This was published 11 years ago
Retiring Nova team Dave Hughes and Kate Langbroek top the ratings
By Neil McMahon
What a way to go out: retiring Nova 100 duo Dave Hughes and Kate Langbroek look like they might make their last lap a victory lap after a slight but stunning ratings win that upended the FM leader board.
Coming from third spot in the FM race behind the rival powerhouses of Eddie McGuire on Triple M and Fox's Matt Tilley and Jo Stanley, the Nova pair beat McGuire's team by the tiniest margin – 8.4 percentage points to Triple M's 8.3. Those numbers represent only a 0.1 rise for Nova, but a 0.6 fall for the Eddie crew. The Fox team fell from second to third, down from 8.4 to 7.9.
Out with a bang .. Nova's Kate Langbroek and Dave Hughes finally beat top dog Triple M.
The result – being celebrated heartily at Nova's studios within minutes of the numbers being released – comes just two weeks after Hughes and Langbroek announced they would end their partnership in November.
In an interview with Fairfax Media after the results were released were announced, a thrilled Dave Hughes declared the win a "great result".
"It's good to be on the right side of the bouncing ball for once," he said. Hughes acknowledged the tiny margin made the victory a "strange one", but added: "We'll take it. We're smiling."
But the win did not give him any second thoughts about ending their long run.
"We're not leaving because of ratings, we're leaving because we want to pursue new challenges."
And with the wind at their backs heading towards the end of the year, Hughes said they'd be doing their damnedest to end the year - and their careers at Nova — at number one.
"We're certainly going to be milking it for all it's worth. You don't get too many chances to do it in this business."
They have been doing the breakfast show since November 2001 when Nova launched.
In the overall contest across the day and night, the FM result was a tie – with Fox down from 8.9 to 8.2 and Gold FM up from 7.8 to 8.2 to share equal top billing. Nova 100 crept up by 0.2 points to be second on 7.7, with Triple M fourth on 7.3 points, up from 7.0 last time.
*At the other end of the day, 3AW was hailing Tom Elliott's success in the drive slot he inherited from axed broadcaster Derryn Hinch, sacked last year. Though the official survey gives its drive slot to 774's Raf Epstein, the Nielsen breakdowns don't match with station program times. 3AW is on top in the actual direct clash between Epstein and Elliott from 3pm to 6pm - AW on 11.9, 774 on 9.8.
In the battle of the news-and-talk heavyweights, ABC 774's mornings presenter Jon Faine recorded his third survey win in a row over 3AW rival Neil Mitchell. While it was Faine who recorded the biggest audience drop – down from 15.5 to 14.2 – he retained a big enough margin to top Mitchell, who fell from 14.2 to 13.7.
This sixth survey of the year represents a worrying trend for Mitchell, who has not beaten Faine in a ratings period since the first survey of the year. Since then the two have tied once, and Faine has won four times.
But in the overall station race, 3AW beat ABC 774 – the commercial station sitting on 13.5 (unchanged) ahead of the ABC on 12.2 (down from 12.4).
*Corrected