3AW secures highest ratings in Melbourne, Smooth FM rates best in FM category

RADIO station 3AW is celebrating some of its highest ratings ever, but no-one is listening to its new sister station.

3AW’s breakfast with Ross Stevenson (pictured) and John Burns continues to lead the way.

THE ratings are in with 3AW increasing its lead as Melbourne’s most popular station, while Smooth FM station continues to gain ground.

The Macquarie Media station secured the highest rating overall with 16.2 per cent share, up 1.4 per cent from the last survey.

It is the station’s best ratings since 2011.

RADIO KING TAKES ON TV FOOD SHOW

SAME LOVE NOT AIRED ON 3AW NRL GRAND FINAL BROADCAST

NRL GRAND FINAL RATINGS DOWN

The station again won every timeslot. Breakfast team Ross Stevenson and John Burns lead the way with a whopping 21.6 per cent share, nearly double their nearest rival ABC Melbourne’s Red Symons.

Neil Mitchell has opened up a significant gap on his long term counterpart Jon Faine at the ABC winning the morning slot 17.7 to 12.3.

Radio host Neil Mitchell in the 3AW studios in Melbourne. Picture: David Geraghty

But the news wasn’t good for 3AW’s sister station Talking Lifestyle who continue to flounder with only 0.4 audience share with much of the content coming from Sydney. No-one at all listened in the 10-17 or 25-39 age categories.

Smooth FM is Melbourne’s most listened to FM station increasing its share to 10.5 per cent, up one per cent on the last survey.

In the hotly contested FM breakfast shift it was Fox’s Fifi, Dave, Fev and Byron who took the honours with a 9.0 share, up from 7.9 in the previous survey. It’ll be interesting to see how the departure of Dave Thornton from the program effects the ratings.

Every station invests heavily in their breakfast teams but only three breakfast programs rated higher than their station average, 3AW, ABC and Triple M.

SEN’s high profile breakfast team of Garry Lyon, Tim Watson, and Hamish McLachlan won just 3.5 per cent of the audience, despite it being the peak of the footy season. McLachlan finished up on the show last Friday.

Fox FM tied with Gold FM for overall second place in the FM market with a 9.3 per cent share.

Nova FM was the biggest loser, dropping 1.1 per cent to just 6.9 per cent.

Rumours of Billy Brownless and James Brayshaw’s boning were unfounded with the larrikin duo remaining at Triple M. The Rush Hour is expected to move to the afternoon slot to make way for a new program co-hosted by D-Gen alumni Jane Kennedy and Mick Molloy.

Mick Molloy and Jane Kennedy. Picture: Triple M

ABC Melbourne was the second most listened to AM station with a 9.7 per cent share.

The latest numbers are from the Commercial Radio Australia’s survey which was conducted between July 16 to September 23.

3AW operations director Stephen Beers said it was a fantastic result for the station.

Fifi Box, Brendan Fevola and Byron Cooke with a child, Logan. Picture Andrew Tauber

Mr Beers said the ease of listening while in transit with the development of the app had really make a significant impact on reaching its audience.

“It has been an outstanding year for this radio station which is driven with breakfast to across the day into our weekend programs. It really is about engagement,” Mr Beers said.

Mr Beers said today’s results are best ratings recorded overall for the station since 2011, the best weekday ratings since 2007 and the best result for Neil Mitchell’s program since 2012.

So, he is shouting his team pizza.

Smooth FM nabbed the top drive rating spot from Fox FM, and secured the highest ratings for overall in the FM category.

Fox FM won the breakfast FM radio station ratings battle with Smooth FM a firm second with Gold104.3 ranking in third position.

Fox FM Content director Adrian Brine said the breakfast show hosted by Fifi Box, Brendan Fevola and Byron Cooke was a dynamic mix of personalities.

“Fifi Box has been one of the strongest hosts for 10 years. Fev added to the mix, they are pretty unbeatable,” Mr Brine said.

“It is the broadness of having these personalities. I am proud of my guys. It is a really competitive market in Melbourne.”

Mr Brine wasn’t fussed about Smooth FM taking its drive ratings, saying they were in a “one horse race” and didn’t provide a level of engagement between songs.

Meanwhile in Sydney, 3AW’s sister station 2GB also won the overall ratings for AM, its breakfast and its drive programs.

Kyle and Jackie O kept their top spot in FM ratings but were joined by WSFM.

WSFM secured the overall ratings top spot for FM while KISS 1065 won the ratings in the drive category in Sydney.