Smithson: SA radio ratings war sees ‘strong get stronger’ as industry farewells star
“Listeners haven’t been kind to Max Burford or Hayley Pearson at Mix 102.3 as this brutal year grinds to an end,” Mike Smithson says as he unravels the latest SA radio ratings and bids farewell to a radio legend.
The radio ratings war is ending the year pretty much as it started with the strong getting stronger and the rest looking forward to the Christmas break.
In the seventh GFK survey released this morning, the breakfast slot was a predicable affair with most program bosses left scratching their heads for new ideas.
There’s one more survey for the year, but those results won’t be known until early in 2026.
Triple M continues on its merry way with Roo, Ditts and Loz stretching their impressive lead yet again, with a 1.6 per cent rise taking them to a 16.2 per cent market share,
That places them almost five points clear of the rest of the breakfast field with FIVEaa slipping but remaining in second spot, with extra breathing space over Nova 91.9 which slightly slid back followed by the ABC, which also saw a slight rise.
Listeners haven’t been kind to Max Burford or Hayley Pearson at Mix 102.3 as this brutal year grinds to an end.
The likeable and talented duo has been dumped from the Mix stable for next year.
In their short-lived partnership, I saw green shoots for a successful future, but their bosses, and audience, it seems, didn’t see it that way.
They dropped by 0.7 per cent to land in single figures which decision makers in Tynte Street, no doubt, think help justify their departure.
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I wish their replacements, Ben Harvey and Liam Stapleton, a longer run at Mix, soon to be rebranded as KIIS102.3, in this tough FM slot.
Mix threw every promotional dollar they could find at Max and Hayley but couldn’t put a legitimate dent in the market, especially competing against Jodie and Haysey at Nova.
My prediction is they’ll continue to thrive into the second year of their partnership and are destined to give the Triple M-dominated breakfast market a run for their money in 2026.
Elsewhere in radio land there must be growing frustration.
Mornings used to be a continuation of the interactive breakfast discussion.
Graeme Goodings and Rory McClaren both know the art of chat at AA and the ABC but have found it hard to cut through in their first year in their respective hotseats.
Both have suffered concerning drops in this survey with McClaren staying ahead of his commercial competitor, but only just.
They are both entrenched in single digit ratings with the ABC on 7.7 per cent and AA on 6.2.
The late Leon Byner would always tell me a single digit rating was “radio death by a thousand cuts.”
My condolences go out to Leon’s family, friends and listeners after his recent and sad death from a cancer battle.
Byner goes down in Adelaide airwave history as one of the best and a master of his craft.
His ability to develop an issue over days, even weeks and years, and draw listeners into his discussion web was something others can learn from.
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He thrived on hard yakka and drove his hundreds of contacts to the point of infuriation on many occasions.
I lost count of the times Leon would call me shortly before a television deadline to pick my brain on a political issue.
He never took no for an answer, however busy you were, to get the information he needed for his next program.
On one occasion he syphoned my knowledge of a hot topic and then promptly went to my Channel 9 competitor for an on-air comment, as if it was his idea.
Such was the quirkiness of Leon that he would work around his own orbit to get the story he wanted.
Just ask his former producers, such as the equally talented Tammii Caught, how tricky Leon’s juggling act could be and that would explain what made him such a rare character on the airwaves.
Music and loose FM chat still dominates other Adelaide time slots in this survey making serious interviews and current affairs on AM bands a dying art.
In afternoons Jo Laverty and Leith Forrest must be banging their heads against the studio wall with both shows remaining in the “4s”.
Any further drop at Aunty means a three per cent share, from which it’s hard to recover.
AA has lifted its game in Drive where sport reigns supreme, but still sits almost seven per cent behind the syndicated equivalent on Triple M.
It still defies belief that Stephen Rowe and Tim Ginever were allowed annual leave during the all-important AFL finals.
Some might say what goes around comes around in the radio ratings war.
There seems little doubt that Adelaide program directors have announced all their major changes for 2026.
It’s going to be another tough year for presenters, producers, marketers and sales teams at the radio coal face.
Mainstream media is being overrun by social media on many fronts.
But listeners and viewers should always remember that there’s no substitute for professional quality.
Sticking with the old guard across all forms of media is always a safer and more reliable means of getting the correct information than relying on hysteria often pedalled on social media platforms.
That’s me signing off from radio ratings reporting for 2025.
Mike Smithson is weekend presenter for 7 News and a weekly unpaid weekly radio commentator.
