3 months ago
4
ABC Radio Sydney’s Drive show has slumped to a 4.9 per cent market share, down 1.3 percentage points, as host Chris Bath announced her resignation on Monday after less than a year in the chair, in sharp contrast to the 26-year stint of Richard Glover before her.
It was a poor survey for the public broadcaster’s station overall, with its share of the Sydney radio audience dropping 1.1 percentage points to 5.5 per cent – close to, but not quite matching, its low of 5.1 per cent in 2024.
Chris Bath has resigned from the Drive program.
There were consistent losses across every show in ABC Radio Sydney’s line-up, including for Breakfast host Craig Reucassel and Mornings host Hamish Macdonald, whose shows dropped 1.1 and 1.3 percentage points, respectively, as the station continues to bed in a new-look line-up.
It faces yet another change in 2026 now, as Bath resigned live on-air on Monday evening, with ABC News Radio breakfast presenter and Background Briefing host Thomas Oriti set to replace her.
Bath will not be leaving entirely, instead moving to a new Sunday morning program, though her departure does leave the station with a male-dominated line-up throughout the spine of its daily programming.
Across the rest of the ABC radio network, Radio National posted marginal growth, albeit off a low base, rising from 1.1 per cent to 1.2 per cent, while ABC Classic grew from 2.8 per cent to 3.2 per cent, and News Radio was up from 1.7 per cent to 2 per cent.
Triple J joined ABC Sydney in taking a backwards step in the seventh survey for the year, dropping from 2 per cent to 1.7 per cent. The eighth and final radio survey will be released in January.
Meanwhile, The Kyle and Jackie O Show lost listeners for the second survey in a row, down 1.1 percentage points to a 12.5 per cent share in Sydney. The show continues to languish in eighth place in the Melbourne breakfast battle.
Despite the drop, it remains the number one FM breakfast show in Sydney as the media regulator prepares to impose new licence conditions on KIIS in both cities in response to repeated breaches of industry broadcasting codes.
Loading
The Australian Communications and Media Authority recently served KIIS owner ARN with a notice of intention to impose the new rules, banning the controversial breakfast duo from making strong and explicit sexual references during its broadcasts. Such explicit content has helped the pair dominate Sydney radio for two decades, and land a $200 million, 10-year contract in late 2023.
The new conditions would prohibit the show, or any other show on the network featuring either star, from making any reference to sexual activity for five years, and demand the network conduct an audit into the show and its hosts’ contracts.
Nine-owned 2GB was once again the number one station, despite dropping from a 14.2 per cent to 13.8 per cent audience share, following by Nova-owned SmoothFM, which delivered an 11.4 per cent share, up 0.7 percentage points.
KIIS FM was down 0.5 percentage points overall to 9.8 per cent. 2GB’s Ben Fordham was again the number one show during breakfast with a 16.8 per cent share, unchanged from the previous survey.
Survey time slots do not always directly correspond with program time slots.
The Business Briefing newsletter delivers major stories, exclusive coverage and expert opinion. Sign up to get it every weekday morning.
Most Viewed in Business
Loading
