BBC Local Stations Make Gains In Q1 2001 RAJAR Figures
RAJAR’s latest figures, released this morning, showed that while All BBC managed to inch up another 0.4 percentage points quarter on quarter to reach a 52.1% share of listening, All Commercial radio remained static with a 46% share.
All BBC Network Radio went up 0.2 percentage points, as did BBC Local and BBC Local/Regional. Local commercial radio saw percentage point gain of 0.4 to reach 38.3%, while national commercial radio was up 0.3 percentage points period on period.
| March 2001 RAJAR Share Of Listening Comparisons | ||||
| Station | Survey Period | Ending Dec 2000 | Ending Mar 2001 | % Point Change |
| All BBC | Q | 51.7 | 52.1 | 0.4 |
| All BBC Network Radio | Q | 39.7 | 39.9 | 0.2 |
| All Commercial | Q | 46.0 | 46.0 | 0.0 |
| All Local Commercial | Q | 37.9 | 38.3 | 0.4 |
| All National Commercial | Q | 8.0 | 8.3 | 0.3 |
| BBC Local Radio | Q | 11.8 | 12.0 | 0.2 |
| BBC Local/Regional | Q | 12.0 | 12.2 | 0.2 |
| Other Listening | Q | 2.3 | 1.8 | -0.5 |
In a year on year comparison, the decline in share for commercial stations and subsequent gains for the BBC is clearer. All BBC rose 1.1 percentage points, BBC Local was up 1.2 percentage points and BBC Local/Regional increased 1 percentage point. Meanwhile All Commercial dropped 1.1 percentage point year on year, Local Commercial fell 0.3 percentage points and National Commercial 0.2.
All Commercial radio saw a 0.5% increase in terms of reach in a period on period analysis. Local Commercial Radio was down 0.6%, but National Commercial Radio managed a 0.8% increase. All BBC increased by 0.8%, which means that the BBC has regained a fractional lead over commercial radio in terms of reach, its 31.061m beating commercial by just 30,000.
The weekly reach of All Radio, which saw a decline in the period on period comparison for last quarter, remained static at 43.37m.
| March 2001 RAJAR Weekly Reach (000s) Comparisons | ||||
| Station | Survey Period | Ending Dec 2000 | Ending Mar 2001 | % Change |
| All BBC | Q | 30,822 | 31,061 | 0.8 |
| All BBC Network Radio | Q | 26,393 | 26,560 | 0.6 |
| All Commercial | Q | 30,871 | 31,031 | 0.5 |
| All Local Commercial | Q | 26,230 | 26,072 | -0.6 |
| All National Commercial | Q | 10,699 | 10,787 | 0.8 |
| All Radio | Q | 43,370 | 43,372 | 0.0 |
| BBC Local Radio | Q | 8,221 | 8,272 | 0.6 |
| BBC Local/Regional | Q | 10,518 | 10,593 | 0.7 |
| Other Listening | Q | 2,895 | 2,570 | -11.2 |
A year on year analysis shows little good news for either the BBC or commercial stations. The decline in reach for National Commercial radio is severe at 9.6%, while BBC Network slips 2.5%. One of the few gains was seen at BBC Local, which saw a year on year increase of 0.7%.
The average hours per listener for all radio saw a year on year decrease of 0.8%, but there was nevertheless good news in the BBC Local and BBC Local/Regional categories, where increases of 10.7% and 9.2% respectively were seen. National Commercial also saw a year on year increase in average hours per listener, of 6.8%, giving it a figure of 7.9.
| March 2001 RAJAR Average Hours Per Listener Comparisons | ||||
| Station | Survey Period | Ending Mar 2000 | Ending Mar 2001 | % Change |
| All BBC | Q | 16.9 | 17.3 | 2.4 |
| All BBC Network Radio | Q | 15.2 | 15.5 | 2.0 |
| All Commercial | Q | 15.4 | 15.3 | -0.6 |
| All Local Commercial | Q | 14.8 | 14.9 | 0.7 |
| All National Commercial | Q | 7.4 | 7.9 | 6.8 |
| All Radio | Q | 24.0 | 23.8 | -0.8 |
| BBC Local Radio | Q | 11.2 | 12.4 | 10.7 |
| BBC Local/Regional | Q | 10.9 | 11.9 | 9.2 |
| Other Listening | Q | 7.6 | 7.4 | -2.6 |
Subscribers can access the Radio database by selecting “Radio” from the drop-down box at the top of this page.