BBC Stations Continue To Perform Well

The latest Q4 RAJAR results show that the national BBC stations continued to perform well, with BBC Radio 2 once again recording the highest weekly reach of any station, with well over 13 million listeners, whilst Radio 1 was also in double figures with a total reach of 10 million listeners, although it did suffer a slight drop period on period, of almost 3%.

The BBC’s digital stations, BBC 6 and BBC 7, both recorded year on year increases in weekly reach, although likewise, both were down period on period, at around 4.3% and 3.6% respectively. BBC Asian Network, meanwhile, recorded impressive growth of over 17.3% year on year.

Some commercial stations suffered large period on period falls in weekly reach, with Q falling more than 26% and Capital Disney over 24%, albeit from a smaller base.

Smash Hits Radio also suffered a large period on period drop, at more than 23%, leaving it with a weekly reach of just over 700,000 listeners.

However, some stations recorded impressive increase, as Five Live Sports Extra saw its reach grow by more than 41% year on year and The Arrow’s weekly audience grew by 50% in the same time frame, leaving it with a total listener figure hovering just under the 100,000 mark.

Oneword Radio, the digital speech station, recorded a very impressive increase of around 32.7% period on period and was also up more than 13% year on year to give it a total weekly reach figure of just under 140,000.

Commercial music station The Hits, the largest digital only station in the UK, was up more than 27.4% year on year, seeing its audience grow from 875,000 in December 2005, to more than 1.1 million. However, it suffered a period on period downturn of almost 5.7%.

The BBC easily outgunned the rest of the pack with regard to its share of listening in Q4, as BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 4 took 15.8% and 11.1% respectively.

Radio 2 was up 0.3% points period on period, whilst Radio 4 was down 0.7% points both period on period and year on year.

Radio 1 showed impressive year on year growth, of 0.5% points, to give it a 9.7% share of listening.

Classic FM remained static with a share of 4.2%, as did Total Heart, which remained perfectly still both year on year and period on period, seemingly content with its 2.4% share of listening.

Of the commercial stations, Choice FM recorded the biggest year on year rise in share of listening, at 0.6% points, taking its overall share to 1.6%.

However, Total XFM was not far behind, with an increase in share of listening of 0.3% points year on year, although period on period it suffered a fall of 0.1% points.

The biggest year on year loss in the amount of time that listeners tune in was felt by Core, which dropped more than 41.6%, leaving it at 2.8 hours per week, although it did record a period on period increase, of 3.7%.

Fun Radio saw a dramatic fall period on period, from a 7.6 hour average in September to an average 4 hours in December, a drop of more than 47.3%.

Virgin Radio Groove’s average hours per listener fell just over 44.4% period on period, although this was perhaps tempered by the fact that its average hours were up year on year, by more than 19.2%.

Virgin Radio Xtreme, meanwhile, was up 30.3% period on period, adding an hour to its average listening time, taking it to 4.3 hours per listener.

Capital Disney also kept listeners hooked in Q4, with a 64.5% period on period increase, giving it an average hours per listener figure of 5.1 hours, up from 3.1 hours in September.

Everyone’s favourite hard rockin’ station, Planet Rock, enjoyed a year on year increase in hours per listener of over 24.4%, almost equalled by its period on period decrease, of just over 22.2%.

BBC Radio 1 recorded an average hours per listener figure of 10 hours, but in terms of increasing its hours the Corporation’s clear winner was BBC 6, which had a period on period increase of more than 40.4% to give it an average hour figure of 6.6 hours.

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