B105 dominates Brisbane radio ratings again, claims second consecutive survey victory

Brisbane’s B105 radio station has topped the city’s fiercely contested radio ratings for the second time this year.

• King vile: Sandilands’ creepy radio rant
• Slumps, sackings, success: 40 years of ratings

Brisbane radio station B105 is celebrating its second consecutive victory in the city’s fiercely contested radio ratings battle, once again claiming the top spot in the third radio survey of 2023, released on Tuesday.

The station dominated the latest numbers, scoring the highest station and breakfast program ratings through its celebrated trio Stav, Abby & Matt, while also seizing the best afternoon and weekend rankings.

B105's Matt, Abby and Stav in Brisbane. Picture: B105

This triumph marks B105’s second consecutive win against its rival station, Nova 106.9, which came in a narrow second, just 0.4 points behind.

Additionally, B105 enjoyed a significant 1.2 point jump for their drive show, Carrie and Tommy, yet remains trailing behind the drive time frontrunners Nova 106.9’s Ricki Lee, Tim and Joel, who continue to lead the ‘drive time’ category despite a 0.7 point dip, their third drop since January.

B105’s content director, Jack Ball, was elated with the result, stating: “The B105 team works hard every day to bring joy to our listeners, and these results validate their efforts. We’re proud to be Brisbane’s number one radio station for two surveys in a row.”

However, Nova 106.9 maintains the lead in drivetime and weekend slots.

With 733,000 listeners, an increase of 26,000 from April’s survey, Nova remains the most listened-to station in Brisbane.

Nova 106.9 breakfast hosts Susie O'Neill, Ash Bradnam and David "Luttsy" Lutterall are ready for State of Origin with the Go Qld caps available with the paper this weekend. Picture: supplied.

Brendan Taylor, Nova Group’s program operations director, acknowledged the River City’s intense competition on the airwaves.

“Nova 106.9 continues to be the most listened to station, but these numbers show just how competitive this city is,” he said.

In other results, 4BH 1116 emerged as the number one AM station, dethroning 4BC with a 0.5 point gain in market share. 4BC experienced the most significant drop in market share this survey period, losing a substantial 1.9 points.

This decline comes on the heels of Neil Breen last month announcing his departure from the 4BC drive show, despite not finishing up at the station until June 23.
Despite this, Breen’s ‘Brisbane Live’ show holds a strong second position in terms of streaming numbers for its scheduled slot, trailing only behind 4JJJ.
Breen announced in May that he will that he would be quitting his radio show, telling listeners it was time to prioritise his family after “three very tough years”.
4BC Content Manager Max Dudley has stated “a new 4BC Drive host is still yet to be announced”.

Departing 4BC announcer Neil Breen

ABC breakfast show, hosted by Craig Zonca and Loretta Ryan, saw its fourth consecutive drop, losing 0.2 points in the 5:30am-9:00am slot

Triple M continued to lead the mornings segment on 12.9 points, holding fourth place for drive time, with the station’s content director, Jamie Angel, crediting the ratings gains to the station’s on-air talent.
“Brisbane’s shown how much they love those funny buggers Marto, Margaux and Dan in the morning and Marty Sheargold and Leisel Jones, Liam and Dobbo for the Drive home!” he said.

This survey marks a milestone in audio measurements as it incorporated listeners’ streaming data for the first time, giving stations and advertisers an in-depth understanding of shifting audience behaviours in the digital age.

The new measurement system, Radio 360, has been three years in the making, marking the biggest ratings overhaul for the industry in decades.

Using the system, 4JJJ clinched the top spot as the most streamed radio station, with Nova 106.9 and ABC Brisbane in second and third places, respectively.
Meanwhile, Nova’s 90s took the crown for Digital Audio Broadcasting, boosted by the new DAB+ and streaming measurements.