Mix 102.3 tops Adelaide’s FM breakfast radio ratings for 2021’s third survey, FIVEaa closing in on ABC Adelaide overall

An extended break from the airwaves has done little to dent the popularity of Mix 102.3’s breakfast radio duo in the latest radio ratings. See who’s on top.

An extended break from the airwaves has done little to dent the popularity of Mix 102.3’s breakfast radio duo Erin Phillips and Mark Soderstrom.

The co-hosts, whose mysterious absence at the end of March had listeners scratching their heads, have retained their position as Adelaide’s no.1 FM breakfast show in the latest radio ratings.

Erin Phillips and Mark Soderstrom are MIX102.3’s top-rating breakfast radio duo.

In the third survey results for 2021, Mix recorded an audience share of 12.3 points - a slight gain of 0.3 after recording 12.0 in the second survey of the year.

Overall, FIVEaa’s brekkie co-hosts David Penberthy and Will Goodings are closing in on top the spot in the timeslot, up slightly to 13.8 and just 0.6 share points behind frontrunner, ABC Adelaide presenter Ali Clarke, who dropped 1 point to 14.4.

FIVEaa’s breakfast radio pair .David Penberthy and Will Goodings at the Joiners Arms Hotel. Photo: Tait Schmaal.

It’s another impressive result for Mix, which has weathered a controversial couple of months, following Soderstrom’s unexplained “illness” and initial two-day break from the airwaves in late March.

This eventually turned into a three-week hiatus for the duo amid rumours of disharmony behind the scenes, with claims Mark Aiston was almost appointed executive producer of the breakfast show.

Mix’s content director Richie Wright has since been moved on from his role, though management denied it had anything to do with rumours of tension between him and the station’s breakfast pair.

Richie Wright - National Content Operations Manager

Wright has since been promoted to the newly-created position of Australian Radio Network’s national content operations manager.

Meanwhile, Triple M’s breakfast co-hosts Mark Ricciuto and Chris Dittmar enjoyed the biggest jump in the crucial timeslot, picking up an impressive 2.1 share points to vault into second place on the FM dial with an audience share of 11.2.

They’re ahead of Nova 919’s Ben Harvey and Liam Stapleton, whose slight gain of 0.4 kept them just behind with 10.2, comfortably clear of SAFM’s breakfast show – hosted by Rebecca Morse, Andrew “Cosi” Costello and Anthony “Lehmo” Lehmann – and Cruise 1323.

Nova 919’s Ben Harvey and Liam Stapleton. (The Advertiser/ Morgan Sette).

Mix is still Adelaide’s No. 1 station with 13 points despite a small 0.5 loss, with Nova’s 0.6 point gain enough to give them second spot with 11.5 share points.

Nova’s followed by Cruise (11.1) and FIVEaa (10.8), which enjoyed a 1.1 point boost to leap over Triple M and ABC Adelaide into fourth place.

Elsewhere, radio veteran Jeremy Cordeaux’s controversial comments and his subsequent sacking from FIVEaa in late March haven’t hurt the station’s ratings.

FIVEaa’s overall result for weekends – when Cordeaux’s shows were broadcast in the mornings – picked up a huge 2.3 share points, and the station is now in fourth place in that timeslot behind Cruise, Mix and Nova.