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Radio ratings wars in 2017: Who's safe, who's out and who's on shaky ground?

Ebony Bowden

With the final radio ratings survey of 2016 dropping next week, you can bet station programmers will be casting a careful eye over the figures.

The fate of the FM stations' biggest stars rest in their audience share in the highly competitive time-slot battlegrounds of Breakfast and Drive.

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Sources at Australian Radio Network, responsible for KIIS and Pure Gold, have told Fairfax the majority of big contracts will be coming to an end as 2017 draws to a close.

And with powerhouse duo Hamish Blake and Andy Lee announcing their Fox FM exit in late 2017, listeners can expect a major shake-up on the airwaves.

The biggest question mark for 2017 hangs over Breakfast duo Rove McManus and Bachelorette Sam Frost at 2Day FM (Southern Cross Austereo).

The pair have been unable to break any ground since debuting in November 2015 with constant speculation the network will shaft them to the Drive time-slot or get rid of them altogether.

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2Day FM has struggled to fill its breakfast time-slot since Kyle and Jackie O shifted to KIIS two years ago.

After starting the year with 3 per cent of the Sydney audience share, Rove and Sam were still sitting on 4.2 at the start of December.

Their predecessors Dan Debuf and Maz Compton were also sitting around 3.6 when they were sacked and shifted to a weekend show.

Reports in in July alleged Rove and Sam would be sent to Drive when Hamish and Andy leave the network, with Em Rusciano and Osher Gunsberg reportedly said to take the Breakfast reins.

There are also rumours the Nine Network is considering Rove to front a new late-night program.

But Southern Cross Austereo chief creative officer Guy Dobson assured Fairfax Media the pair were safe in the new year.

"Our national line up is safe, secure and ready to rock and roll in 2017," he said.

Breakfast royalty Kyle and Jackie O have also taken a battering this year, with Nova's Smooth FM - long-considered the daggy home of Michael Buble and Rod Stewart - hot on their heels in the Breakfast market.

The duo's ratings have fluctuated wildly this year. They started with a whopping 12.5 per cent of the audience but were down to 8.9 by September.

At the time, Smooth FM and classic hits station WSFM both tied in second place, not far behind at 7 per cent.

But despite the Breakfast wars, it's the Drive time-slot which will be the one to watch in 2017.

Radio veterans Hamish and Andy (Fox/2Day FM) are the most listened to Drive show in Melbourne, at 13.3 per cent audience share - that's higher than AM talkback station 3AW.

Southern Cross Austereo will be busy trying to secure new talent in a bid to fend-off Nova's syndicated Kate, Tim and Marty program, sitting in second place in both cities.

According to a Courier Mail report published Tuesday, SCA is considering uniting Brisbane Hit 105's Abby Coleman and Triple M's Ed Kavalee in a Sydney-based Drive show.

But Dobson shot-down the report as industry gossip.

"The Abby and Ed rumours that have been doing the rounds recently are obviously a result of someone in the radio industry wanting to cause a bit of mischief."

A Nova Entertainment spokesperson told Fairfax Media the network wasn't fazed by the departure of Hamish and Andy, pointing to Kate, Tim and Marty's large lead over the comedians in Sydney.

"There has been a lot of attention on the drive timeslot this year with strong shows on the three radio networks but despite this competition Kate, Tim & Marty remain the most listened to Drive show in the country."

"The Drive shift in Melbourne is extremely competitive across all the major radio stations and the results are not significantly weighted in favour of one particular show as they were before Hamish & Andy left drive in 2010."

Down in Melbourne, the Breakfast battle appears far more steady going into 2017.

Eddie McGuire's Triple M Hot Breakfast leads the pack, while Fox FM's Fifi, Dave and Fev is in second place, no doubt buoying the fortunes of SCA, the parent company of both stations.

Nova's punt on Breakfast newbies Chrissie Swan, Sam Pang and Jonathan Brown appears to have paid off, with the trio steady at 7 per cent audience share, higher than their long-running Sydney Nova counterparts Fitzy and Wippa on 6.4 per cent.

Nova 100 Program Director Rohan Brown said he was impressed with Chrissie, Sam and Browny's first year on air and praised them for cutting through "one of the most competitive radio markets."

"The combination of three diverse and talented announcers has resonated with listeners and the breakfast time-slot's audience has grown by additional 100,000 listeners this year."

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