lifted – up 80,000 to 395,000. Breakfast share for Jase and PJ also climbed, up 0.7 to 5.4%. The lowest rating FM breakfast means the lowest rating FM drive too. KIIS was #2 18-24, but is now back to #3 after Fox’s recovery.
SEN 2.9% (3.0%)
Cume 336,000 (-46,000)
2020 results: Best/worst
Best 10+ 3.0% (1.6%)
Best Breakfast 3.2% (2.0%)
The numbers didn’t move much to end the year – breakfast with Garry and Tim was down 0.3 to 2.9%, morning with Gerard Whateley was steady on 2.9%, afternoon with Dwayne Russell was up 0.3 to 3.9% (the station’s highest-rating daypart) and drive with Bob Murphy and Andy Maher was steady on 3.5%. The audience 40-54 lifted 1.1 to 4.1%.
Magic 1278 1.4% (1.2%)
Cume 110,000 (+12,000)
2020 results: Best/worst
Best 10+ 1.4% (0.2%)
Best Breakfast 0.8% (0.5%)
The best kept secret along the east coast remains just that in Melbourne. Cume audience slithered over 100,000 and share 65+ crept past SEN. Breakfast with Steve Jacobs was stuck again on 0.8%. He is even on air longer than Kyle and Jackie O, with his breakfast shift wrapping at 12 noon daily.