2GB drifts into icy waters while K+J see the shoreline

Tim Burrowes

September 10, 2025 3:23

2GB drifts into icy waters while K+J see the shoreline

Welcome to a midweek update written for Unmade’s paying members. Everyone else will hit a paywall further down.

Today: This week’s radio ratings were really bad for 2GB: just how much trouble is the station in? And a little hope for The Kyle & Jackie O Show.

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Bad news and good news in the radio ratings

In the zero game of ratings share, every win for one network means a loss for somebody else. This week’s results mark a low spot for 2GB, and an improving pulse for The Kyle & Jackie O Show

How does the 2GB blazer crew turn around their hour-by hour switchoff?

We’ll start with talk station 2GB, which is past the point where its bosses at Nine Radio should be worrying.

Ben Fordham lost his lead in the Sydney breakfast slot to Kiis’s The Kyle and Jackie O Show.

But that’s not the main problem – that lead has swapped at least five times previously.

2GB’s biggest problem is the rest of its schedule. Throughout the day until 7pm, every 2GB show loses share and audience compared to the one before.

Fordham delivers a 14.2% share and average audience of 101,000 across the 5.30am to 9am timeslot.

From 9am to noon, Mornings with Mark Levy turns that into an 11.5% share and 75,000 audience.

From 12-4 – mostly covered by Afternoons with Michael McLaren in the 12-3pm timeslot – it drops to a share of 8.9% and a 48,000 audience.

And worst of all for 2GB, is Clinton Maynard’s drive slot, which should be heartland. Instead, 2GB’s share of the 4-7pm slot is just 6.2%, with an average audience of 25,000.

That’s fourth in the time slot and the worst drivetime result 2GB has ever had.

Before Fordham moved to breakfast at the end of 2020, he used to win the slot, and departed with an average audience of 62,000.

His successor Jim White hit a low of 29,000 in 2022. Then Chris O’Keefe dipped to 26,000 last year.

Now 2GB’s only winning timeslot is 7pm to midnight, with share up from 18.7% to 20.1% thanks to The Continuous Call Team and NRL season.

2GB used to have a straightforward message for advertisers. Its audience may have been older, but they listened for longer and it was always number one station in Sydney for average listening.

No longer. In Monday to Friday share, 2GB is behind ARN Media’s Kiis. And in Monday to Sunday share it’s behind Nova Entertainment’s SmoothFM.

In cumulative audience – the number of people tuning in at some point during the week – 2GB is seventh. The only demographic 2GB wins now is 65+.

While, sister station 3AW continues to dominate in Melbourne – it improved on every metric – 2GB seems to be adrift.

K&J’s pulse improves again

The biggest sigh of relief will have come from Coca Cola Place (just like Nine, ARN Media doesn’t have the naming rights for their own headquarters).

The average audience of the Kyle & Jackie O Show across Sydney and Melbourne on Kiis FM improved for a second survey in a row.

ARN can claim that with an average of 154,000 listeners, The Kyle & Jackie O Show is the biggest live radio show in the nation (just ahead of 3AW Breakfast with Ross and Russel on 139,000).

The result will contribute to the decisions being made by ARN Media ahead of next month’s Upfront event. Whether that’s simply rolling into Brisbane, or across the entire ARN network, remains to be seen.

Unmade Index

Nine outperformed the top end of town on Tuesday with shares rising by 1.8% ahead of Thursday’s cutoff for shareholders to receive the Domain dividend.

Ooh Media and Southern Cross Austereo rose by 0.3% and 4%. Meanwhile classified player Gumtree saw its shares jump by 38.4%.

However, more stocks on the Unmade Index sank rather than grew. IVE Group took the biggest hit, losing 7.3%. Enero lost 4.8%. Seven West Media lost 3.5% and ARN Media dropped 3%.

The Unmade Index closed on 579.9 points, down 0.39% for the day.