Breakfast Battle Sees Heart 106.2 FM Come Out On Top

There was, as we have come to expect, a fierce battle for the breakfast number one spot in London, with Heart 106.2 FM beating both Radio 1 and Capital Radio.

The RAJAR figures for Q4 2006 show that Heart 106.2 FM enjoyed a period on period increase of 23.4% in the breakfast slot, giving it a weekly reach of almost 950,000 listeners.

Capital Radio also recorded a period on period increase in weekly reach, at 4.0%, although it was not enough to see it retain its crown, and it finished the quarter with a total figure of just under 813,000 listeners. Year on year, Capital Radio was down by 17.6%. On Monday, GCap Media announced that it had renewed Johnny Vaughan’s contract to the Capital Radio London Breakfast Show in an exclusive three year deal (see Johnny Vaughan Signs New Capital Contract).

The third placed London commercial station, Magic 105.4, saw a small rise in weekly reach at breakfast, adding 8000 listeners period on period, an increase of just over 1%, giving it a total weekly reach of 733,000 listeners.

Choice FM London’s breakfast show was up by 65.5% in the fourth quarter and it also experienced a large year on year increase, of 45.1%, taking its weekly reach to more than 340,000 listeners.

XFM 104.9 was down period on period, by 4.6%, leaving it with a weekly reach of 270,000 listeners. This could change in the next quarter’s RAJAR results however, as Alex Zane recently took over the presenter’s duties on Xfm’s Friday Breakfast Show in London (see Alex Zane To Present XFM Friday Breakfast Show). Lauren Laverne will continue to present the XFM breakfast show from Monday to Thursday.

Smooth FM London’s breakfast show suffered a relatively large fall in its weekly reach year on year, of 33.6%, although this was tempered by its period on period increase of 13.6%, putting its listener figure at 200,000.

Another station which felt a decline in fortunes at breakfast was Capital Gold London, which saw its weekly reach drop to just below 300,000 following a period on period fall of 6%.

Total Virgin London (AM/FM) saw its listener numbers to its breakfast show decline year on year by 12.3%, although it battled back with a period on period rise of 6.2%, taking its total weekly reach to more than 550,000.

BBC Radio 2 once again remained the favourite breakfast station nationally in the last quarter of 2006, with more listeners tuning in to Terry Wogan than in Q3 last year, according to the latest data from RAJAR.

Radio 2 added more than 4% to its weekly reach period on period, but remained fairly static year on year. Almost eight million Brits share their breakfast with the velvet-tongued veteran, compared to 7.6 million during Q3.

The self-confessed saviour of Radio 1, Chris Moyles, takes second place in the morning, despite a marginal rise in listeners period on period. Around 6.8 million choose Radio 1 for breakfast, with a year on year rise of around 2.5%. The Q4 figures saw Moyles achieve his highest weekly reach to date.

Classic FM felt a fall in weekly reach, losing 5% from Q3 to Q4 and more than 10% year on year, whilst Total Virgin Radio (AM/FM) dipped more than 9% year on year, despite boosting its reach by almost 6% compared to last period.

BBC Radio 3 rose 8.5% period on period, and almost 7% year on year, to leave its weekly reach at around 830,000, while BBC Radio 4 rose more than 1% in the quarter. It now commands a weekly reach of 6.2 million in the morning, despite a slight dip year on year.

An impressive year on year rise in reach by BBC Radio Five Live, of almost 10%, gives Nicky Campbell and Shelagh Fogarty an audience of around 2.3 million for their mix of news and sport.

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