The fifth radio ratings survey of the year was released on Tuesday, officially passing the halfway mark in the year. Mediaweek has caught up with content executives from around the industry to get their thoughts on the results.
Duncan Campbell, ARN‘s chief content officer spoke to Mediaweek about the record-breaking survey results and the brand’s ACRA nominations.
In Sydney, the Kyle & Jackie O Show is now sitting on a share of 12.5% – their 29th consecutive survey as #1FM show – and recording more listeners than any other breakfast show in Australia.
Kyle and Jackie O
The pair have cemented themselves as titans in the Sydney market. When asked whether or not ARN would consider sending them national (outside of the Hour of Power), Campbell says “never say never,” although creating familiarity in other markets would be a hurdle.
“The biggest challenge is that in Sydney where the show is established, it’s very familiar. All the nuances are known – it’s what we call in the business a P1 (preference one) show. If we took it national, it wouldn’t be as familiar in other markets, and therefore the risk would be that it wouldn’t get the traction that we would want it to get.
“The best example of that was probably Richard Stubbs back in the late 90s, when he was networked from Triple M Melbourne into Sydney. It sounded seamless, but it was a P1 show in Melbourne, and it was a P2 show in Sydney. The nuances weren’t as familiar. While it was a very good show, it just didn’t get the traction that we wanted because of that.”
Survey 5 has seen a number of cume records broken for ARN. Kyle and Jackie O have recorded their highest ever cume with 697,000 listeners, and in Melbourne, Gold104.3 and KIIS 101.1 both achieved their highest ever station cume (1.279 million and 1.282 million respectively).
Gold FM’s Christian O’Connell
“They’re very impressive numbers, and particularly when you look at the 25-54 demo – which is where the money is, as they say,” says Campbell. “KIIS 1065 and Gold really dominate both those markets in that in that demographic. It’s incumbent upon us now to capitalise on that.
“It’s about convincing clients that these stations are the powerhouses that they are. They deliver audiences and consistent ratings – clients can have confidence in advertising on them, and utilising the talent in integrated campaigns.”
As headlines swirl predicting an economic downturn and a possible crash in the ad market, Campbell remains more positive about navigating the foreseeable future.
“People have been almost willing the demise of radio for the last 30 years or so, but it’s very resilient.
“We’re seeing bond markets pick up better than we expected, so I don’t think we’re going to have the recession that has been predicted. I think there’s a bit more optimism out there than we think, and once that trickles down into consumer confidence, we’ll start getting people buying again.”
Building CADA
Not even five months after launching, CADA is continuing to make waves. In the fifth radio ratings survey, Breakfast’s Kian & Yaz was up 37% to 40,000 listeners, and the Drive slot saw both Keeping up with Avneesha and Flex and Froomes lift 17% to 41,000.
“We’ve hired people who are not normally commercial radio people, and that adds a whole different dimension to the station and gives it a whole different perspective,” says Campbell.
“There’s huge talent in Flex and Froomes, and a lot of potential there – they’re the radio stars of the future, without a doubt.
“We’re very excited about CADA as a brand and what it can do. It’s in very good hands with Emily Copeland as the general manager.”
ACRA Nominations
Aside from the radio ratings, this week ARN has scooped up a record-breaking 84 nominations for this year’s ACRA Awards – including a nomination that puts Kyle & Jackie O in the running for a record eighth Best On Air Team award.
See Also: 2022 ACRAs finalists announced
Campbell says that the “tremendous recognition” for both on and off air teams is a testament to the people of the brand.
“We’ve got some great talent now, and we’ve been building have that talent on and off the air over the last four or five years. As a place to work, no one’s perfect, but I think we’ve come a long way and we’re continually improving the culture within the organisation. People are inspired to create, to produce, to deliver, and to sell – it’s a great tribute to those teams around the country who’ve worked so hard to produce the results.”