This just off the back of a truck ... the breakdowns of yesterday's radio ratings results show that 612ABC's Spencer Howson is No. 1 in the Brisbane market for the period he is actually on air - 5.30am to 7.45am. Yes, he even beats Nova 106.9's Meshel, Ash and Kip, who pick up on average because they remain on air until 9am. (Of course, the Nova people will dismiss this, saying it "doesn't count" because Howson is not on commercial radio.) This statistic raises the question: Are the 15-minute 7.45am news and the half-hour networked AM program a big turn-off for 612ABC listeners? When local programming resumes at 8.30am, Madonna King inherits a much smaller audience share than enjoyed by Howson. Axing the Australian institution that is AM is probably not an option, but the ABC really ought to put some thought into shifting it to another stream when digital radio finally arrives.
Disclosure: Brett Debritz was a guest on Howson's show during the ratings period, and therefore takes some credit for his success.