Iwi station Mai FM has halted Newstalk ZB's reign as Auckland's top radio station.
The news talk station dominated the airwaves for more than a decade but was toppled yesterday by Mai FM in the latest radio survey, released by Research International.
Newstalk is undertaking a "rigorous" review of itsprogrammes.
Mai FM has an 11.7 per cent share of the competitive Auckland radio market, just ahead of Newstalk ZB's 11.2 per cent. In the past six months, Newstalk ZB has suffered a 25 per cent fall in its own audience.
Research International says the potential Auckland audience aged 10 and over is 835,000 listeners.
Newstalk ZB has shed listeners in every age demographic - except in the 65-plus age group - and in every time slot.
Morning host Leighton Smith's radio audience has slumped by 26.6 per cent, and drive-time host Larry Williams has lost 28.4 per cent.
Kerre Woodham's show dropped 4.2 points - a 35 per cent drop - and the station's midnight to 6am slot was down 31 per cent.
Newstalk ZB manager Bill Francis said there would be a rigorous review of all areas that lost significant market share.
"We look at every host, we look at every quarter hour that is operating within their shows.
"So that will be rigorously looked at again."
Mr Francis said the station was disappointed to lose its number one status, "but you have to take these things on the chin".
Paul Holmes retained his position as the city's top breakfast show host with an 18.3 per cent share of the market, although the figure was down 2.6 points - a 12.4 per cent slump in his audience in the past six months.
Mai FM has the second-highest rating breakfast show with 9.7 per cent of the audience.
The station, owned by Ngati Whatua, has a target demographic of listeners aged 10 to 24 and attracts nearly one in four of that audience.
Radio commentator Andrew Dubber, a lecturer at Auckland University of Technology, said it was significant that "other" stations, which included bFM, recorded the biggest increase in the survey - up 3.3 points to 19.5 per cent of the market.
"Nearly 20 per cent of the entire market isn't being represented by the mainstream radio stations. The most comparable increase to ZB's decrease is in 'others' ... maybe that is where [the audience] has gone. Out of the mainstream media."
