ABC Melbourne slumps to record low in first radio survey of 2023

ABC Melbourne has slumped to its worst radio ratings result on record, attracting an average share of just 5.8 per cent of listeners in the first survey of 2023.

In the same survey period a year ago, the ABC’s share was 7.4 per cent, which represented a drop from the COVID-assisted 10.1 per cent in the last survey of 2021.

The average audience for this survey period, which covers January 15 to February 25, was just 30,000, down from 40,000 during the same period a year ago. Overall, slightly more people listened to radio this survey than last, with an average 522,000 people (up from 515,000) in any given quarter-hour during the survey period.

In the breakfast slot (5.30am-9am), ABC Melbourne’s average audience dropped from 59,000 to 55,000. In mornings (9am to midday), it dropped from 56,000 to 51,000.

Mornings host Virginia Trioli is on extended leave and has not been on air at all this year. The host’s chair has predominantly been filled by Ali Moore throughout this survey period.

Ali Moore has been filling in for Virginia Trioli in mornings.Credit: Justin McManus

It should also be noted that survey timeslots do not always correlate precisely with program/host slots.

Talk rival 3AW (owned by Nine, the publisher of this masthead), meanwhile, gained slightly in both slots, up to 171,000 listeners in breakfast (from 169,000) and 139,000 in mornings (for an 18.1 per cent share, up by 1.2 points on the last survey).

Only Craig Huggins on Gold FM came close to that audience, racking up an average 102,000 listeners (up from 95,000 last survey) as he lifted his share in mornings from 12.6 per cent to 13.3.

In terms of cumulative audience – which captures anyone who listens to at least eight minutes of audio in any given 15-minute period at least once a week – the ABC’s audience actually lifted slightly, which suggests its problem might not lie with getting people to tune in so much as keeping them there.

Across the board, the biggest movers in this survey were 3AW, which increased its share across the week from 15.1 per cent to 16.6, and Fox FM, which was up from 8.9 per cent to 9.8.

The biggest single slot gain was mornings on Fox, where Fifi Box, Brendan Fevola and Nick Cody scored a 2.6-point lift to a 10.3 per cent share.

Gold FM’s Christian O’Connell’s reign as the king of FM breakfast continues with his share up handsomely, from 9.9 to 11.5 per cent of all listeners between 5.30 and 9am.

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