RAJAR Results Q4 2004: Heart And Capital Pegged Back By Rivals

The latest RAJAR figures for the three months to December 2004 reveal leading London stations Capital and Heart in decline, losing 11.3% and 14.7% respectively from their weekly reach year on year. Capital retained its lead over Chrysalis-owned Heart, however, with a total weekly reach of just over 2 million, compared with Heart’s 1.6 million.

Consequently, both stations saw a dip in listening share, with Capital shedding 1.6% points, while Heart lost 1.7% points in the same period. Elsewhere, Capital Radio’s Capital Gold was also hit, losing 28.1% of its weekly reach year on year to dip below the 1 million listener mark.

It was not all bad news for Capital, however, as its recently unified Choice FM London added a respectable 55.2% to its weekly reach year on year. October saw the company combine the output of its two Choice radio stations in London to present advertisers with a stronger environment and a larger combined audience (see Capital Unifies Choice Frequencies For Combined Output).

At least some of Capital and Chrysalis’ listeners appear to have transferred to rival Emap’s Magic 105.4, which increased its weekly reach by 15.7% year on year (0.8% period on period). The station now commands a weekly reach of almost 1.6 million, while its share of listening has increased by 1.6% points to a total of 6.1%. Magic now commands a higher share of listening than Heart, and is just 0.1% points away from Capital’s figure of 6.2%.

Period on period, Magic added 1.3% to its share of listening, compared to declines of 1.0 and 0.1% points by Capital and Heart.

Elsewhere, Scottish Media Group’s Virgin saw its weekly reach extend by 3.2% year on year, pushing the station’s total to 865,000. The station’s share of listening also increased, adding 1.1% points year on year to 2.9%.

October saw Virgin launch a high profile advertising campaign to boost listenership of its Pete and Geoff Breakfast Show. Centred around a ‘bizarre but familiar’ cartoon world, Virgin claimed the promotion provided the perfect backdrop to showcase the duo’s unique charm and early morning offering (see Virgin Launches Campaign To Boost Breakfast Share).

Virgin’s principal rival, Capital-owned Xfm, also saw success at the end of the year, adding 4.1% to its reach year on year to climb to 535,000. The station’s share of listening was also boosted, adding 0.3% points in the same period to 1.8%. The alternative music station has worked hard over the past few months to extend its listenership, running FM trials in Manchester and launching its own line of branded digital radios (see Capital To Boost Digital Radio With X-fm Branded Sets).

The three months to December proved less successful for speech-based stations, however, as LBC and LBC News saw weekly reach decline by 18.3% and 22.6% year on year. LBC also saw its share of listening dip, losing 0.4% points in the same period, while LBC News bucked the trend, adding 0.1% points to its total in the same period.

BBC London was also in decline during quarter four, losing 20% from its total weekly reach year on year, dipping below the half million listeners mark for the second time in 2004. The station managed to extend its share of listening, however, adding 0.2% points in the same period to push its total to 1.7%.

Easy Radio saw the largest decline in weekly reach towards the end of the year, shedding 84.3% year on year to dip below the 100,000 mark.

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