All talk and no clout as AM takes a beating from FM
The AM programs, including David Penberthy and Will Goodings, are copping a right-royal slapping from listeners, writes Mike Smithson.
Predicting Adelaide’s radio ratings is almost as difficult as picking a clear winner in this Saturday’s federal election.
Top honour in GFK’s second survey for 2025, released this morning, goes to the entire FM band.
My prediction for survey one a month ago was that the new MIX102.3 breakfast team of Max Burford and Haley Pearson would capture audience attention via their huge promotional campaign.
That’s now materialised with a sizeable 1.8 per cent jump taking them to third spot in the highly coveted and revenue making brekky slot.
Their rise came at the cost of top top-placed MMM.
Roo, Ditts and Loz dropped slightly by 0.8 but must be congratulated for again clinging to top ranking for the 20th consecutive survey.
Footy-mad listeners are unlikely to desert them all the way through to September as they clearly identify with those early risers.
At Nova, there must be a growing sense of satisfaction as its breakfast brand continues to build.
Jodie and Haysey are “consistently consistent” with a 1.2 rise, taking them into clear second place in breakfast and menacing their counterparts at MMM.
Both combine their richly humorous and serious radio personalities to keep winning over audiences.
Nova Program Manager Josh McCabe says it’s a huge testament to their hard work.
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“Today’s result is the largest audience ever recorded by a Nova 919 breakfast show,” he said.
“I’m excited for what the rest of the year holds.”
SAFM also enjoyed a much-needed rise, up by 1.4.
As Bernie Vince and Emma G are discovering, it’s a long way to the top in this brutal industry, but at least they can rightfully claim their chemistry is working.
Their bosses agree.
“It’s particularly exciting to see some of our new local breakfast shows building early momentum with listeners, particularly Bernie & Emma G at SAFM in Adelaide,” according to Southern Cross Austereo’s Chief Content Officer Dave Cameron.
An AM beating
So, where does that leave the major breakfast AM bands?
The ABC, FIVEaa and Cruise 1323 will all be bitterly disappointed.
At Collinswood, Jules and Sonya have taken a hit, dropping by 1.2.
It comes after a stellar result last time around, which had lifted them into second place overall, but now they sit behind all the FM big guns.
Cruise is now sinking rather than swimming.
And what on earth is happening at AA?
So-called breakfast kings David Penberthy and Will Goodings are copping a right-royal slapping from listeners.
They’ve dropped by 1 this time around on top of their 1.3 slump in survey one.
Behind-closed-doors discussions at Hindmarsh Square will be interesting today after the highly prized duo slipped to a forgettable fifth position.
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But a big tick for Graeme Goodings in AA’s morning slot.
He jumped by 1.3 to overtake his debutant rival Rory McClaren at the ABC.
AA has struggled in the morning program since Leon Byner vacated the seat.
Matthew Pantelis had his ups and downs before also exiting the studio and heading back to the newsroom.
Goodings should be a good fit for the morning’s chair, given his style and vast experience.
McClaren had a modest 0.6 fall at Aunty, which then saw a slight rise in the afternoon program, a fall in Drive and a lift in Evenings, so go figure?
Stacey Lee continued the Graeme Goodings trend at AA with a slight afternoon rise, but then it flatlined in the sport’s show at 4pm and rose solidly in Evenings with Leith Forrest.
In my humble opinion, Forrest is one of the most skilled and talented radio hands going around and should be utilised more than he is at present.
Across the entire radio dial, MIX has now moved into top spot, overtaking MMM.
Outside influences
This survey may have been influenced by the barrage of federal election campaigning, which most listeners were sick of by the end of day one.
I’ve long held the view that AM bands and their talk show formats are facing perilous times.
The ABC may have struck trouble with an overload of political chat from sunrise until sunset.
If that’s a factor, there could be blue sky times ahead after Saturday’s poll.
Another theory is that AA’s sport’s show with Rowey and Timmy G has fallen victim of changing fads and technology as they languish in fifth position.
If they can’t get an audience rise at the beginning of another fascinating AFL season, surely it tells you something.
These days, sports podcasts and online sites tell listeners all they really want to know throughout the day, well before Rowe and Ginever hit the airwaves in the late afternoon.
In some ways, MMM’s success at breakfast is AA’s loss in Drive.
Relying on sponsored big-name guests to enlighten and, at times, shock listeners may have worked in the past for AA, but they now seem to be yesterday’s heroes.
AA lost ground in the crucial 40-54 year bracket.
That should be its heartland, but the age group has tuned out across two surveys.
Mike Smithson is a regular, unpaid commentator on various Adelaide radio programs.
He’s also weekend presenter and political analyst for 7News
