ABC radio listeners turn off while 2GB suffers horror ratings

The ABC’s major radio stations suffered ratings falls across the country while Nine Radio’s Sydney station also saw listeners tune out.

Radio National breakfast host Patricia Karvelas. Photo: Aaron Francis/The Australian.

The ABC’s major radio stations have shed listeners across the country with falling ratings in four of the five major capital cities while Nine Radio’s 2GB plummeted from the most popular station in Sydney to fourth.

In the latest official radio ratings released by GfK on Tuesday, ABC’s main stations in Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth have all lost listeners, with ABC Sydney the only of the taxpayer-funded broadcaster’s major stations to increase its listenership.

Nine Radio’s 2GB had a horror result with every weekday program suffering notable falls including the station’s two major programs headed up by Ben Fordham and Ray Hadley.

ABC Radio National’s flagship program, RN Breakfast, led by Patricia Karvelas, continued to lose listeners across three markets including Sydney, Melbourne and Perth.

In survey six out of eight surveys to be released this year, Karvelas recorded 70,000 Sydney listeners, 62,000 in Melbourne, 37,000 in Brisbane, 26,000 in Adelaide and 24,000 in Perth.

In the same survey in 2023 she had 85,000 Sydney listeners, 88,000 in Melbourne, 32,000 in Brisbane, 17,000 in Adelaide and 21,000 Perth.

This is an overall loss of 10.6 per cent of her audience in 12 months.

In June ABC chair Kim Williams said during an interview with Karvelas: “I would like to see larger ­audiences for Radio National. I would like to see Radio National lift its ambitions in terms of its role in Australia.”

ABC chair Kim Williams. Picture: NewsWire/Martin Ollman.

ABC Sydney was the only major station for the public broadcaster to boost its listenership with its total audience share climbing by 0.6 percentage points to 6.7 per cent.

ABC Melbourne had a listenership of 5.8 per cent (down 0.8), ABC Brisbane recorded a share of 6.3 per cent (down 0.2), Adelaide 7.7 per cent (down 0.1) and Perth 5.7 per cent (down 0.3).

ABC Sydney’s breakfast program hosted by Craig Reucassel increased its audience share from 7.9 per cent to 9.1, but remained behind the leading program in the slot, KIIS FM’s show hosted by Kyle Sandilands and Jackie ‘O’ Henderson.

The pair attracted an audience share of 13.7 per cent, down 0.6 percentage points, and came out ahead of 2GB’s Ben Fordham at 12.2 per cent, down 3.4 percentage points.

2GB breakfast host Ben Fordham. Picture: Sam Ruttyn.

2GB’s mornings host Ray Hadley said the latest ratings “hasn’t been kind to the station”, falling from the most listened station to fourth, down from 13.3 to 10.2 per cent, while ARN Media’s KIIS FM station was number one with an audience share of 10.8 per cent, down 0.1.

Nine Radio is headed up by Tom Malone and Hadley told listeners on Tuesday: “You take the victories and you take the losses, that’s just the way life is.

“It’s no good spitting the dummy and there’ll be no dummy spitting.

“What we’ll do here is dust ourselves off and have another crack at survey seven and eight.”

Hadley remained the number one program in his timeslot with an audience share of 12.4 per cent, down 3.3 and was the most popular mornings show winning its 160th consecutive survey.

In Melbourne Nine’s 3AW remained the most popular station with an audience share of 14.9 per cent and breakfast duo Ross Stevenson and Russel Howcroft remained on top, recording an audience of 22.5 per cent, up 1.2.

KIIS 101.1FM’s breakfast hosts Kyle and Jackie O have failed to have an impact in Melbourne, recording an audience share of 5.2 per cent, down 0.9.

KIIS FM’s Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O Henderson.

3AW’s mornings host Tom Elliott also remained on top with a 17.8 per cent market share (down 0.3) and ahead of ABC Melbourne’s Rafael Epstein with a 5.8 per cent share (down 1.5).

3AW Drive host Jacqui Felgate is equal fourth in the timeslot with an audience share of 9.1 per cent (up 0.5) and she continues to have 10 commercial partnerships with brands including BMW, Smile Solutions, Racing Victoria and Chadstone Shopping Centre.

In Brisbane the B105 breakfast show hosted by Stav Davidson, Abby Coleman and Matty Acton maintained top spot with an audience share of 14 per cent, down 1 percentage point.

Nine’s 4BC breakfast program hosted by Laurel Edwards, Mark Hine and Gary Clare – who departed the station last week – recorded an audience share of 5.1 per cent and it was the trio’s third worst result in the 18 surveys they were at the station.

In Perth Nova 93.7’s breakfast program hosted Nathan Morris, Natalie Locke and Shaun McManus stayed on top in the timeslot with an audience share of 16.4 per cent (down 0.5 points).

While in Adelaide Triple M’s breakfast show led by Mark Ricciuto, Chris Dittmar and Laura Callagan was number one with an audience share of 13 per cent, up 0.7 percentage points.

Originally published as ABC radio listeners turn off while 2GB suffers horror ratings