Nova 106.9 tops latest Brisbane radio survey as intense battles revealed

Nova 106.9 has reigned supreme in Brisbane’s latest radio survey, amid tight competition. But the race for a breakfast radio crown paints a different picture.

Nova 106.9 has once again solidified its place at the top, emerging as Brisbane’s favourite radio station in the hotly-contested fifth radio survey of 2023, announced on Tuesday.

The station clinched the victory for the second time in a row with an impressive 11.6 rating, narrowly beating their closest competitor, B105, by a mere 0.5 points.

Nova Brisbane breakfast hosts Ash Bradnam, Susie O'Neill and David Lutteral.

“It’s great to be celebrating number one for Nova 106.9 Brisbane. Being the most listened to station shows the connection we have with our loyal listeners – one we’ve had every survey this year,” Nova Group programming director Brendan Taylor said.

The margin between the top 5 contenders remained tight with KIIS 97.3 scoring 10.8, Triple M at 10.4, and 4BH 1116 trailing at 9.3.

However, the race for Brisbane’s breakfast radio crown paints a different picture.

B105’s Stav, Abby, and Matt retained their title as the favourite morning hosts for the fourth consecutive survey period.

Despite Nova’s overall win, the B105 brekkie trio lead with a 12.5 rating.

B105 content director, Jack Ball, expressed his delight at the station’s recent achievements.

“Radio has a competitive and exciting landscape in Brisbane and given how challenging the market is (1.2 points between all 4FM stations), our entire brekkie show and station is grateful to our audience who choose to start their day with us.” he said.

Mr Ball also highlighted B105’s recent success in the Australian Commercial Radio Awards (ACRA) nominations.

“B105 saw five finalists announced, the most in the Brisbane market. So, it’s been a great few days,” he said.

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

While mornings may belong to B105, Nova 106.9’s influence in the afternoon remains unchallenged.

The station dominated PM slots, particularly the afternoon bracket from 12pm to 4pm, which saw a notable 1.1 point boost.

This rise was boosted by shows like Keegan Bakker’s 1-2pm slot and the Chrissy Swan Show from 2-4pm.

“Number one share for workday with Maddy, DC and Chrissie Swan as well as Drive with Ricki-lee, Tim & Joel, is such a great result in a highly competitive market like Brisbane,” Mr Taylor said.

The weekend ratings, however, had KIIS 97.3 taking the throne with a score of 10.9, ousting previous winners Nova 106.9 and B105.

Kiss FM's Kip, Robin and Terry at the Rivershed, Howard Smith Wharves. Picture: Jerad Williams

Despite the overall win, Nova 106.9 station registered an 18,000 listener dip in cumulative audience since July, down to 618,000 in August.

B105 faced an even steeper decline, shedding 26,000 listeners.

On the streaming front, Triple M stole the limelight, emerging as Brisbane’s most streamed station, pushing past earlier leaders 4BC and 4BH 1116, with Nova 106.9 coming in second.

The digital-only station category also witnessed fierce competition, centred around the nostalgia of the ‘90s.

Nova 90s maintained its lead with an audience of 66,000, while KIIS 973’s 90s station was a close runner-up with 58,000 listeners.

RADIO WINNERS

Overall FM: Nova 106.9, 11.6 per cent (-0.2)

Overall AM: 4BH 1116, 9.3 per cent (-0.5)

Breakfast: B105, 12.5 per cent (-0.2)

Mornings: B105, 10.8 per cent (-1.1)

Afternoons: Nova 106.9, 13.3 per cent (+1.6)

Drive: NOVA 106.9, 13.5 per cent (-0.6)

BREAKFAST

1. B105, 12.5 per cent (-0.2)

2. Nova 106.9, 12.1 per cent (-0.4)

3. KIIS 973, 11.5 per cent (+0.9)

4. Triple M, 10.5 per cent (-1.2)

5. ABC Brisbane, 8.4 per cent (+0.6)

6. 4BH 1116, 7.4 per cent (-0.5)

(Source: GfK)