ABC slumps in final radio survey as rival 2GB dominates
The ABC's radio ratings have crashed so badly that industry veterans are questioning whether the broadcaster's strategy of hiring younger hosts is backfiring spectacularly.
There were some worrying tumbles in the final radio ratings survey of the year but none greater than observed by the ABC which is now being called “A Basket Case” by industry wags.
In Sydney, the ABC dropped to a 5.5 share (-1.1) and was significantly down across the day in all five timeslots.
The ABC’s breakfast host Craig Reucassel dropped to 6.7 (-1.1) setting up the day’s losses.
And in they marched; golden boy Hamish Macdonald at Mornings dropped to 5.8 (-1.3) followed by the James O’Loghlin/Kathryn Robinson Afternoons team down to 5.2 (-1.2) and departing Drive host Chris Bath to 4.9 (equalling Macdonald’s slide of -1.3).
Given ABC AM radio audiences are aged 55-64 and skew over 65, radio veterans continue to scratch their heads when considering the ABC Sydney’s increasingly youthful and masculine talent roster.
“ABC bosses have lost sight of their actual listening audience in their hurry to reinvent something as something new and younger. It’s madness. Would be prudent for it to now abandon its Australian Broadcasting Corporation name along with its audience. A Basket Case - acronym for ABC - is a better fit,” said one industry insider.
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Monday’s news that another youthful white 30-something, Thomas Oriti, has been tapped to take over from Bath next year seems a high risk move given the long success of 67-year-old Richard Glover in the timeslot.
In Melbourne the ABC was down to 6.3 (-0.2) overall. Breakfast show host Rafael Epstein however saw a large 1.4 hike to achieve a competitive 7.8 share.
In Brisbane the ABC was down to 6.4 (-0.6).
Also hurting this survey, survey seven for the year – the eighth survey lands in January – were the commercial stations.
An under pressure Kyle & Jackie O also shed 1.1 audience share in the Sydney market to land a 12.5 share (down from 13.6) while Triple M’s Beau Ryan, Cat Lynch and Aaron “Woodsy” Woods breakfast show dropped a per cent to a worrying 3.9 result.
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Outside of the ABC’s managing director Hugh Marks and Head of Audio Content Ben Latimer, no one will be more worried in the Sydney market though than bosses at SCA’s 2DAYFM where the station’s Breakfast show plummeted 0.7 to a 2.9 share with the Jimmy Smith, Nathan Roye and Emma Chow.
It seems unlikely the trio will hold the slot in 2026.
Kyle & Jackie O were also down in Melbourne to 5.5 (-0.5) where KIISFM once again finished eighth, beaten into seventh position by ABC Melbourne.
Overall in Sydney, 2GB won the survey with a 13.8 share.
Ben Fordham retained his 16.8 share at Breakfast while Mark Levy achieved one of the biggest increases in this market for survey seven – up 0.9 to 15.8 in Mornings.
SmoothFM was second overall in Sydney with an 11.4 share and well ahead of KIIS with 9.3, GOLD101.7 with 8.7 (Jonesy & Amanda enjoying a 0.8 lift to 8.9) and NOVA’s 7.5.
Also celebrating this survey was NOVA’s Drive team, Ricki-Lee Tim & Joel.
Their audience increased to a 9.2 share (up 1.1).
The crew at 2UE saw increases across the day with its Classic Hits format. Emily Canning in Afternoons and Jon Vertigan in Drive both increased by 1.0 share points to 4.4 and 3.7 results.
3AW’s Ross Stevenson and Russel Howcroft again dominated in Melbourne with a 20.1 share.
Originally published as ABC slumps in final radio survey as rival 2GB dominates
