Music-Focused Stations Boost Weekly Reach

Many music-focused radio stations recorded a year on year increase in their weekly reach, with Xfm boosting its reach by almost 50% and BBC 6 Music adding just over 40% year on year, according to the Q3 RAJAR results.

Xfm is now listened to by 1.1 million people, an increase of almost 5.5% compared to last quarter. The station’s dramatic year on year increase in listeners has been aided by its expansion into Manchester and Glasgow (see Xfm Rejigs Schedule Ahead Of Manchester Launch).

Digital only station BBC 6 Music has significantly added to its audience, which now sits at 400,000, whilst BBC Radio 2 recorded the highest weekly reach at 12.7 million, despite a slight drop of almost 1% year on year, around 4% period on period. BBC Radio 1 recorded a weekly reach of 10.5 million, up 2.4% year on year.

BBC stations continue to command impressive listener figures, despite the majority of them recording slight declines year on year. BBC Radio 4 pushed its weekly reach up 3% compared to last quarter, but despite its audience falling 1.6% year on year, it has an impressive reach of almost 9.5 million.

Total Kiss Network added to its reach by over 20% period on period and almost 20% year on year, to leave it with a weekly audience of just over 2.8 million. This increase is mainly due to the addition of Vibe 101, covering Bristol, South Wales and the South West of England, and Vibe 105-108 in East Anglia to the network at the beginning of last month (see Kiss Unveils New Logo Ahead Of Expansion).

Total Smooth Network bolstered is weekly reach by almost 15%, despite a period on period dip of just over 3%. Earlier this week Smooth FM in the South applied to Ofcom to change its format from jazz, soul, blues and R’n’B to an easy-listening station for the over-50s (see Smooth FM Applies For Format Change).

Commercial digital only stations continued to perform well in Q3, with Life up almost 72% compared to last quarter, more than 30% year on year, and Heat having risen almost 25% year on year. Despite the magazine closing down earlier this year (see Smash Hits To Close As Music Fans Move Online), the Smash Hits brand remains strong, with Smash Hits Radio increasing its weekly reach by 17.5%, year on year and almost 20% compared to Q2.

The BBC continues to dominate the national radio market’s share of listening, with BBC Radio 2 taking 15.5%, despite a decline of 0.20% quarter on quarter.

BBC Radio 4 also takes a large slice of the share of listening pie at almost 12%, up more than 1% period on period, whilst BBC Radio 1 has recorded a 9.8% share, up slightly year on year but down 0.5% from Q2.

BBC Radio Five Live takes just over 4% of the share, as does Classic FM, which remained fairly static quarter on quarter and recorded a marginal increase year on year.

Total Heart took a share of 2.4%, remaining static year on year and quarter on quarter, whilst the Galaxy Network (including digital listening) and TalkSport both command a 1.8% share.

Total Magic now has a share of just over 2% of listening, while Total Kiss Network takes a 1.5% share, up slightly year on year and period on period.

Digital only station The Arrow recorded the largest year on year percentage increase in the amount of time listeners tune in to the station, up more than 115% or more than 30% compared to last period, to 8.4 hours per week.

Listeners are also staying with Choice FM longer. The station enhanced its hours per listener by nearly 60% year on year, up from 7.6 hours last period to 8.9 in Q3.

Q Radio’s hours per listener were down almost 36% period on period (34% year on year), with listeners now remaining with the station for an average of 2.7 hours compared with 4.2 last quarter.

Planet Rock bolstered the amount of time its audience stays with the station, up more than 40% year on year and 18% period on period. The station’s addition of celebrity presenters (see Planet Rock Signs Shock Rocker Alice Cooper) and the implementation of GCap Media’s two-ad policy (see Planet Rock To Adopt ‘Two Ad’ Policy) aiding the rise from an average of 6.1 hours per listener in Q2 to 7.2 in Q3.

Virgin Radio Classic Rock also increased its hours per listener, rising almost 21.5% year in year and 18.6% from last quarter from 4.3 hours on average to 5.1 hours, whilst digital station Heat rose more than 36% year on year, from 2.7 hours last quarter to three hours in Q3.

Looking at the BBC, BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 4 both recorded average hours per listener of around 13 hours, some of the highest amounts for any of the national stations. Radio 2’s hours were up 4% period on period, whilst Radio 4 was boosted by more than 8%.

Total LBC (including digital listening) also recorded around 13 hours on average per listener, up more than 10% since last quarter, whilst Total Real Radio Network recorded an almost 9% rise at around 11 hours.

RAJAR: 020 7292 9040 www.rajar.co.uk