ABC radio ratings crash: Valentine, Glover hit fresh lows

ABC Radio Sydney falls to its worst overall performance in more than a decade, with the disastrous survey likely to spark calls for a shake-up.

ABC Radio Sydney has plummeted to its worst overall ratings performance in more than a decade, with the disastrous survey likely to spark calls for a shake-up of the station's on-air line-up.

Specifically, the waning popularity of two of its star hosts — namely breakfast show presenter James Valentine and drive program anchor Richard Glover — will be closely scrutinised by the national broadcaster’s recently established advisory group, which has been tasked with arresting the dramatic slide in ABC radio audiences in the key metro markets across Australia.

In the second national survey of the year, released on Thursday, ABC Sydney recorded an overall audience share of 5.5 percentage points (down 0.4 from the previous poll), putting it in eighth position in the city’s radio market.

Valentine, who took over the prestigious breakfast timeslot in January 2022, recorded his lowest ever share of audience, polling just 7.0 in this survey (down 1.3 percentage points since March).

James Valentine has lost listeners since his move to the breakfast slot. Picture: Richard Dobson

Since taking over the timeslot from previous hosts Wendy Harmer and Robbie Buck, Valentine has lost more than half of ABC Sydney’s breakfast show audience.

In October 2021, Harmer and Buck reached a high-water mark of 15.9 per cent audience share, which equated to an average of 123,000 listeners. Eighteen months on, Valentine’s average audience is 59,000.

Similarly, Glover, who has been at the helm of ABC Sydney’s drive program for more than 25 years, registered his worst ratings result in several years in this month’s survey. Glover’s audience share of 5.9 percentage points (down 0.5 on the previous poll) leaves him eighth in his timeslot. 2GB’s new drive time host Chris O’Keefe jumped 1.1 points in this survey, registering an audience share of 6.8, to give the Nine-owned station a rare win over the ABC in the timeslot.

Last month, it was reported that after several months of weak ratings, ABC management established an internal advisory group and recruited external consultants — including industry veteran Cherie Romaro — to try and woo back the tens of thousands of listeners who have deserted the national broadcaster’s radio network since the end of the pandemic.

The results of this survey suggest the advisory group has a lot of work to do. The polling data, produced by ratings firm GfK, shows ABC Radio has continued to lose audience share in all of its metro markets across the nation, with the exception of Melbourne (up 0.4 percentage points, to 6.2 overall).

Elsewhere in Sydney, 2GB snatched back its long-held crown as the top-rating radio station in the city, after last month losing the title to rival KIIS1065 for the first time in 18 years.

In the second survey of 2023, 2GB recorded an overall audience share of 11.8 (up 0.8), just pipping KIIS1065 on 11.5 (down 0.4).

The FM station’s popular breakfast duo of Kyle Sandilands and Jackie ‘O’ Henderson retained top spot in the timeslot (15.1 per cent audience share), narrowly ahead of 2GB’s Ben Fordham (14.7 per cent, up 0.7).

FM radio’s golden duo Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O.

2GB’s morning show host Ray Hadley, who increased its audience share in this survey (up 0.3 points to 14.3), told his listeners on Thursday morning: “Out of 148 surveys, 2GB has won 147 of them,” he said. “As the content director said from KIIS previously, what we look at here is trends, and one is not a trend. He was exactly right about that.”

In Melbourne, Nine’s 3AW maintained its status as the number one radio station with an audience share of 16.3 percentage points (down 0.3).

3AW’s breakfast duo Ross Stevenson and Russel Howcroft won their slot easily with an audience share of 21.1 (down 1.6), while morning show host Neil Mitchell increased his listener numbers, scoring a 19.2 per cent slice of the market (up 1.1 percentage points).

ABC Melbourne’s mornings program, which was predominantly hosted by Ali Moore while Virginia Trioli was on extended leave for the first few months of the year, recorded an audience share of 8 percentage points (up 1.4) in this survey.

Virginia Trioli is back hosting in Melbourne after an extended break. Picture: David Geraghty/The Australian

3AW’s drive host Tom Elliott’s big jump of 3.9 percentage points in the last survey was short-lived, however, he still won his timeslot with an audience share of 11.6 (down 3 percentage points).

In Brisbane, 4BC has bounced backed after a disappointing start to the year. The Nine-owned station increased its overall audience share to 8.4 percentage points (up 1.5) in this survey, with its breakfast show trio of Laurel Edwards, Gary Clare and Mark Hine clawing back some recent losses with a 0.6 jump to 9.0.

Neil Breen, who hosts the drive program for 4BC, returned his best audience share since moving from the breakfast shift last year, recording a 1.9 percentage point jump to 7.7.

In Adelaide, Triple M’s breakfast program, hosted by Laura O’Callaghan, Mark Ricciuto and Chris Dittmar, won the timeslot with an audience share of 14.2 percentage points (up 1.3 percentage points). It knocked off FIVEaa’s breakfast show — hosted by David Penberthy (also a senior writer at The Australian) and Will Goodings — from the top spot, with the ABC in equal fourth position.

In Perth, ABC recorded one of its worst ratings results in nearly a decade, with a total audience share of 4.8 percentage points (down 0.9).

Its breakfast show hosted by Stan Shaw, who took over as the program’s host at the beginning of the year, fell 1.5 percentage points to 6.1, leaving it in sixth position in the competitive timeslot.

NOVA93.7’s breakfast show, helmed by Natalie Locke, Nathan Morris and Shaun McManus, maintained the top spot in the timeslot, recording an audience share of 17.5 percentage points (down 1.1.)

Nine’s 6PR breakfast program, led by Steve Mills and Karl Langdon, saw its audience share climb to 10.6 percentage points (up 0.9).