Newstalk ZB powers ahead

Newstalk ZB has held on to its number one spot in the latest radio survey.

Mike Hosking has also retained his position as the king of breakfast radio. Larry Williams leads the country’s top drive show and Marcus Lush holds the number one night slot.

The final GfK independent radio survey shows NZME, which owns ZB, ZM, The Hits and other stations, increased its market share by 2.7 per cent year-on-year.

Newstalk ZB’s share was up to 10.7 per cent from the last survey and the station reaches more than 500,000 listeners.

NZME managing editor Shayne Currie believed more growth was to come after strong election coverage.

“It’s been a huge year — 2017 has set the bar high with the projects we’ve delivered as a combined newsroom, but I am also excited about what we have in the pipeline,” Currie said.

“Newstalk ZB is where people turn to be informed, educated, challenged and entertained. Our stellar line-up continues to attract the top interviews, and we’re excited to be welcoming Kate Hawkesby to the airwaves from January and Simon Barnett in 2019.”

NZME’s chief commercial officer Matt Headland said the news talk radio market was particularly healthy.

Headland says digital radio platform iHeartRadio is now a wellestablished channel among advertisers and enjoyed annual growth of 35 per cent.

“iHeartRadio adds another dimension for advertisers, providing them scope to create their own station for an event or campaign.”

NZME also publishes the Herald.