Radio debutants await first litmus test

The first radio ratings for 2025 will be released on Thursday, with all eyes on newcomers in key timeslots like Ray Hadley replacement Mark Levy.

Clockwise from above, Sally Sara; Hamish Macdonald; Ash Bradman, Nikki Osborne and David ‘Luttsy’ Lutteral; Jason Hawkins and Lauren Phillips; Jackie O and Kyle Sandilands; Sharnelle Vella and Bob Murphy; and Mark Levy.

Is there life at 2GB mornings after the departure of Ray Hadley?

That is one of the questions that will be answered in the first GfK metro radio ratings survey of the year, which will be released on Thursday.

Replacing Hadley at 2GB was the biggest programming decision Nine Radio’s managing director Tom Malone might have to make for some time.

Mr Malone and head of content Greg Byrnes have also made other changes across the network.

At Perth’s 6PR there are new daytime programs this year, while in Brisbane, 4BC’s Peter Fegan will digest his first ratings as the permanent breakfast show host, as will his stablemate Gary Hardgrave, presenter of the station’s drive program.

Nine Radio’s main competition comes from ABC local radio stations — programs on the national broadcaster getting their first ratings results include Melbourne breakfast with Sharnelle Vella and former AFL star Bob Murphy, and Sydney’s morning host Hamish Macdonald.

Hamish Macdonald. Picture: Hollie Adams

ABC Radio National’s Sally Sara, who took over the station’s prestigious breakfast program from Patricia Karvelas in January, will also face her first ratings report card.

In the world of FM, ARN will be looking for signs of life in Melbourne for the Kyle and Jackie O show. While the program remains the dominant FM force in Sydney, the duo’s syndication into the Melbourne market last year was a failure.

Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O will be hoping for better results on Melbourne’s airwaves. Picture: Facebook

In Sydney, SCA will get the first audience feedback for the Beau Ryan and Aaron Woods duo at Triple M, as well as the move of Mick Molloy back to the Victorian capital for the network.

Nova will receive its initial ratings for the Ash, Luttsy & Nikki Osborne show after Susie O’Neill quit Brisbane breakfast, with Nova Melbourne hoping Jason Hawkins and Lauren Phillips might extend their FM winning streak.

When asked about the outlook for Hadley’s 2GB replacement Mark Levy, Mr Malone told The Australian: “Mark is sounding really good in the mornings. He’s an accomplished broadcaster. It will take him some time to settle into mornings, and the routine of a morning show Monday to Friday, but we’re really happy with how the show sounds.

“If Mark could rate over 10 per cent (audience share) we’d be really happy with that and it would be a great result.” Hadley signed off in 2024 with a final audience share of 13.7 per cent.

Also new in daytime at 2GB is drive host Clinton Maynard, who replaced Chris O’Keefe.

When asked about speculation Nine might consider offloading its radio division, Mr Malone said: “It’s hard to comment on rumours that someone may or may not make a bid.”

Some industry observers have put the value of Nine Radio’s total assets at less than $25m but it’s highly unlikely the company would sell the division for any less than $55-60m.

“We have done a lot of heavy lifting in the last six months, repositioning Perth, Brisbane, and then Sydney, both around programming and cost. You can see that reflected in the first-half Nine Radio results, our EBITDA was up 50 per cent, which was a great result, with the digital revenues up by 33 per cent,” Mr Malone said.

“We’ve done a lot of work to make sure that it’s not just sustainable now, but profitable into the future. We’ve got the No.1 stations in Sydney and Melbourne, and we’ve got challenger brands that we’re growing in Brisbane and Perth. Nine Radio is the No.1 40-plus network, which is a hugely valuable demographic.”