VEGA starts to shine

Survey 5 of the latest Nielsen Media Radio Ratings has been released this morning with talk station 2GB (12.3%) holding it’s crown as Sydney’s Number 1 radio station up 0.7% despite losing Alan Jones for most of the survey. 2DAYFM (10.8%) remain Sydney’s Number 1 FM station whilst reclaiming the second spot overall as ABC 702’s (10.6%) ratings dropped 0.1%.

Its good news for 2GB that Jason Morrison (14.6%) has been able to hold Jones’ audience as the station would have been worried when Alan Jones was forced to take time off after her was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Morrison has in fact grown the audience by 0.8% although the full affect of Jones’ temporary departure will be witnessed in Survey 6.

The biggest winner is VEGA 95.3 FM (5.3%) who is slowly but surely finding their way in the market place, stealing (0.8%) ratings from WSFM (5.4%) and Triple M (5.6%). WSFM has taken the biggest hit, losing 2.1% while Triple M dropped a further 0.2%. Jen Oldershaw’s VEGA afternoons is the stations highest rating with 7.2% of the audience share.

MIX (6.8%) is also doing a VEGA increasing 1.2% during the latest survey but it was not Mix Mornings with Sonia and Todd (4.9%) that increased, in fact they shed 0.9% of their audience. Afternoons and Drive anchored by Lars Peterson grew by 2.5% propelling the station’s figures.

NOVA (8.2%) lost 0.4% of it’s audience but Merrick & Rosso & Kate Ritchie (9.0%) grew 0.3% but still trail 2DAYFM’s Kyle and Jackie O (10.8%) who extended their lead by 0.6% which is the same margin that sister station Triple M’s breakfast show, The Shebang (5.1%) grew by.

2UE (6.7%) increased slightly by 0.1% but Breakfast with Mike and Sandy (6.5%) lost ground, losing 0.4% and so did Drive with John Stanley (5.6%). Mornings with Steve Price (7.1%) and Afternoons with Tim Webster (6.2%) both increased, Price by 1% and Webster 0.3% while Stuart Bocking (9.6%) also grew his audience by 0.1%.

Weekends (10.5%) are 2UE’s strongest schedule with the decision to move The George and Paul Show to 8AM paying off and forming a new afternoon duo, Kearns & Robertson combining Chris Kearns with Clive Robertson have made 2UE Number 2 on Weekends only behind 2GB.

Unfortunately four of the five ABC stations took a dip in the ratings. ABC 702 (10.1%) only lost 0.1% as Adam Spencer (12.1%) is still Number 2 in Breakfast behind Morrison but Deborah Cameron (10.1%) increased her Mornings audience by another 0.7% only trailing 2GB’s Ray Hadley (13.7%) who grew his audience by 0.7%.

So after another survey, 2GB is still Sydney’s Number 1 station, followed by 2DAYFM, ABC 702, NOVA and MIX FM.