Radio ratings: 2GB takes back Sydney while WSFM fans turn off Gold
The fierce fight for Sydney radio dominance continues into 2025, as 2GB has snatched the lead from Smooth, while WSFM’s rebrand fails to catch fire.
SYDNEY
The last four surveys of 2024 saw four different stations take the lead in Sydney’s radio ratings battle. 2GB lost the crown back in October, when it fell to fourth place, as KIIS took the lead. WSFM took the lead in the next survey, winning Sydney for the first time since 1984. Interestingly, the station announced its rebrand less than two weeks later.
The final survey of the year saw Smooth come out on top, despite a late ratings charge from 2GB’s Ray Hadley, who reclaimed his time-slot in his final survey at the station, after slipping in November – the first time he’d fallen from the top spot in 20 years.
Now, it’s 2025, and 2GB is back on top again, despite losing listeners. It commands 11.6% of the overall audience, just creeping ahead of previous leaders Smooth, who dropped 0.8 points to sit at 11.5%. KIIS also fell, albeit modest 0.1%, to land at 9.9 points.
WSFM officially switched to GOLD101.7 on January 1, and it seems some of its loyal listeners also made the switch – with the station dropping 1.3 points to just 8.3%. It lost listeners across every single timeslot, with Jonesy & Amanda’s 1.6% fall in breakfast only tempered by the fact its demographic rival Bogart Torelli at Smooth lost 2.4%.
Kyle and Jackie O dropped 0.2% to land at 13.3 points, but managed to pull closer to their main breakfast rival Ben Fordham at 2GB, who lost 0.7%, falling to 14.4%.
MELBOURNE
The Christian O’Connell Breakfast Show is glittering for Gold in Melbourne, jumping 2.8 points to take a huge lead in the Melbourne FM breakfast battleground, while Gold moves past Smooth to become Melbourne’s #1 FM station, overall.
O’Connell managed to dethrone Nova’s Jase and Lauren, who lost 1.4 points to land at 10.1%, after leading the race during the back half of 2024. Maybe O’Connell was right when he claimed last year that “Kyle and Jackie O had used up all of the [ARN] marketing budget”.
As usual, 3AW is untouchable over on the AM dial, with 16.8% of total share, and Ross Stevenson and Russel Howcroft now drawing more than a fifth of the entire breakfast radio audience.
Oh, and Kyle and Jackie O gained a modest 0.1 point to sit at 5.1% – eighth in Melbourne breakfast, and showing no signs of moving that dial.
BRISBANE
B105 continues to dominate Brisbane radio, despite dropping 0.9% this survey.
The station is half a point clear of Triple M, while B105’s breakfast team Stav, Abby, and Matt is 1.9% ahead of Triple M’s Marto, Margaux & Dan, who climbed 0.5% to move past both NOVA’s Ash, Luttsy, and Robin & Kip at KIIS, to command a 12.2% listenership.
ADELAIDE
Adelaide is the city of churches, unsolved murder cases, and rock – as Triple M’s performance this ratings book clearly demonstrates. It sits 1.6% clear of nearest rival MIX102.3, and rules the Breakfast, Mornings, and Arvos shifts throughout the week.
Nova’s novel decision to split its drive and evening shifts between Ricki-Lee, Tim & Joel, and Ben, Liam & Belle has worked wonders – the entire city seemingly changes stations from 4pm.
Interestingly, the weekends are far more competitive in Adelaide, with MIX the top station, taking 12% of listeners, while Triple M and Nova both have 11.9%.
PERTH
Nova has completely trampled 96FM in Perth, who held a 1.1% lead in November and now sits 1.7% behind Nova – who took the final survey of 2024 and have since climbed a further 1.6%.
96FM isn’t losing market share, mind — it gained 0.5% — while Mix slipped 0.8 to sit in third place, with 11.7%.
Nova is winning every single time slot in the city, with Nathan, Nat and Shaun’s 19.8% share of the breakfast market making it the most successful FM breakfast show in the country.
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Nathan Jolly is the Features Editor at Mumbrella. He joined the team in July, 2023.
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