Adelaide listeners have nominated the station’s breakfast show Roo, Ditts & Loz as their best breakfast option.
Triple M Adelaide has notched up its best ratings year ever. Not only cleaning up 40+, but whacking the other Adelaide stations 10+ in 2023 to finish #1 overall.
Roo, Ditts & Loz is also one of Australia’s highest-rating metro FM breakfast shows. It’s GfK Survey 8, 2023 share of 16.3% sees it only narrowly trailing Kyle and Jackie O’s 16.7% and Nathan, Nat and Shaun’s 17.2%.
“The station has never before had a 16% share in breakfast,” Matthew O’Reilly told Mediaweek. It’s a figure that the head of Triple M metro content and Triple M Adelaide content director will be unlikely to forget.
“Triple M Adelaide was #1 FM in the market for the last 10 surveys. For half of those the station was #1 overall.”
Matthew O’Reilly: Head of Triple M Metro Content and Triple M Adelaide Content Director
Triple M was also the only radio network with two #1 FM stations at the end of 2023 – Adelaide and Brisbane.
Part of the Adelaide success is linked to having a team the market is familiar with. “Roo [Mark Ricciuto] and Ditts [Chris Dittmar] moved to breakfast in 2014,” said O’Reilly. “They were formerly the Triple M Adelaide drive show from 2011. Halfway through last year they celebrated 2500 shows.”
As fits the Triple M audience, both came from successful sporting careers. Mark Ricciuto from the Adelaide Crows and Chris Dittmar is a former world squash champion.
Reilly noted Ricciuto came to radio not too long after retiring from football. In contrast, Dittmar previously worked at Fiveaa and Seven Adelaide.
The newest addition to the breakfast team, Loz [Laura O’Callaghan], was slotted in at the end of 2021 after co-hosting weekend breakfast.
Triple M Adelaide breakfast backroom
Executive producer of Triple M breakfast is Jarryd Nerlich. “Jarryd joined the station when he was just 21 and started work on Saturday mornings. He went on to produce drive and is now on breakfast,” said O’Reilly.
While O’Reilly keeps across what’s happening in breakfast, he said he is careful not to get in the way of the great work the team are turning out. “It’s a well-oiled machine,” he said.
“The EP Jarryd is a gun and the audio producer Sam Morrison is extremely creative and will help with skits and ideas. He is very crucial to its content.”
Triple M Adelaide’s Roo, Ditts & Loz
Breakfast menu
The size of the Triple M Adelaide ratings indicates the station has hoovered up most of the men in the key demo, and it’s now gone well beyond that.
O’Reilly explained: “Our audience split is 55% male, 45% female. Roo and Ditts were a strong heritage brand that Loz freshened up when she joined. She and Roo and Ditts are at very different stages of their lives. It’s quite common that on a subject under discussion they will have very different takes.
“Almost any member of the audience will be represented in the argument. Despite the differences, they still get along and have very natural conversations.”
How different is Triple M Adelaide breakfast?
When you listen to the Adelaide market leader there’s no mistaking you’re on Triple M. There are differences though. O’Reilly: “We are not really thinking about targeting a male of a particular age. Firstly, we want to talk about Adelaide. Secondly, we want to have a laugh. There’s also a bit of sport and some pop culture. It just so happens that [slightly] more males than females are going to like that.”
Triple M network voices that frequent breakfast include Lehmo and his former network drive co-host Wil Anderson. Mick Molloy and Marty Sheargold can be heard too, but not in regular timeslots.
Meet Shazza and Greta
One key ingredient is the character voices that Loz brings to the program. It’s not unlike what Matty Johns was doing on The Matty Jones Show at Triple M Sydney some time ago. Interestingly, a program that O’Reilly was EP of before moving to Adelaide.
“That used to be a staple in 80s and 90s radio,” said O’Reilly. “It’s become a real point of difference for us.”
Those characters Loz brings include Shazza Dittmar (cousin of Ditts), Nicola Spurrier, the SA health minister who was kept very busy during Covid, and activist Greta Thunberg.
Another part of the program attracting a following is the Triple M Rumour Mill. “That is the most-listened-to quarter-hour of radio in Adelaide for the past six months,” said O’Reilly. The segment goes to air daily at 7.40am. “Quite often we have broken the biggest stories in Adelaide a day or more before everyone else.”
With three high-profile Triple M presenters in the market, there are demands on their time these days.
O’Reilly: “Our biggest challenge is trying to co-ordinate their diaries when we get them together after the show is on air. That’s far from a negative. One of the reasons we get good content is because the three presenters are so connected to what’s happening in Adelaide. Being kept busy and being in demand is a really good thing.”
Highest rating FM breakfast shows in Australia
Sydney: The Kyle and Jackie O Show (KIIS 106.5) 16.7%
Melbourne: Fifi, Fev & Nick (101.9 Fox) 10.6%
Brisbane: Ash, Luttsy & Susie O’Neill (Nova 106.9) 14.1%
Adelaide: Roo, Ditts & Loz (5MMM) 16.3%
Perth: Nathan, Nat & Shaun (Nova 93.7) 17.2%
Source: GfK Survey 8, 2023
Digital engagement
The linear broadcast is a massive hit. So is the podcast of the show each day. The breakfast team bang out an Early Update podcast each day of around 10 minutes and then a Roo, Ditts & Loz Full Show podcast lasting about 45 minutes. The podcast has a regular spot in the monthly Podcast Ranker.
The Roo, Ditts & Loz podcast is attractive for expats outside of Adelaide. Including Crows or Port supporters wanting a feel for what’s happening in their hometown.
O’Reilly cautions that there is not as much football on the show as there once was. “Although if there is a big Crows or Port story we have to cover it. Big things for us this year include the Gather Round, the LIV Golf in Adelaide and the Thursday Showdown.”
Triple M Adelaide’s #1 drive show Bernie, Bluey & Jars
Don’t miss the drive show
“Our drive show is also #1,” O’Reilly reminded us. “The Rush Hour is hosted by Bernie, Bluey and Jars. All metro Triple Ms have local drive shows. Jars celebrated his 21st year at Triple M in 2023.
“We play on the fact we are the only local FM drive show in the market. We did about 20 or more outside broadcasts last year to get and mix with the audience. There is no point in being local if you don’t leave the studio.”
The station is also strong across the workday where it is also #1. “We have probably a slightly broader music proposition in Adelaide than some of the other Triple M stations. The breakfast show’s success allows us to do that.”