Barely a peep for Kiwi FM

The new all-New Zealand music station Kiwi FM has bombed in its first commercial ratings survey, showing how hard it is to get a toehold in Auckland's crowded frequencies.

The station that replaced alternative rock Channel Z in February got just a 0.6 per cent share of the Auckland market and 26,700 listeners each week in the latest survey released by Research International.

It was also bottom in the ratings in Wellington and Christchurch.

Auckland University of Technology radio lecturer Matt Mollgaard said Kiwi FM's breakfast show was drawing only 10,000 listeners, two-thirds of Channel Z's.

"It's not very good for them at all. They will be disappointed," he said.

"It may have proved the critics right, that New Zealanders are not that jingoistic about their music.

"It's a shame, and if it keeps up, what does CanWest do? If they take it off they would look nasty for not supporting Kiwi music, so they're in a bind."

Jana Rangooni, RadioWorks' group programme director, said the group had expected a drop from Channel Z's last result of 1.6 per cent.

"There wasn't a bone in our bodies that thought we weren't going to take a hit.

"Kiwi is so different from Channel Z that we knew we were going to lose a great chunk of our old audience, the young males who went elsewhere looking for alternative rock.

"So we need new listeners altogether. You always like to think that it's so different from what is on offer elsewhere that people will make a move, but we know it will take time to grow. I'd like to see it at around 50,000 listeners."

Another relative newcomer fared strongly in just its second survey: Old-timers' radio station Coast overtook long-standing players such as ZM, The Rock and More FM and moved from 13th to third place in the Auckland market, with 6.4 per cent.

Mr Mollgaard said Coast attracted older listeners, had few ads, and was good retail music so was popular for shops and cafes.

Whether RadioWorks' new news and talkback station, Radio Live, will change the landscape will not be known for another six months.

Meanwhile, Newstalk ZB host Paul Holmes is resting easy as head rooster on breakfast radio, both in Auckland and nationwide.

In Auckland he got 18.8 per cent of the breakfast market, down from 20.9 per cent, but still 10 points ahead of the Classic Hits team of Andrew, Jacque and Justin's Classic Breakfast, which has an 8.9 per cent share.

In third, MoreFM's Kim and Corbett overtook 91ZM's Polly and Grant.

For the urban hip-hop stations, the dramatic halving of Mai FM's listenership by newcomer Flava 96one in the last survey has settled down, with both still fairly equal.

Nationwide, Newstalk ZB's share remains unassailable, with 11.7 per cent of the commercial radio market.

The Classic Hits network got 10.2 per cent, and The Rock 8.2 per cent.