Radio metro market reviews: Week 1 Sydney
KIIS 106.5 10+ 7.0%, Breakfast 9.3%
Don’t panic, Kyle and Jackie O down, but long way from being out
Cume audience: 10+ 916,000, Breakfast 557,000
Nova has the biggest 10+ cume, but Kyle and Jackie O have #1 breakfast cume.
A sprawling breakfast radio canvas that broadcasts across four hours, sometimes longer, powers the share of the station.
As with most shows, the 6am hour is key listening for regulars. Who’d want to miss the delightful psychic Georgina Walker (18 years with K&J) and also the Birthday Wheel? And exec producer Bruno when he presents his news highlights? Or “What’s in Jackie’s mouth”?
Although the show is famous for its celebrity interviews it can get away without much on offer. Today it was Shannon Noll. Then there are Pop Quiz, First Calls (which are often after 7am) and Last Calls (which can be as late as 10am).
Jackie is the show’s secret weapon. Today there was a great segment about vagina steaming. “Do you want to do it now?” asked Kyle. “Intern Pete, put the jug on.”
She also suggested a segment on whistling. “OK, so not all my ideas are great,” she offered. The station was then flooded with K&J fans and their whistles. “This is the best thing we have ever done,” deadpanned Kyle. “People will be copying this all over the world.”
The breakfast show has the infamous censor on duty, although sometimes you wonder how closely they monitor the program. A couple of weeks ago Kyle spoke frankly about his favourite porn clips!
ARN’s Duncan Campbell spoke to Mediaweek after the survey five results:
“Some people have painted this as a doomsday scenario, but you need to put it in perspective. The likes of Triple M and Nova would kill for a 9.3% breakfast show. This time last year Kyle and Jackie O were on 10% and they did a 9.3% last year too. Earlier in the year they had a very high 12.3%.
“There are, however, some challenges at the station we need to work our way through. We still have a very strong duopoly where KIIS is usually the stronger, but now it is WSFM.
“The music offering across Sydney is interesting and the 2Day music shift has not worked and KIIS could certainly do better too. We will look at that.
“Nova and smoothfm both had some heavy marketing campaigns [which helped]. WSFM had marketing too of course.”
Campbell didn’t think the opposition was coming after them.
“I think the Nova result is more of a one-off at this point.
“Kyle and Jackie O have a unique ability to bounce back just when some people start to write them off. I’ll take a 9.3% breakfast show any day.” Campbell noted the current breakfast cume is higher than it was this time last year. He also spoke about the breakfast brand versus the station brand.
The KIIS challenge is perhaps to have a stronger identity past Kyle and Jackie O. When the breakfast show is over, many people check out and don’t return until 6am the following day.
“That is an interesting question. With such a strong breakfast show the argument can be the show dwarfs the overall brand. And it’s a brand that was built by Kyle and Jackie O.
“In the case of WSFM and Gold, it is the format that came first.
“KIIS is Kyle and Jackie O, while WSFM has more to offer than just Jonesy and Amanda. There is a very strong music foundation.”
ARN of course is hoping KIIS’s Will and Woody becomes a stronger drive attraction after its superstar Sydney breakfast show. “They are sounding more focused than ever and they are working on converting their new listeners to be regulars with more short-form content. The show is an easier listen because of that and it looks like becoming a successful national drive show in time.
“We will give new shows the time they need because the feedback we are getting around the content is very strong.”
Campbell also pointed out the survey five demo movement among 18-24s was “too high”. WSFM jumped an incredible 10.5 to 18.5% to be #1 18-24, while KIIS dropped 8.2 to 9.4% in that age group. “That is too big a swing and that will correct itself pretty quickly.”
Campbell said the market intelligence ARN gets apart from the survey releases indicated WSFM would have a good book, “and we were nervous about KIIS,” he admitted.
104.9 Triple M 10+ 5.4%, Breakfast 5.5%
Cume audience: 10+ 557,000, Breakfast 325,000
It was Freddie Mercury’s birthday today and Triple M Sydney was celebrating. There’s lots to like about the breakfast show and the music celebration proved what Triple M boss Mike Fitzpatrick told Mediaweek – that it is not just a football show.
The show revolves around Matty Johns, who gets great support from Gus Worland, Emma Freedman and the great Chris Page.
Wil Anderson was a guest in the first hour of the show before he started work on Melbourne’s The Hot Breakfast.
While it’s not just a footy show, it was lucky to have Johns on hand to preview some of the NRL finals clashes coming this weekend.
Apart from playing some great Queen tunes, the station spoke to Triple M Hall Of Famer Rob Duckworth, who noted he has been sacked from Triple M more times than anyone else! Matty Johns asked if he’d been asked to host 2Day breakfast yet!
Duckworth had some great Queen stories after being lucky enough to tour with the band on a number of occasions.
Matty asked Duckworth about his friend, and the original Triple M Hall of Famer, Doug Mulray. Gus couldn’t help asking what Mulray thought of The Grill Team. “He doesn’t listen to much radio, but I think he likes the show.”
The show arguably deserves a bigger audience, something the classic rock from AC/DC, Cold Chisel and Dire Straits should be helping with.
Fitzpatrick noted The Grill Team doesn’t rate as well as it might be expected to during the NRL season. He admitted to Mediaweek: “The Melbourne and Sydney stations have done better in the past. There are some highlights though – the workday audience in Sydney has grown.”
See also from this week:
Mediaweek radio wrap: Sydney leaders 2GB and WSFM
Mediaweek radio wrap: Nova Entertainment’s powerful double