Locally produced radio programming continues to be of importance to Manawatū residents, but is under threat during the prominent weekday breakfast period, the latest commercial radio figures have confirmed.
GfK's Manawatū Commercial Radio Audience Measurement Survey, for the second quarter of 2017, has again established MORE FM as the region's most popular radio station along with The Breeze hot on MORE FM's heels, survey results released on July 6 confirmed.
The survey sampled 834 people aged 10 years and over, over 20 weeks, with GfK estimating approximately 109,600 people aged over 10 years live in the Manawatū survey area.
MORE FM, operated by MediaWorks, was again found to have the highest market station share of 11% of all radio listeners in the region, experiencing a loss of 1.1% since the last survey results released in May. The Breeze, also operated by MediaWorks, remains steady since the last survey but has lost a 1.6% share when compared to the 2016 survey (released last November) giving it a 10.9% share of the market.
That trend continues for MORE FM, which although is reaching 2,900 more different listeners each week when compared to last year's survey, has lost a total 2.2% share of the market.
Those two radio stations broadcasting locally produced breakfast programmes continues to resonate with the region's audiences, although their dominance in the local market is threatened by Newstalk ZB, a station operated by opposition network NZME. The nationally broadcast Mike Hosking Breakfast on Newstalk ZB has increased its station market share in Manawatū, during the highly competitive weekday breakfast timeslot (Monday-Friday 6am-9am), in the last two surveys.
MORE FM's Mike West in the Morning breakfast radio programme has regained the top spot in the timeslot, following losing it to colleague Chris "Burnzee" Burn and his programme on The Breeze, in the 2016 survey.
In that survey, Burnzee ruled the airwaves with a 14.9% share of the timeslot compared to MORE FM's 13%.
MORE FM's programme, anchored by the long-serving West and featuring Gareth Pringle and Johnelle Hosking, has clasped onto a 11.8% breakfast market share and 15,300 different listeners. This is a loss of 0.6% in MORE FM's breakfast market share from the May survey and a loss of 1.2% when compared to the 2016 survey. Burnzee has lost 3.5% of the breakfast market share since the 2016 survey and gained a net 900 more different people listening to his programme each week when compared to the last two surveys.
A drop in the market share for both MORE FM and The Breeze's programmes and a 1.1% increase in 2017's second quarter alone for The Mike Hosking Breakfast, has tightened the ranks in the region's most preferred breakfast radio programme stakes.
Newstalk ZB's 11.6% share compared to The Breeze's 11.4% share, causes Burnzee to settle for third place in the fierce battle for morning radio listeners.
West, who been waking up the region since the 1990s, when MORE FM was known as 2XS FM, believes that local content will always triumph over content that is nationally broadcast.
It also helps to build "strong relationships" with local businesses and the community, he said.
"In my opinion, good local radio will always beat national radio. It has to be good and we have to have a strong local focus," said the veteran broadcaster of nearly 40 years. "Being local is our point of difference and that gives us the chance to form strong relationships with local businesses."
West's opinion also resonated with MediaWorks Radio Manawatū operations manager Darren Wallace, who has additionally been the programme director for MORE FM and The Breeze in Manawatū for 22 years.
West and Wallace both agreed that a stronger local emphasis in the region was required and the network was committed to achieving that through their MORE FM and The Breeze radio stations, they said.
These radio stations are the only commercial stations that broadcast locally produced breakfast programmes in Manawatū, as well as being MediaWorks Radio Manawatū's only stations broadcasting local content in the Manawatū.
Six out of the eight stations that MediaWorks operate in the region were reaching more listeners each week, in comparison to previous surveys.
While The Breeze and MORE FM were losing their dominance in station share, MediaWorks' rock music station The Rock has increased its market station share by 2.7% since last year to receive a 10.7% station share and The Edge, the network's Top 40 pop music station, was reaching 2,200 more different listeners each week in the region.
Nationally, The Edge has the most listeners tuning in each week with 647,200 different people, followed by 521,600 different people tuning into The Breeze.
Newstalk ZB has the highest market station share nationally, with 10.3% of all radio listeners in New Zealand listening to the station. The Mike Hosking Breakfast is New Zealand's most popular commercial breakfast radio programme.
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