Hadley’s phenomenal feat: 20 years reigning Sydney’s radio ratings
Ray Hadley has made history with two decades at the top of the ratings in Sydney’s hugely competitive radio market.
Confidential
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Twenty years on top – Ray Hadley has notched up two decades as number one in the toughest radio markets in the country.
Hadley has registered his 158th consecutive radio ratings survey win, two decades after his first, with an audience share of 16.4 per cent in mornings on talkback station 2GB.
“A lot has happened personally and professionally over the past 20 years. My now adult children were children themselves when this journey started and now they have provided me with 7 wonderful grandchildren – those little ones usurp any commercial success.
“A wise old broadcaster once told me: ‘Be yourself, get in before anyone else and work public holidays’.
The formula seems to have worked. My thanks to my wife Sophie for her total loyalty, and love to John Singleton for having faith in me all those years ago.”
It is a phenomenal milestone for the veteran broadcaster, who turns 70 in September.
In June, Hadley told Confidential he has never taken his career for granted.
“We stand by our record, which is the best that has ever happened and so it is hard to beat and I don’t know if anyone will beat it again in the future.”
Elsewhere in the GfK survey four of eight for the year, Hadley’s colleague Ben Fordham on breakfast triumphed over FM rivals Kyle and Jackie O on KIIS.
Fordham registered a leading 17 per cent share, up 0.4 of a percentage point, compared to Kyle and Jackie O at 14.1 per cent, down 0.6 of a percentage point.
It is the second partial survey period where Kyle and Jackie O’s breakfast show has been broadcast in both Sydney and Melbourne.
The KIIS FM’s extension into Melbourne is part of the landmark 10-year deal Sandilands and Henderson signed last November with ARN worth $200m.
In Melbourne, where they’ve broadcast for eight of the 10 weeks in the survey period, they’ve remained steady with a 5.9 per cent audience share.
A KIIS press release stated the pair are “making their mark in Melbourne”, although the figure is well down on market leader 3AW with an 18.8 per cent audience share. Gold FM is 10.8 per cent and Nova is 9.6 per cent.
Back to Sydney, in terms of audience numbers, Kyle and Jackie O have this survey period drawn a total audience of 696,000 listeners, down 62,000 compared to Fordham on 2GB at 492,000, up 37,000.
Elsewhere in breakfast, WSFM’s Brendan ‘Jonesy’ Jones and Amanda Keller are the third most listened to show with an audience share of 9.1 per cent (down 0.6), followed by ABC Sydney at 8.1 per cent (up 0.4) and smoothFM 95.3 at 7.9 per cent (down 0.6).
Of Hadley’s history making result meanwhile, 2GB’s Tom Malone said: “This is an extraordinary achievement. As far we know, no individual broadcaster has been number one for 20 years, without a blip. It’s the perfect scorecard! It all comes down to Ray’s work ethic and his commitment to his listeners.”
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