ABC Radio’s soggy breakfast shows drag Aunty down

As with all radio stations, breakfast programs set the tone for all of the other shows that follow throughout the day.

Sharnelle Vella and Bob Murphy will host ABC Radio Melbourne breakfast in 2025. Picture: Supplied/Instagram

ABC Radio continues to shed listeners across its key markets of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, with the broadcaster’s various breakfast programs falling flat across the board.

The performance of the Melbourne breakfast timeslot pairing of ex-AFL star Bob Murphy and former Seven reporter Sharnelle Vella will be of particular concern to ABC management.

The duo saw their audience share slip to just 5.6 per cent in the second ratings survey of 2025 (which was released on Thursday), having also lost significant ground in the first poll of the year.

By way of comparison, comedian Sammy J, who fronted the ABC Melbourne breakfast program until the end of last year, recorded a 7.9 per cent audience share in his final survey.

As with all radio stations, breakfast programs set the tone for all of the other shows that follow throughout the day, and the dismal ratings of Murphy and Vella seem to be holding the station’s audience at historically low levels.

ABC Melbourne Mornings, Afternoons and Drive programs sit in eighth, ninth and ninth position in their respective timeslots, and there is little likelihood of a resurgence for those shows unless Murphy and Vella can develop some momentum in the most important timeslot of the day.

ABC Sydney breakfast show host Craig Reucassel also recorded a ratings drop in survey two, slipping to an 8.3 per cent market share (down 0.5 percentage points).

New ABC Radio Sydney breakfast host Craig Reucassel.

The station saw its market share fall across all timeslots – morning show host Hamish Macdonald dropped 0.2 points to 6.2 per cent, James Valentine fell 1.1 points to 5.3 per cent in afternoons, and the drive program, fronted by Chris Bath, was down 0.7 percentage points to 6.5.

It was a similar story in Brisbane – the ABC’s breakfast show pairing of Craig Zonca and Loretta Ryan saw their market share slip from 8.3 to 7.9, leaving them in sixth position in the prestigious timeslot, which was won by Nova’s Ash, Luttsy and Nikki Osborne with a 13.6 per cent slice of the audience (up 1.5 percentage points).

Brisbane comedian Nikki Osborne replaces Susie O'Neil to become Ash, Luttsy & Nikki Osborne on Nova's new breakfast show. Pics: Pete Wallis

ABC Adelaide lost listeners across its breakfast and mornings programs, but ABC Perth enjoyed small gains in those timeslots.

If there is one good piece of news to emerge for the ABC this survey, it’s that Radio National’s breakfast program, hosted by Sally Sara, managed to claw back some listeners following her disastrous ratings performance in the first survey of the year.

Sara lifted her audience share in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide, quite possibly benefiting from an election campaign-driven bounce in audience interest in political matters.

The ratings survey stretched from February 9 to April 12 (the election was called on March 28).

The Nine-owned stations registered mixed results in survey two – Sydney’s 2GB performed well, with morning show host Mark Levy (who replaced Ray Hadley in December) leaping by 2 percentage points to notch an audience share of 15.5, comfortably ahead of the timeslot’s second-placed program on smoothfm (13.5).

DAILY TELEGRAPH- 21.3.25 2GB radio host Mark Levy pictured today inn Sydney. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

2GB’s breakfast program, with Ben Fordham at the helm, maintained the number one position in the timeslot with a 15.6 per cent audience share (up by 1.2 points), ahead of the Kyle & Jackie ‘O’ show on KIISFM (down 1 point to 12.3).

The Melbourne foray of the Kyle & Jackie ‘O’ show is still yet to pay off, although the show increased its market share in this survey by 0.7 percentage points, from 5.1 to 5.8. The program currently sits in seventh place in the city’s breakfast timeslot, which is dominated by 3AW’s Ross Stevenson and Russel Howcroft (18.8 per cent market share, down 1.8 points).

3AW morning show host Tom Elliott experienced a sharp dip in listenership, falling 3.6 percentage points to 15.6, but he easily retains the number one position in the timeslot.