Triple J Make History As Perth’s Top Radio Station

Public youth broadcaster triple j has made ratings history for the first time today, as the latest radio figures make it the top station in the Perth metro market.

Although the station is traditionally strong in Perth, it is the first time that the frequency has topped any of the metro markets.

Triple j lead both the Monday to Friday and weekend slabs, with 13.1 percent on the weekdays (up two percent) and 12.4 percent on weekends (up 2.3 percent). They've jumped Mix 94.5, 96FM and Nova this period.

Today's triple j's Station Manager Chris Scaddan told theMusic.com.au, “We're really happy with our survey results today. All five cities went up, but we had remarkable outcomes in Melbourne and Perth. The Perth result today is the first time triple j has been number one overall in any metro market.”

Scaddan – who is considered a key part in the development of the station's current direction and talent – added, “It caps off a year of great growth for triple j nationally where we've enjoyed our biggest audiences on record. That's currently 1.832 million listeners* per week.

“We work really hard, not just on our radio programs and music selection, but on every platform that we appear. We've enjoyed brilliant results for our website and social media platforms this year as well. So it's a good time for triple j, and we're focussed on making sure triple j keeps working for everyone right across the country.”

Full state-by-state analysis of 2013's fifth radio ratings release below, and check out the first, second, third and fourth figures for the year.

SYDNEY

ABC 702 gained 0.6 percent on weekdays to have 12.9 percent share and close the gap ever so slightly on market leader 2GB, which grew 0.5 percent to 14.4 percent – they're the only two with a double digit share during the weekdays. It was a pretty tame period, with both 2DAY FM and Mix 106.5 dropping one percent in the same period to 8 percent and 4.9 percent respectively. Triple j remained steady at 5.3 percent.

On the weekends 2DAY FM lost 1.2 percent to have just 6.5 percent while WSFM was the biggest gainer, growing 1.1 percent to 8.1 percent.

MELBOURNE

3AW and ABC774 consolidated their top two positions with a 13.9 percent and 12.8 percent weekday share respectively while FOX FM and Triple M both struggled. Fox lost 1 percent to drop to 9.1 percent, with most of their losses coming through the morning and afternoon slots, while Triple M shed 1.5 percent to 7.2 percent. MMM's morning and afternoon slots were also the killer, with a 2.7 percent and 2.2 percent drop.

As triple j's Chris Scaddan pointed out above, the public broadcaster had a healthy result up 0.9 percent on weekdays to 6.5 percent and 0.8 percent on weekends to 5.5 percent. It's a healthy bump considering the dip they experienced earlier this year. Encouragingly, the biggest jump came in the key 18-24 age group, which they now lead with a 3.3 percent jump to 20.1 percent share. Previously leaders FOX FM lost 4.3 percent in that demographic, to sit it second (just) with 20 percent share.

FOX was also the weekend loser, shedding 1.3 percent to hold 8.3 percent of the share.

BRISBANE

Typically tight, as it has been all year, ABC 612 captures an extra 1 percent of the weekday share and now enjoy 10.2 percent. 97.3 FM are back in the box seat with 13 percent share, ahead of NOVA's 12.6 percent, Triple M's 10.7 percent and B105's 10.4 percent. 4BH enjoyed a 1.2 percent jump to 6.3 percent thanks to a 65+ jump.

97.3 FM are also leading the weekend again, with 13 percent (up 1), ahead of NOVA's 12.2 percent (down 0.7).

Triple j were steady at 7.4 percent share on weekdays, and down 0.2 percent to 7.5 percent on weekend. They picked up 1.9 percent on the 25-39 demographic to hold 17.8 percent of that market (second only to NOVA's 23.3 percent) but they took a significant 6.5 percent hit in the 18-24 bracket, to 13.3 percent and languishing behind NOVA's 23.9 percent (up 1), B105's 22.5 percent (up 3.4) and 97.3 FM's 18.5 percent (up 6).

ADELAIDE

MIX 102.3 remains the clear weekday leader with a 16.4 percent market share (down 0.9 percent), but 5AA was the biggest mover with 1.1 percent growth to 11.9 percent. ABC 891 hold steady with 12.4 percent (up 0.1) and triple j gains 0.2 percent to 7.1, with strong 10-17 (up 4.4 percent to 11.4 percent – NOVA leads with a whopping 43.7 percent) and 18-24 (up 2.8 percent to 16.3 – NOVA leads with 18.5 percent) demographic postings.

Weekdays were similar, MIX enjoying the top share with 14.1 percent (down 1.1) and triple j gaining a healthy 0.5 percent up to 6.4.

PERTH

Triple j make history with the first ever Metro ratings win in what is traditionally their strongest market. Up across the board for both time slots and age demographics, a 2 percent jump give them a leading 13.1 percent weekday market share and a 2.3 percent jump gives them a leading weekend share with 12.4 percent. The bumps included 1.4 percent in the 18-24 bracket (to a dominating 38.7 percent share) and 2.1 percent in the drive 4pm-7pm timeslot, which they now lead with 13.8 percent share.

Indeed the only category in which triple j took a hit was the over 65 demographic, which is down 0.7 percent to 0.2 percent. (Yes, last time around they held 0.9 percent share of the over 65s.)

Their success came at the expense of 96FM, which lost 1.3 percent and the lead on weekdays and is down to 12.7 percent share, and NOVA who lost 1.2 percent to 11 percent share. MIX 94.5's weekday figures were steady, with a 0.2 percent drop leaving them at 12.3 percent.

*(Nielsen 5 city metro s.5 2013)