ABC Melbourne has recorded its strongest ratings result in recent memory, lifting its overall audience share from 4.1 per cent to 5.5 per cent in the fourth survey period of the year — the largest single-station gain across the entire Melbourne radio market — with comedian and broadcaster Charlie Pickering's arrival in the Drive slot credited as a key factor in the turnaround.

The fourth survey, covering the period from April 19 to June 27, was released on Tuesday morning and marks a significant recovery for a station that had endured historically poor back-to-back results heading into the year.

Pickering's Drive debut delivers despite rocky start

Pickering joined ABC Melbourne as a full-time host at the start of June, stepping into the Drive slot previously occupied by Ali Moore. His tenure got off to an uncomfortable beginning when comments he made to right-wing media figure Avi Yemini about activist Grace Tame attracted widespread criticism. Pickering had described the ABC's decision to feature Tame in a four-part podcast series on autism as "problematic" — remarks he later partially walked back, saying he "should have known better" while noting the comments reflected his personal perspective.

Despite the controversy, the Drive program's numbers tell a compelling story. The show's audience share jumped from 2.7 per cent to 5.2 per cent — a substantial rebound for a slot that had recorded its worst-ever ratings results earlier this year. It should be noted, however, that the majority of the survey period fell under Moore's tenure, and shows frequently receive a ratings lift when a host departs.

Pickering's first partial survey is nonetheless being viewed as an encouraging sign for the station, which will be hoping the momentum continues into future survey periods when his contribution will be more fully reflected in the data.

Across-the-board gains for ABC Melbourne

The Drive improvement was not the only bright spot for the public broadcaster. The Breakfast show, co-hosted by Bob Murphy and Sharnelle Vella, edged up from 4.9 per cent to 5.3 per cent, while Raf Epstein's Mornings program posted a 1.4 percentage point jump to reach a 6.2 per cent share.

By contrast, ABC's Radio National continued to struggle in Melbourne, dropping further to a 1.4 per cent share from 1.8 per cent. The network's Breakfast show, hosted by Sally Sara, also declined — falling from 1.7 per cent to 1.2 per cent in the Melbourne market.

3AW maintains iron grip on Melbourne radio

While ABC Melbourne's recovery is notable, 3AW remains comfortably the dominant force in the city's radio landscape. The talkback station — which recently passed into new ownership under the Laundy family, known for their pokies and publican interests — held a commanding 14.2 per cent overall share. Its breakfast program with the Russ & Ross pairing climbed from 19.1 per cent to an impressive 20.1 per cent share, consolidating 3AW's position at the very top of the market.

Gold FM retained second place overall with a 10.8 per cent share, though that figure slipped from 11.5 per cent. Its breakfast program, the Christian O'Connell Show, also retreated — falling from 10 per cent to 8.7 per cent — and was overtaken by Nova's breakfast duo Jase & Lauren, who climbed from 9.4 per cent to a market-leading commercial breakfast share of 10.4 per cent.

Fox FM's Fifi, Fev & Nick also made gains, rising from 9.5 per cent to 10 per cent, setting up a closely fought three-way battle among commercial breakfast programmers for listeners and advertising revenue.

KIIS holds steady after Kyle and Jackie O exit

ARN-owned KIIS FM remained relatively stable following the departure of its former headline breakfast act. The station's breakfast show dipped just 0.2 percentage points to a 4.8 per cent share — compared with the 5 per cent it recorded in the first survey of the year when the since-sacked duo were still on air. Interestingly, cumulative listener numbers actually grew during the period, rising from 440,000 to 447,000 — a figure representing the total individual listeners who tuned in for at least eight minutes across the survey window, suggesting the station is attracting new ears even as its overall share remains modest.

What the results mean for ABC Melbourne

The fourth survey result will provide genuine relief to ABC Melbourne's management after a difficult start to 2026. The station's overall share gain of 1.4 percentage points was the single largest increase in the Melbourne market for this survey period, signalling that the programming changes — including the transition to Pickering in Drive — are resonating with audiences.

Whether the recovery holds will depend in large part on how Pickering beds into the role over coming months, with future surveys set to more accurately reflect his full contribution to the Drive timeslot. The Grace Tame episode demonstrated the risks that come with high-profile appointments, but on raw numbers alone, the early signs point in the right direction for a broadcaster looking to rebuild its Melbourne audience from a low base.