BBC Radio 2 Sees Weekly Reach Decline

This report on national radio stations has been slightly amended to incorporate the re-release of data from RAJAR for Q4 2007, following weighting irregularities from RAJAR’s contractor RSMB on six monthly reporting stations. Any changes are clearly highlighted in the text and tables (where appropriate).

The latest RAJAR figures, for Q4 2007, show that BBC Radio 2 remained the national station with the highest weekly reach, of more than 12.8 million listeners. However, it was down both period on period and year on year, by 1.5% and 3.4% respectively.

BBC Radio 1 was up period on period by 1.1% to around 10.7 million listeners.

Radio 4 remained relatively static period on period, up 0.3% to 9.3 million listeners.

Digital only music station BBC 6 Music bolstered its listener numbers by 28.7% year on year and 1.7% period on period, taking its reach to nearly half a million.

It was not a particularly good quarter for Classic FM, down 4.3% period on period and 2.9% year on year, to leave its reach at almost 5.6 million listeners.

Also finding it tough during Q4 was GCap Gold Network UK, which suffered a period on period drop of 19.1%. Its reach now stands at around 1.2 million listeners.

In December, Fru Hazlitt was appointed as GCap’s chief executive, taking over from Ralph Bernard (see Fru Hazlitt Appointed GCap Chief Executive).

TalkSPORT was up by a pretty impressive 9.5% year on year, taking its reach to 2.5 million in Q4.

Pop music station The Hits enjoyed a year on year increase of 22.3%, giving it a total of 1.4 million listeners. However, it was down period on period by 8.7%.

Total Heart (UK) now has a reach of almost 3.4 million listeners following a year on year increase of 6.8% (changed from 7.2% in RAJAR re-release 14/2/08) and a period on period rise of 1.2% (changed from 1.2% in RAJAR re-release 14/2/08).

Meanwhile, Galaxy Network (inc Dig Listening) was down 2.5% period on period, leaving its reach at 2.3 million listeners (changed from 2.5 million in RAJAR re-release 14/2/08), while Total Kiss Network recorded a 3.6% period on period drop, to just under three million.

Total Smooth Radio’s weekly reach increased to around 2.2 million listeners following period on period growth of 2.6%.

BBC Radio 2 saw its share of listening drop in Q4, to 15.7%, following a year on year drop of around 0.6 percentage points.

However, it remains the national station with the largest share of listening, ahead of both BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 1, at 11.8% and 10.3% respectively.

BBC Radio 1 recorded a 6.2 percentage point increase, while Radio 4 was up 6.3 percentage points year on year.

There was a big period on period rise for BBC Radio FIVE LIVE, up more than 9.5 percentage points, taking its share to 4.6%.

While Classic FM’s share of listening remained very healthy at 4.2%, it was static year on year and down period on period, by around 2.3%.

TalkSPORT was up by 11.1 percentage points both period on period and year on year, to 2.0%.

Galaxy Network (inc Dig Listening) and GCap Gold Network UK both suffered falling shares quarter on quarter in Q4, of around 16 percentage points and 21 percentage points (changed from 29 in RAJAR re-release 14/2/08) respectively. Galaxy Network (inc Dig Listening) now has a share of 1.6%, while GCap Gold Network UK’s now rests at 1.1% (changed from 1.0% in RAJAR re-release 14/2/08).

Total Heart (UK), meanwhile, was up by 4.4 percentage points period on period, to take its share of listening to 2.4%.

Total Kiss Network saw its share decline by 5.88 percentage points period on period (although it remained static year on year), taking its share to 1.6%.

Total Magic enjoyed a big year on year rise, of 15 percentage points, to give it a share of 2.3%, while Total Real Radio was also up year on year, by nearly six percentage points, to 1.8%.

It was a good quarter for Total Smooth Radio, up over 11 percentage points in the last three months of 2007, giving it a share of listening of 2.0%.

BBC Radio 4 had the top average hours per listener figure of any national station at 12.9, up nearly 5% period on period and 3.2% year on year.

BBC Radio 2 was just behind at 12.5 hours, having recorded a period on period rise of around 1.6%, while Radio 1 had an average hour figure of 9.8 per listener, although it was down by 3.9% period on period.

Sports, news and current affairs stations BBC Radio FIVE LIVE and TalkSPORT had average hours per listener figures of 7.6 and 8.3 respectively.

Radio FIVE LIVE was down by 5% year on year and 2.5% period on period, while TalkSPORT was static year on year and up around 6.4% period on period.

Classic FM now reports an average hours per listener of 7.6 hours, up 1.3% on Q3, although it was down year on year by the same percentage figure.

There was a very large increase for Life, up 68.1% year on year to 7.9 hours.

Also up year on year was GCap Gold Network UK, by 8.8%, although it suffered a period on period drop of 1.1%, leaving it with an average of 8.7 hours per listener.

Both Total Heart (UK) and Total LBC (inc Digital Listening) recorded year on year downturns in average hours.

Total Heart (UK) now has a total of 7.2 hours after a year on year fall of nearly 9% and Total LBC (inc Digital Listening), after a year on year fall of 11.5%, now has a total of 11.5 hours.

Following a period on period increase of 9.4%, Total Smooth Radio’s average hours per listener now stands at 9.3 hours.

Meanwhile, listeners are now spending an average of 11.5 hours with Total Real Radio compared with 11 hours in Q3 2007 and 11.2 in Q4 2006.

New RAJAR specification introduced in Q2 2007. Please use caution.

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