The Rock vs The Sound:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, The Rock had more branded searches than The Sound among radio stations in New Zealand. The Rock had about 47,300 branded searches, while The Sound had 1,300. The Rock made up 20.5% of all radio station searches we track, and The Sound accounted for 0.56%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about radio stations, The Rock appeared in four of the five answers and The Sound in two. The Rock was mentioned before The Sound in every answer that named either.
Who do people search for more?
The Rock, about 36 searches for every 1 for The Sound
Who does AI mention more?
The Rock, mentioned in 4 of 5 answers, The Sound in 2
Who does AI recommend more?
The Rock, named ahead of The Sound in 4 of 4 answers
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Top radio stations in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, The Rock was mentioned in four out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. The Sound was mentioned in two out of five: not in any of the three ChatGPT answers, but in both Google AI Overviews. The Rock was listed before The Sound in every answer that named either.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
RNZ National1st
Newstalk ZB2nd
ZM3rd- The Edge4th
- More FM5th
- The Rock6th
The Hits7th- The Breeze8th
George FM9th- The Sound10th
- +5 more
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- RNZ National5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Newstalk ZB4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- The Rock4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- ZM4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- The Breeze3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- The Edge3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- More FM3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Radio Hauraki3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers- George FM3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- The Sound2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about radio stations
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which radio station should I use in New Zealand?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best radio stations in New Zealand?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best radio station in New Zealand for music and news?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“new zealand radio stations”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“radio stations nz”
Not named in any answer:
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in New Zealand on October 19, 2026.
Is The Rock or The Sound more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for The Rock and The Sound by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 15 radio stations we track, month by month, from searches in New Zealand.
Share of searches by month for The Rock, The Sound. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Newstalk ZB | The Rock | RNZ National | The Breeze | The Edge | More FM | Radio Hauraki | Coast | George FM | The Hits | ZM | Mai FM | The Sound | Magic | Flava |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 26.9% | 10.5% | 22.5% | 6.1% | 2.8% | 6% | 5.3% | 5% | 4.3% | 3.7% | 2.2% | 2.3% | 0.56% | 1.8% | 0.25% |
| Nov 2025 | 28.4% | 8.7% | 22.4% | 7.4% | 2.7% | 5% | 5.6% | 5.2% | 3.7% | 3.4% | 2% | 2.5% | 0.46% | 2.3% | 0.27% |
| Dec 2025 | 27.1% | 9.3% | 22.3% | 7.2% | 2.6% | 5% | 6.5% | 6.3% | 3.5% | 3.5% | 2.1% | 2.4% | 0.53% | 1.4% | 0.26% |
| Jan 2026 | 28.1% | 7.7% | 24.5% | 6% | 2.6% | 5.1% | 6.7% | 5.7% | 3.6% | 3.5% | 2.7% | 2% | 0.48% | 1.2% | 0.26% |
| Feb 2026 | 27.6% | 8.5% | 22.8% | 6.1% | 2.6% | 6.2% | 6.6% | 5.1% | 2.9% | 4.1% | 2.7% | 2.9% | 0.48% | 0.95% | 0.39% |
| Mar 2026 | 28.8% | 8.7% | 24.2% | 6.4% | 2.7% | 6.2% | 5.6% | 5.1% | 2.5% | 3.5% | 2.3% | 2.5% | 0.41% | 0.83% | 0.33% |
| Apr 2026 | 30.8% | 7.7% | 25.5% | 7.3% | 2.4% | 4.7% | 4.9% | 4.5% | 3.3% | 3% | 2.5% | 2.2% | 0.43% | 0.74% | 0.24% |
| May 2026 | 31.2% | 8.7% | 22% | 6.7% | 2.9% | 5.6% | 5% | 5.4% | 2.7% | 3.7% | 2.5% | 2.2% | 0.5% | 0.59% | 0.3% |
| Jun 2026 | 31.7% | 8.2% | 22% | 6.3% | 2.5% | 5.7% | 5.1% | 5.5% | 2.7% | 3.9% | 2.4% | 2.7% | 0.51% | 0.57% | 0.3% |
| Jul 2026 | 28.1% | 9.5% | 23.6% | 6.6% | 2.6% | 5.2% | 5.5% | 4.9% | 3% | 4.8% | 2.4% | 2.4% | 0.48% | 0.59% | 0.32% |
| Aug 2026 | 29.4% | 11% | 20.6% | 6.4% | 2.4% | 5.4% | 7% | 4.4% | 3.1% | 3.8% | 3% | 2.1% | 0.41% | 0.66% | 0.34% |
| Sep 2026 | 26.9% | 20.5% | 16.7% | 5.6% | 5% | 4.9% | 4.3% | 4% | 3.5% | 3.3% | 2% | 1.9% | 0.56% | 0.49% | 0.26% |
How has the The Rock and The Sound comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- The Rock was ahead of The Sound in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, The Rock’s share of searches among radio stations in New Zealand moved from 10.5% to 20.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 24.3K to 47.3K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, The Sound’s share of searches among radio stations in New Zealand held steady at 0.56%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 1.3K.
How did search popularity change for New Zealand radio stations in September 2026?
2 changes
In September 2026, The Rock overtook RNZ National to rank 2nd among radio stations in New Zealand, with 20.5% of the searches.
In September 2026, The Sound rose from 14th to 13th among radio stations in New Zealand.
How are branded searches counted?
10 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using The Rock’s and The Sound’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.
Other head-to-heads among radio stations
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