The Sound vs ZM:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, ZM had more branded searches than The Sound among radio stations in New Zealand. ZM had about 4,670 branded searches, while The Sound had 1,300. ZM made up 2% 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, ZM appeared in four of the five answers and The Sound in two. ZM was mentioned before The Sound in every answer that named either.
Who do people search for more?
ZM, about 4 searches for every 1 for The Sound
Who does AI mention more?
ZM, mentioned in 4 of 5 answers, The Sound in 2
Who does AI recommend more?
ZM, 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, ZM 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. ZM 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 Sound or ZM more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for The Sound and ZM 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 ZM, 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 Sound and ZM comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- ZM was ahead of The Sound in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- 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.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, ZM’s share of searches among radio stations in New Zealand moved from 2.2% to 2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 5K to 4.7K.
How did search popularity change for New Zealand radio stations in September 2026?
3 changes
In September 2026, The Edge overtook Radio Hauraki and 5 others to rank 5th among radio stations in New Zealand, with 5% of the searches.
In September 2026, ZM lost share of searches among radio stations in New Zealand, from 3% to 2%.
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 Sound’s and ZM’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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