Coast has also gained listeners and increased their market share and Radio Sport remains the top Sport station in Hawke's Bay.
Glen Smith, General Manager – Central Region, says it is fantastic to see The Hits going from strength to strength.
"It's exciting to see The Hits grow in both listeners and market share across all day parts during the week, they also have more listeners than their competitors in their target demographics.
"Adam and Sarah, our local Breakfast show on The Hits, are the number one local Breakfast show in Hawke's Bay and have also grown their listeners. They're fantastic ambassadors for the region. Special mention must also go to Megan Banks, who has been filling in while Sarah Van Der Kley is on maternity leave."
NZME's chief commercial officer, Matt Headland says it is a fantastic result in Hawke's Bay.
"The whole team has done an outstanding job in the region and the results speak for themselves. We're looking forward to what NZME in Hawke's Bay have planned."
Nationally, the results have highlighted the strength of radio as a medium, with a phenomenal 3.4 million commercial radio listeners tuning in. NZME is also celebrating its strong results winning the prestigious Auckland crown with its partners, growing its listeners and its overall market share, particularly in the main metro-cities.
"This is a significant for the radio industry as well as NZME," says Headland.
"The last commercial radio survey was strong but reaching over 3.4 million listeners via radio is just remarkable. We've grown audience in all demographic groups 18 years and older and when you combine these results with our radio partners, we have over 2 million listeners⁰⁰, an incredible 60% of the total commercial radio market.
"But what's more remarkable is when combined with the additional media platforms (print and digital), NZME connects with 3.3 million people across New Zealand."⁺
