Survey #2 2014: Is 2UE the new 2SM?

Survey #2 2014 has been released an Sydney’s 2UE received record low ratings. Mornings with Angela Catterns, along with most other dayparts dropped into the 2’s.

The question has to be asked, if 2SM 1269 were to take part in the GfK radio ratings, how would they perform?

Surely with a much more stable line-up, along with the combination of John Laws and Sydney’s only drive-time sport show – surely 2SM would be able to pull an audience larger than 2UE’s Justin Smith on 2.6.

The station (2SM) has freshened up its imaging from early 2014 and looks to be taking its Sydney potential audience seriously.

Nobody is able to officially make a comment until 2SM 1269 actually participates once again.

MixFM on Big Brother?

This backdrop was featured in Big Brother Australia’s 80’s themed eviction night.

Would you agree it looks a little like ARN’s MixFM logo?

#RoyalPrank – Who is at fault?

With all the recent dramas from Today Network’s Hot30 Countdown announcers and ‘that’ prank call – we want to know what you think?

Was it a case of bullying? Should hoax phone calls be banned? Are the announcers not at fault??

This could be another ‘Jones/Gillard’ scenario.

Is two better than one?

Following the announcement of SAFM’s new ‘dual-breakfast show’ strategy, we ask the question… Would you prefer two breakfast shows rather than one?

For SCA, this change at SAFM could be a test for things to come.

However, from a programming perspective, wouldn’t this simply mean more shows to promote across the day – and wouldn’t it confuse the listener?

Either way, well done for SCA and SAFM for making such bald move.

Survey #4 2012

Metropolitan Survey #4 2012 has been released with the clear Sydney radio winners being WSFM and 2GB.

WSFM are only 0.4 per cent away from toppling 2DayFM as overall No.1 FM station.

 

The gamble of replacing 2GB nights with Steve Price has paid off (for now) with the slot climbing 1.7 – the highest shift on the entire station.

Some may argue these ratings do not reflect the new SmoothFM format on 95.3. It will be very interesting to see what happens next survey, as most of Smooth’s weekend line-up will change shortly (no more big names like Buble & Seal).

Click here to view the full ratings.

Which station should feel threatened by SmoothFM?

Nova106.9 Old School All Week

With Brisbane’s Nova106.9 going ‘Old School’ all week, here’s a quick suggestion (or prediction) for DMG Radio…

Now that SmoothFM will be almost competing with Koffee, ditch the DAB+ station and make a 24/7 ‘old school’ DMG digital station.

Alternatively, somebody else should introduce an ‘old school’ format digital station.

It’s official: SmoothFM

DMG Radio have today officially announced the relaunch of 95.3FM and 91.5FM as SmoothFM. It will all take place from 7am on Monday 21st May.

The new (or should it be ‘the latest’) format change for the station can be described as ‘contemporary easy listening’. Let’s call it a younger 2CH/3MP.

So… will SmoothFM succeed? Or will it simply be another 6 month short-term phase in the struggle for the 95.3FM/91.5FM frequencies to gain an audience?

It’s fair enough to say that some 2CH/3MP listeners will give SmoothFM a go – however, as the format will include both older and newer artists, will the target demographic be broader than DMG initially think?

It’s all good to finally pick a niche and focus on it. But in saying that, the niche market has to be very clearly outlined.

It’s quite safe to say SmoothFM won’t be a threat for ARN’s MixFM and Classic Hits networks (as some have already stated). There will most likely be an overlap, but it’s quite clear that ARN’s stations are more ‘up-beat’ than SmoothFM.

And the logo!?! Nothing needs to be said. Just read the blog post below about Koffee possibly ending up on the FM dial.

Can bland and boring radio succeed? Come back in 5 months time.

Could we see Koffee 95.3FM/91.5FM?

Sydney’s 95.3FM and Melbourne’s 91.5FM are once again ‘relaunching’ – this time as a Soft AC format station. This has to be about the 7th time we have seen the struggling DMG stations change formats since their launch.

The new format is a move away from the heavier rock artists to a more ‘easy listening’ sound. Far different to its former Classic Rock format, which will most likely further confuse listeners and advertisers.

However, the name – simply 95.3FM (Sydney) and 91.5FM (Melbourne) still sounds a little ordinary.

A better move would be to re-brand the two stations as Koffee. This is DMG’s chilled out DAB station which is proving to be quite popular and creating its own niche market.

Either way, it is safe to say this probably won’t be the last of the format changes we see on 95.3FM/91.5FM.

Survey #1 2012: It’s not 2Day’s day… and changes at 2UE

The first metropolitan radio survey for 2012 was released today and finally Sydney saw some pretty interesting results.

The continuing turmoil and poor publicity for 2DayFM has impacted on its ratings with more than just advertisers jumping to other stations. The hit music station is now only 0.5 percent ahead of its more mature opposition WSFM. This is the closest the gap has been in years.

Fortunately, Southern Cross Austereo did have something to cheer about. Sister station Triple M saw a significant increase in audience share and looks to be the only current saviour for the company.

In other news, at 2UE an announcement was made that its former sports show Sports Today will be making a comeback as soon as this coming Monday. Previous hosts Gibbsy & Brandy will also now be joined by Rebecca Wilson and 2UE colleague Tim Webster. Will this be too many? Or maybe management felt they were forced to keep Gibbsy and Brandy on board.

The Two Murrays will move from 6-8pm (where the new show will sit) earlier to 12-3pm. Current afternoons host Stuart Bocking will not return to nights and looks to have now left the station.

And the news doesn’t stop there. Unconfirmed reports that Tracey Spicer and Prue MacSween will co-host mornings.

This is a step in the right direction for 2UE, however, there is still no real point of difference to 2GB. The struggling talkback station needs to keep making these changes and not follow its competitor’s direction.

Click here to see full results.