RAJAR Results Q4 2002 – BBC Radio 2 Storms Ahead
A year on year comparison of listening for national radio stations during the fourth quarter of 2002 reveals a period of mixed fortunes for the BBC. The hugely popular BBC Radio 2 continued to storm ahead of its competition in the three months to December. The station, which has been rocked by the recent departure of Jimmy Young, recorded a 7.4% year on year increase in weekly reach and a 0.6% points improvement in its share of listening. BBC Radio 3 also performed well during the last quarter of 2002, with a 8.8% year on year increase in weekly reach accompanied by a 0.1% points improvement in share.
In comparison, BBC Radio 1 continued to lose listeners and despite attempts to bolster its key youth audience, the station saw its weekly reach decline by 2.7% year on year, with its share of listening slipping by 0.7% points. After an impressive third quarter, BBC Radio 4 saw its weekly reach slip by 1.4% in the three months to December, with its share falling by 0.5% points.
The popularity of Classic FM, which recently prompted it to extend its brand into the digital TV arena (see Classic FM Launches Round The Clock Music Channel), was not immediately reflected in its weekly reach during the fourth quarter, which dropped by 0.6% year on year. However, the station’s share of listening improved by 0.2% points to 4.7%.
Listening figures for the fourth quarter brought further bad news for Virgin Radio AM, which saw its weekly reach fall by 8.4% year on year, despite extensive changes to its DJ line-up and music policy. However, in terms of share, the station held firm at 1.1%.
| National Stations Weekly Reach (000s) | ||||
| Station | Reporting Period | Dec-01 | Dec-02 | % Change |
| BBC Radio 1 | (Q) | 10,793 | 10,505 | -2.7 |
| BBC Radio 2 | (Q) | 12,343 | 13,260 | 7.4 |
| BBC Radio 3 | (Q) | 1,980 | 2,154 | 8.8 |
| BBC Radio 4 | (Q) | 9,939 | 9,798 | -1.4 |
| BBC Radio 5 | (Q) | 6,246 | 6,274 | 0.4 |
| Classic FM | (Q) | 6,698 | 6,657 | -0.6 |
| talkSPORT | (Q) | 2,416 | 2,415 | -0.0 |
| Virgin Radio AM (UK) | (Q) | 2,394 | 2,193 | -8.4 |
| National Stations Share Of Listening (%) | ||||
| Station | Reporting Period | Dec-01 | Dec-02 | % Point Change |
| BBC Radio 1 | (Q) | 9.1 | 8.4 | -0.7 |
| BBC Radio 2 | (Q) | 15.2 | 15.8 | 0.6 |
| BBC Radio 3 | (Q) | 1.1 | 1.2 | 0.1 |
| BBC Radio 4 | (Q) | 12 | 11.5 | -0.5 |
| BBC Radio 5 | (Q) | 4.6 | 4.7 | 0.1 |
| Classic FM | (Q) | 4.5 | 4.7 | 0.2 |
| talkSPORT | (Q) | 1.6 | 1.7 | 0.1 |
| Virgin Radio AM (UK) | (Q) | 1.1 | 1.1 | 0.0 |
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