Good and bad news for KIIS FM as ABC Radio sheds listeners in shock ratings shake-up

The first full national radio ratings survey of the year has turned up a surprising result for KIIS FM’s breakfast slot after shedding its star hosts.

The KIIS FM breakfast show – which has been hosted by a series of fill-in presenters backed by former program regulars Brooklyn Ross and Intern Pete Deppeler since Sandilands was taken off air on March 3 – shed just one audience share point in the latest GfK radio ratings survey.

Jackie O.

Shock jock Kyle Sandilands.

That saw KIIS FM’s breakfast show capture 11.7 per cent audience share (the percentage of total listeners during that time period), down from 12.7 per cent from the previous survey. The network still managed to hold onto the top rating slot among FM broadcasters in the breakfast slot, even with Sandilands and Henderson off the air for four weeks of the survey period.

While KIIS retained the top spot for FM, the overall top rating breakfast show of the survey was 2GB host Ben Fordham’s, with a 16.8 per cent audience share (up 0.2).

SmoothFM surged at breakfast to 10.9 per cent audience share (up 0.8) to finish third. Next came Nova’s newly bedded in breakfast duo Tim Blackwell and Ricki-Lee Coulter, claiming a 9 per cent share (up 0.6) and GoldFM101.7’s breakfast host Christian O’Connell on 5.5 per cent (down 0.6) in his new Sydney slot.

Ricki Lee Coulter, Tim Blackwell and Sarah Harris.

It proved a humbling survey for O’Connell, who has replaced longtime Sydney duo Brendan “Jonesy” Jones and Amanda Keller, who were moved to Gold’s drive shift last year.

In drive, that duo finished third with an 8.9 per cent share (up 0.5) behind SmoothFM with an 11.4 per cent share (down 0.3) and Nova’s relocated Fitzy, Wippa and Kate Ritchie on 9.7 per cent (down 0.5).

By far the biggest loser of the survey was ABC Radio, which has shed listeners in the three main markets – Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane – to deliver what has to be one of their worst ever results.

In Sydney, ABC702 fell to a disastrous 4.3 per cent share, down almost a point from the previous 5.1 per cent.

Plummetted: Hamish Macdonald

Ben Fordham. Picture Thomas Lisson

In Melbourne ABC dropped 1.5 share points to deliver a meagre 3.9 per cent share (down from 5.4), while in Brisbane the broadcaster shed 0.1 share points to achieve a 5.9 per cent share (down from 6).

ABC chairman Kim Williams’ favourite Hamish Macdonald took a seismic hit in Sydney in the morning slot.

Macdonald managed just a 3.9 per cent share – his worst ever – having shed 1.6 share points from 5.5. This was despite being the face of a high-rotation television promo on the national broadcaster.

Craig Reucassel fared marginally better at breakfast pulling a 5.9 per cent share, although was down a worrying 1.2 points from what was a still competitive 7.1 per cent in the previous survey.

Across the afternoon and at drive the national broadcaster managed only a 3.3 per cent share in both timeslots, down 0.7 and 0.6 points respectively. The ABC’s post noon audience looked, it appeared, to be reeling from the February retirement of much-loved broadcaster James Valentine who lost his cancer battle yesterday.

James Valentine. Picture: Richard Dobson

Nick Cody, Fifi Box and Brendan Fevola.

The ABC’s Triple J also shed audience in Sydney – down to a 3.2 per cent share – though remained stable in Melbourne on 3.6 per cent.

In that city 3AW remained dominant across the board with a 14.2 per cent share (up 0.4 points), followed by Gold104.3 with 13 per cent (up 0.5), SmoothFM on 9.9 per cent (up 0.5), FoxFM on 8.9 per cent (up 0.3) and Nova (down 0.3).

3AW breakfast hosts Ross Stevenson and Russel Howcroft were stable in that shift on 18.9 followed by O’Connell on Gold with 10.5 (down 0.1), Jason Hawkins and Lauren Phillips on Nova on 10.3 (down 0.8), Fifi, Fev and Nick on FoxFM surging to 9.6 (up 0.8 giving them the biggest lift in that market) and Mick in the Morning with Roo, Titus and Rosie in fifth place with a 7.5 share (up 0.7).

With Sandilands and Henderson off the airwaves for much of the survey, KIISFM’s embattled breakfast show lifted to seventh most listened to program, up from eighth, in the southern capital with a surging 5.4 per cent share (up 0.3).

At a glance the survey, despite ARN’s weakened share price in tandem with the Sandilands and Henderson axings, likely proved a shot in the arm for KIISFM while giving executives at the ABC much to worry about as they pursue a younger listening audience – at the expense of loyal older listeners – which simply isn’t engaged.