KEY POINTS:
Bogans and blokes, you may not run the country, but you rule on radio.
It's all there in the numbers see, numbers which often feature in really tricky maths stuff, and that's called science. And everyone knows you can't argue with science.
The particular numbers in question come from the latest radio survey results; they tell the stations that choose to take part whether they're gaining or losing listeners, and according to these numbers New Zealand is heading to hell in the back seat of a Holden because The Rock is number one.
"We're a meat and three veg station, and we're proud of it," says Rock programme director Brad King.
They're also apparently "stoked" which isn't very surprising given they've knocked Newstalk ZB off the perch they've almost come to consider a birthright.
King puts it down to a simple game plan: "We've never really diverted from what this station has always been about, we don't take ourselves seriously, we like to take the piss, and we play rock music. That's our recipe. Sure we may be riding a bit of a rock revival, but if in two, three years time, rock, I don't know, dies or something, we're certainly not going to be changing our name or what we're doing."
But why is The Rock rising now?
"Well, there's several things happening here," says AUT communications lecturer Matt Mollgaard, "guitar music is really popular right now, and if you're a youngish guy who likes guitar music there's not a lot of radio stations out there catering for you, unless you go for the top 40 stations like The Edge or ZM.
"So right now The Rock has a real market advantage. Music tends to go in cycles, and right now rock is doing well."
The evidence is in the numbers.
In the vital Auckland market, the country's largest, The Rock may only rank third in overall audience share but it recorded the largest improvement among the station's surveyed and finished top in the advertiser-attracting 18 to 34-year old demographic, seven points clear of second placed ZM.
But it's in the provinces where The Rock really struts. The station is number one in Manawatu, Tauranga, Waikato, Hawkes Bay, and Christchurch, and number two in Dunedin, Rotorua, Southland, and Taranaki.
Combined, these results give The Rock a 11.7 per cent market share nationally for everyone aged 10 years and over, a figure combining the number of listeners with the amount of time they remain tuned in, with a 60-40 male-female split. Totals are derived from the listening diaries filled out by at least 12,000 randomly selected listeners spread throughout the country.
Newstalk ZB is only a smidge behind with an 11.3 per cent share after dropping almost 1.5 points over the past year, but remains ahead in terms of national cumulative audience, the number of listeners estimated to have visited the station through a week, although The Rock is catching up with a 25.9 per cent gain in the past 12 months.
According to Colenso media director Peter Myles the result reflects the station's stubborn adherence to its simple game plan: "So it's not really a surprise, we've worked with these guys and know their commitment to what they're trying to do. These results show it's paying off."
