Triple M and Hit nab top ratings in Mackay Whitsundays radio battle

In a competitive radio market, Triple M and Hit have come out on top. Here’s how we’re listening in 2023.

The Jay and Dave Breakfast Show team celebrates XTRA's 2023 radio ratings. Picture: Facebook

Triple M and Hit have emerged as the new top dogs in the competitive Mackay Whitsundays radio landscape.

Data from XTRA Insights puts the Southern Cross Austereo stations in first and second position in the 10+ Station Listened to Most category, with Hit in top spot with 20.6 per cent of listeners and Triple M with 20.1 per cent.

The category covers all age groups and serves as a tentpole measurement for listener engagement.

Star 101.9, part of ARN Media, is in third spot with 16.9 per cent of the audience after falling 2.7 points from 2022.

ABC Tropical North, anchored by breakfast presenter Meecham Philpott, is in fourth position with 11.4 per cent.

The public broadcaster’s total radio offerings, however, still capture the greatest audience share.

Tropical North, ABC Radio National, ABC Newsradio, Triple J and ABC Classic combined boast a hold on 22.9 per cent of listeners.

The SCA stations also booked substantial rises in cumulative audience.

The Jay and Dave Breakfast Show team celebrates XTRA's 2023 radio ratings. Picture: Facebook

Triple M jumped 6.5 per cent, adding 2800 listeners across all demographics from its 2022 base, the second highest jump after 4MK 1026AM’s 3100 gain.

The station, anchored by breakfast hosts Jay and Dave, now has the largest radio audience in the region with about 45,300 listeners from 5.30am to midnight, Monday to Sunday.

SCA Mackay and Whitsundays general manager Nikolas Stuart credits bringing in local news content as a key propellant to the top spots.

“I think the biggest thing is we just want to deliver a consistent, fantastic product for this community and we have certainly made some tweaks to do that,” he said.

“Bringing back in local news was absolutely critical to helping us maintain an excellent quality of local content and other than that, I think it was just maintaining that consistency.”

SCA has also captured an increased share of middle-aged and elderly listeners, with a combined 8.6 per cent gain in the 55-64 and 65+ demographics.

Mr Stuart said changes to music programming delivered the expanded audience.

ABC suffered a decline in middle aged and elderly listeners, booking a 6.7 per cent fall in the 55-64 group and a 0.6 per cent fall in the 65+ cohort.

But the public broadcaster still remains the dominant source for those aged 65+, capturing 33.9 per cent of the demographic, far ahead of second-place finisher 4MK, which has 18.7 per cent.

And it is picking up younger listeners, gaining an extra 3.3 per cent of audience share for listeners aged 10-39 from 2022.

The data comes from a phone survey conducted over a three-week period.

“It is based on a listener’s recall of their previous week’s listening,” XTRA states.

The Mackay Whitsundays coverage area stretches from St Lawrence in the south to Hideaway Bay in the north.

ABC Tropical North radio gurus Meecham Philpott and Tegan Philpott. Picture: Facebook

The Tropical North newsroom is in a state of flux following the departure of local editor Tegan Philpott after four-and-a-half years at the helm.

Mackay and Whitsunday community members have reacted to the news with a mix of gratitude for her contribution and sadness at her leaving.

“Thank you tegan from an avid listener,” Jason Sinnott said on the Tropical North Facebook page.

“Always enjoy the show I‘m there every morning.”

“Her and Meech are a team it won’t be the same,” Susanne Jamieson said.

Meecham, Tegan’s husband, will continue to host the breakfast program.

The ABC is recruiting for a new editor.

An ABC spokeswoman said the bureau would continue to deliver the music, news and talkback its audiences valued in both live-to-air and on-demand formats.

“With regards to the small shift to a younger audience, I suspect this is a reflection of the community, which has a strong population of under 40 men and women,” she said.

“Clearly, they like what they are hearing.”

Management from Star 101.9 declined to comment on the results.

Originally published as Triple M and Hit nab top ratings in Mackay Whitsundays radio battle