Nova Entertainment chief programming and marketing officer Paul Jackson has told Mediaweek that the company’s two brands – Nova and smoothfm – have ended the year well. But it’s been quite a ride in the radio business this year again.
“It’s been a trying and taxing year for everybody, not just people in radio,” cautions Jackson.
Covid has impacted both the radio brands. “The smoothfm presenters have done a wonderful job of keeping things nice and upbeat and being there for the audience every day. You can see the impact of the lockdown from Survey 3 onwards and we would like to think next year we might be coming out of the lockdowns.”
Paul Jackson
smoothfm had a good Survey 8 in Sydney with the cume audience up over 1m and it is #1FM in drive, evening and on the weekend. In Melbourne the brand is #2 FM and #1 or #2 in key dayparts. “Both smoothfm stations are doing very well,” explained Jackson. “If we were continuing the year with a Survey 9 we would see the smoothfm stations coming back to their former peaks before lockdown.
“There is more habitual listening coming back and from a smoothfm point of view that means more people listening early in the morning. Much workplace listening used to start around 8am, since lockdown more radios have been going on at around 9am or 10am.”
The better results in Survey 8 were shared between the brands, said the content chief: “On both smoothfm and Nova during November we saw a bounce-back of former listening patterns.”
Nova 969 recovery
The Sydney station has had a rollercoaster Covid ride this year. Jackson’s advice to on-air teams when it comes to ratings results is straightforward: “When you are doing really well don’t over-celebrate. When you are doing really badly don’t be over-pessimistic about it. The truth is usually somewhere in the middle. The results this year have been a reflection of what we are living through, but also some harsh realities we needed to live up to. There has been a lockdown with no school runs and lot of the habitual listening has not been there. We had to examine the programs and remind ourselves of what makes us successful and then give the audience that in bucketloads.
“In Sydney we have worked closer than ever with the team (above) on the show. We know that as a team Fitzy and Wippa are very strong and much-loved characters in the marketplace. It is so pleasing, and I’m sure a relief to them, that the audience is still there and loves them. That has been triggered by the return of school runs, and some commutes, and they have been presenting some of the most compelling content they have done for a number of years.
“The daytime numbers at Nova are also some of the best we have seen in a very long time. After everybody has had a good long holiday we are poised to start the year strongly.”
The upside of a poor result
Motivation. “You can’t win [the ratings] all the time with so much choice available. You can be doing what you do really well, but some people just fancy a change. These days you need to be extra compelling and really on it every day.”
Nova Brisbane’s Ash, Luttsy & Susie O’Neill with Dawn Fraser
Nova Brisbane backs off
Nova 106.9 doesn’t have many missteps. It tripped this week though. A share of 9.7% was the lowest result in over six years, maybe ever.
“Talk about having a bad one!” exclaimed Jackson. “When it comes, it really comes. We have had a strong year of consistent #1s, with cumes and shares. The one thing that occurs to me is that it has happened before in Survey 8 we have taken a bath [2019]. It has also happened in Survey 1 going back a few years [2017]. It is hard to find a reason, there is nothing materially with our product.
“Some of the other numbers were so high, you know you are not always going to maintain that.” Nova 106.9 has retained the biggest Brisbane cumes overall and in breakfast.
Jackson said it was a shame for the Brisbane team after a strong year. “There is nothing really to concern ourselves about yet and we will see how we start the new year.”
Ticks for Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth
Looking at the other markets, Jackson noted the impact of Triple M Adelaide’s good result, but that Nova had enjoyed a good year. “We have good cumes in that market with Ben and Liam’s breakfast and overall and it is now up to us to deliver the great content.” Fiveaa’s David and Will has also remained Adelaide’s #1 commercial breakfast.
“In Perth we had another super number which is another year of outstanding results.”
In Melbourne, Nova 100 is pushing toward a cume audience of 1m and Chrissie, Sam and Browny are #1 FM in cume.
Glenn Daniel at his book launch in 2018
Remembering Glenn Daniel
A week ago the industry was stunned by the death of Sydney smoothfm breakfast co-host and news presenter Glenn Daniel.
“We’ve been reflecting a lot since the news came through on the contributions he made,” said Jackson. “Glenn joined us about six months after we launched smoothfm. I can still remember the day. At the time he was with the ABC doing some part-time news reading. We had just received back our first research piece about smoothfm and we had discussed that we needed a heavyweight newsreader. Someone who had some gravitas and authority, to help us present a serious news service, something we felt that was missing. It would be another strong to our bow that we thought we should have.
“On the day we called him up he was ecstatic to be asked and as he was working week to week as a casual at the ABC, he started with us the following week.
“There is a definite correlation with Glenn starting on the breakfast show with Bogart and better ratings numbers starting to kick in. They had a beautiful chemistry and that made them at times sound almost like a husband and wife.”
Nova’s Tim Blackwell, Kate Ritchie and Joel Creasey
Both brands positioned well for battle next year
“Everything for us will be the same. Obviously, we will look at the smoothfm breakfast situation in Sydney following Glenn’s passing. Every one of our other shows is off for a deserved break and will come back all guns blazing – including Kate, Tim and Joel and Smallzy.
“We are very confident about the future and given where we have finished we have a fantastic opportunity to start 2022 very strongly.”