Classic hits station Gold has beaten 3AW* to claim the title of Melbourne’s No. 1 radio station for the first time since 1992.

Gold recorded an overall audience share of 12.1 per cent in the fourth ratings survey of this year, putting it just ahead of 3AW on 11.9 per cent. But 3AW’s Ross Stevenson and Russel Howcroft maintained a whopping lead of 16.6 per cent in the crucial breakfast slot – well above Nova’s Jase & Lauren on 10.8 per cent and Gold’s The Christian O’Connell Show on 10.1 per cent.

ABC Melbourne continues to underperform, falling by 0.3 percentage points to 5.9 per cent – while Gold’s sister station, Kiis, is languishing in eighth place overall on 5.5 per cent.

It is important to note that survey time slots do not always correspond precisely with program time slots.

Gold was launched in October 1991, replacing “hits and memories” format KZ-FM. It surged to No. 1 the following year, but despite its strength on the FM band, it took more than three decades to repeat the achievement.

It’s welcome news for parent company ARN, given the continued underperformance of its Kiis station in Melbourne.

Last year, Kiis axed its Melbourne breakfast presenters, Jason Hawkins and Lauren Phillips, to make way for a networked version of its Sydney-based show, hosted by Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O. ARN splashed a reported $200 million to secure the pair for the next decade – with their entry into Melbourne rumoured to be the first step of a national roll-out.

But so far, Kyle and Jackie O has proven to be an expensive flop in the Victorian capital, despite climbing 0.5 points to 5.6 per cent in the latest survey. Meanwhile, Hawkins and Phillips, who were hired by rival network Nova, are now the top-rating FM breakfast show.

Last month, this masthead reported that ARN had lost advertising revenue to its rivals. The network has slashed more 200 jobs this year in a bid to rein in costs.

One bright spot for Kiis is the fact that Kyle & Jackie O grew by 0.5 points to 5.6 per cent, although the show will need to improve significantly to justify ARN’s huge investment.

ARN content chief Lauren Joyce said: “Today is all about Gold. To be crowned Melbourne’s No. 1 station for the first time in over 30 years is an incredible achievement and testament to the team’s relentless passion, attention to detail and connection with listeners.”

Fox’s Fifi, Fev & Nick delivered another strong result of 8.9 per cent in breakfast, ahead of Smooth’s Mike Perso on 8.1 per cent and Triple M’s Mick in the Morning with Roo, Titus & Rosie – which enjoyed the biggest increase in its time slot – with 7.4 per cent. ABC Melbourne’s breakfast hosts, Sharnelle Vella and Bob Murphy, ranked seventh with a 6.8 per cent audience share.

In mornings, 3AW’s Tom Elliott retained a slender lead with 13.8 per cent, slightly above Gold’s Dave “Higgo” Higgins on 13.7 per cent. Smooth’s Ty Frost claimed third place with 10.6 per cent.

In drive, Gold’s Steve Fitton was No. 1 on 11.2 per cent, followed by Nova’s Ricki-Lee, Tim & Joel on 10 per cent and Triple M’s The Rush Hour with JB & Billy on 9.7 per cent.

Of the digital-only broadcasters, which operate on the DAB+ platform, Coles Radio was the clear winner with a cumulative audience of 134,000, ahead of Smooth Relax on 101,000 and Gold 80s on 97,000. (Although traditional stations use market share as their main metric, DAB+ stations – which have significantly smaller audiences – measure their performance in terms of weekly listeners.)

Almost 4.7 million people listened to a major Melbourne radio station each week – across AM, FM, digital and online platforms – during this survey period. The result is marginally higher than in the previous ratings survey.