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BBC’s talk stations lose listeners in second quarter

By Dominic Ponsford

BBC Radio 4’s flagship current affairs programme Today lost 400,000 listeners in the second quarter of this year, compared with the same period last year.

The Today programme reached 6.8m listeners a week in the second quarter, according to figures released by Rajar, compared with 2.6m for Radio Five Live Breakfast (down from 2.9m in the second quarter of 2011) and 1.33m for the Talksport breakfast show (down from 1.36m).

Radio 2 by contrast increased its weekly reach to 9m a week in the Breakfast slot, from 8.7m, according to Rajar.

Overall, Radio 4 saw a 3.1 per cent drop in weekly listener numbers to 10.5m. Radio Five Live dropped 4.7 per cent to 6.4m listeners a week and BBC World Service UK listeners dropped 19.1 per cent to 1.4m a week.

Looking at all BBC local/regional stations – listen numbers dropped 7.1 per cent to 9m a week.

In the commercial sector, listeners for Talksport in the second quarter of this year fell 9.1 per cent to 2.9m. London station LBC kicked the trend with a 0.9 per cent year on year increase to 1.2m listeners a week.

By contrast, BBC London 94.9 fell 18.2 per cent year on year to 453,000 listeners a week.

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Radio listening across the UK dipped by around a million listeners year on year in the period accord to Rajar – from 47.6m in the second quarter of 2011 to 46.8m in the second quarter of this year.

Rajar reckons that some 61.1 per cent of radio listeners tune in via FM and AM sets versus 31.5 per cent on digital sets and 4.6 per cent via the internet.

Full breakdown of UK radio station listener numbers for the second quarter of 2012 (source: Rajar)

Name of station, weekly reach in thousands, percentage change year on year

102.1 Bay Radio (will be Nation 80s) : 40 ; -7.0

102.4 Wish FM : 74 ; 1.4

102.5 Radio Pembrokeshire : 48 ; 17.1

102FM Touchradio – Warks Worcs Cotswolds : 51 ; 18.6

106 JACKfm (Bristol) (was Original 106) : 116 ; 1.8

106 JACKfm (Oxford) : 65 ; -14.5

106.1 Real XS (was 106.1 Rock Radio) : n/a ; n/a

106.1 Real XS Manchester (was 106.1 Rock Radio) : 160 ; n/a

106.3 Bridge FM : 37 ; -5.1

107 The Bee : 24 ; 14.3

107.2 Wire FM : 52 ; -18.8

107.3 Touchradio – Warwick : n/a ; n/a

107.4 Tower FM : 50 ; 0.0

107.5 Sovereign Radio : 26 ; 18.2

107.6 Banbury Sound : 16 ; 6.7

107.6 Juice FM : 209 ; 8.3

107.7 The Wolf : 41 ; -4.7

107.8 Arrow FM for Hastings : 22 ; 0.0

1Xtra from the BBC : 1137 ; 14.6

2BR : 60 ; 15.4

3FM : 26 ; 23.8

96.2 The Revolution : 40 ; -23.1

96.2FM Touchradio – Coventry : 19 ; -29.6

96.3 Radio Aire : 117 ; -17.0

96.3 Real XS Glasgow (was 96.3 Rock Radio) : 74 ; 10.4

96.4 BRMB : n/a ; n/a

96.4 Eagle Radio : 150 ; 9.5

96.4 FM The Wave : 129 ; -11.0

96.9 Viking FM : 235 ; 5.9

97.1 Radio Carmarthenshire : 40 ; 0.0

97.2 Stray FM : 47 ; 2.2

97.4 Cool FM : 386 ; -5.9

97.4 Rock FM : 280 ; 4.9

Absolute 80s : 864 ; -3.4

Absolute Radio 00s : 122 ; -39.0

Absolute Radio 60s : 179 ; n/a

Absolute Radio 70s : 169 ; n/a

Absolute Radio 90s : 414 ; -4.2

Absolute Radio Classic Rock : 384 ; -4.0

Absolute Radio London : 746 ; 6.0

Absolute Radio National : 1269 ; 14.4

BBC 6 Music : 1379 ; 8.6

BBC Coventry and Warwickshire : 88 ; 14.3

BBC Essex : 244 ; -17.0

BBC Hereford & Worcester : 103 ; -20.2

BBC London 94.9 : 453 ; -18.2

BBC Oxford 95.2FM : 68 ; -11.7

BBC Radio 1 : 11271 ; -3.6

BBC Radio 2 : 14457 ; 3.5

BBC Radio 3 : 2038 ; -6.3

BBC Radio 4 : 10521 ; -3.1

BBC Radio 4 Extra : 1636 ; 1.9

BBC Radio Berkshire : 128 ; 2.4

BBC Radio Bristol : 139 ; -25.3

BBC Radio Cambridgeshire : 108 ; -9.2

BBC Radio Cornwall : 161 ; 13.4

BBC Radio Cumbria : 115 ; -21.8

BBC Radio Cymru : 131 ; -10.3

BBC Radio Derby : 179 ; 14.0

BBC Radio Devon : 203 ; -22.5

BBC Radio FIVE LIVE : 6148 ; -6.0

BBC Radio Gloucestershire : 110 ; 15.8

BBC Radio Guernsey : 25 ; 13.6

BBC Radio Humberside : 224 ; 21.7

BBC Radio Jersey : 28 ; -3.4

BBC Radio Kent : 253 ; 3.7

BBC Radio Lancashire : 228 ; -0.4

BBC Radio Leeds : 235 ; 0.4

BBC Radio Leicester : 183 ; 12.3

BBC Radio Lincolnshire : 117 ; 5.4

BBC Radio Manchester : 230 ; 39.4

BBC Radio Merseyside : 355 ; 5.0

BBC Radio Newcastle : 298 ; 0.7

BBC Radio Norfolk : 216 ; -8.1

BBC Radio Northampton : 103 ; -3.7

BBC Radio Nottingham : 212 ; 1.4

BBC Radio Scotland : 959 ; -7.3

BBC Radio Sheffield : 279 ; 15.3

BBC Radio Shropshire : 111 ; -3.5

BBC Radio Solent (Hants/ IoW/ East Dorset) : 274 ; -6.2

BBC Radio Solent (West Dorset) : 21 ; 0.0

BBC Radio Stoke : 185 ; -10.2

BBC Radio Suffolk : 127 ; -13.6

BBC Radio Tees : 134 ; -1.5

BBC Radio Ulster : 532 ; -10.0

BBC Radio Wales : 444 ; -4.3

BBC Radio Wiltshire/Swindon : 84 ; -11.6

BBC Radio York : 94 ; -2.1

BBC Somerset : 66 ; -15.4

BBC Sussex and BBC Surrey : 257 ; -9.8

BBC Three Counties Radio : 170 ; -10.1

BBC WM (Birmingham & Black Country) : 225 ; 2.7

BBC World Service : 1391 ; -19.1

Beacon Radio : n/a ; n/a

Buzz Asia 963 & 972AM : 117 ; 21.9

C.F.M (Bauer Carlisle) : 81 ; -23.6

Capital Birmingham : 470 ; 0.0

Capital East Midlands : 480 ; -11.1

Capital London : 2072 ; -0.2

Capital Manchester : 519 ; 3.4

Capital North East : 494 ; -9.9

Capital Scotland : 519 ; 11.1

Capital South Coast : 188 ; -4.6

Capital South Wales : 194 ; -26.5

Capital Yorkshire : 1068 ; 0.8

Central FM : 49 ; -9.3

Channel 103 FM : 46 ; 4.5

Cheshire’s Silk 106.9 : 16 ; -23.8

Chester’s Dee 106.3 : 32 ; -8.6

Chill : n/a ; n/a

Choice FM London : 527 ; 7.1

City Talk 105.9 : 71 ; 12.7

Citybeat 96.7/102.5FM : 136 ; -12.3

Classic FM : 5480 ; -4.4

Clyde 1 FM : 528 ; -8.2

Clyde 2 : 202 ; -23.2

Connect FM (was Connect FM and Lite 106.8FM) : 40 ; -13.0

Dearne FM : 49 ; -16.9

Downtown Radio (DTR) : 247 ; -16.3

Dream 100 : 48 ; -5.9

Eagle Extra (formerly County Sound 1566MW) : 13 ; 0.0

Fire Radio : 45 ; 15.4

Fire Radio South Coast : 5 ; n/a

FIVE LIVE SPORTS EXTRA : 1074 ; 34.8

Forth2 : 71 ; -26.8

ForthOne : 361 ; 3.4

Free Radio FM (Birmingham & Black Country) (was BRMB and Beacon) : 419 ; n/a

Free Radio FM (Coventry & Warwickshire) (was Mercia) : 129 ; -10.4

Free Radio FM (Herefordshire & Worcestershire) (was Wyvern) : 92 ; n/a

Free Radio FM (Shropshire) (was Beacon) : 82 ; n/a

Gem 106 : n/a ; n/a

Gem 106 : 407 ; n/a

Glide FM 1079 (was Oxford’s FM 107.9) : 16 ; -33.3

Gold (Birmingham & Black Country) : 89 ; n/a

Gold (Coventry & Warwickshire) : 21 ; -8.7

Gold (Shropshire) : 10 ; n/a

Gold Birmingham : n/a ; n/a

Gold Cambridgeshire : 38 ; -2.6

Gold Devon : 40 ; 29.0

Gold East Anglia : 70 ; 6.1

Gold East Midlands : 66 ; -5.7

Gold Essex : 63 ; 1.6

Gold Four Counties : 96 ; 35.2

Gold Kent : 44 ; -20.0

Gold London : 330 ; -15.2

Gold Manchester : 115 ; 18.6

Gold North West & Wales : 28 ; 21.7

Gold Solent : 68 ; -17.1

Gold South Wales : 63 ; 5.0

Gold Sussex : 64 ; 18.5

Gold Thames Valley : 37 ; 2.8

Gold West Country : 96 ; -16.5

Gold Wolverhampton : n/a ; n/a

Hallam FM : 400 ; 10.8

Heart Cambridgeshire : 208 ; -5.5

Heart Cornwall (was 105-107 Atlantic FM) : 68 ; -4.2

Heart Devon : 305 ; -15.3

Heart East Anglia : 297 ; -8.3

Heart East Midlands : 110 ; 197.3

Heart Essex : 414 ; -13.2

Heart Four Counties : 581 ; 16.9

Heart Kent : 368 ; -2.4

Heart London : 1798 ; -9.6

Heart North West and Wales : 246 ; 18.8

Heart Solent : 341 ; 16.4

Heart Sussex : 365 ; -5.4

Heart Thames Valley : 361 ; -16.6

Heart West Country : 666 ; -5.4

Heart West Midlands : 755 ; -13.1

Heat : 713 ; 6.4

IOW Radio : 36 ; -2.7

Island FM 104.7 : 30 ; 11.1

Jack FM South Coast (Was The Coast) : 193 ; 65.0

Jazz FM : 573 ; -3.2

KCFM 99.8 : 86 ; 28.4

Kerrang! 105.2 : 306 ; -18.2

Kestrel FM : 35 ; 2.9

KESTREL FM – was Delta Radio : 19 ; 18.8

Key 103 (Manchester) : 490 ; -7.0

Kingdom FM : 83 ; 2.5

Kismat Radio 1035 (Greater London) : 92 ; -49.5

Kiss 100 FM : 1740 ; -6.5

Kiss East : 431 ; 1.2

Kiss West : 477 ; 0.4

KL.FM 96.7 : 42 ; -8.7

kmfm East : 100 ; -1.0

kmfm West : 57 ; -14.9

Lakeland Radio : 15 ; 0.0

LBC 97.3 : 809 ; -6.0

LBC News 1152 : 355 ; -11.5

Lincs FM 102.2 : 304 ; -14.1

Magic 105.4 : 1951 ; -14.7

Magic 1152 (Manchester) : 89 ; -11.9

Magic 1152 (Newcastle) : 168 ; 1.8

Magic 1161 (Hull) : 56 ; -22.2

Magic 1170 (Teesside) : 95 ; 5.6

Magic 1548 (Liverpool) : 100 ; 5.3

Magic 828 (Leeds) : 107 ; 9.2

Magic 999 (Preston) : 37 ; 5.7

Magic AM (Sheffield) : 98 ; 1.0

Manx Radio : 38 ; 8.6

Metro Radio : 374 ; -2.3

Midwest Radio : n/a ; n/a

Midwest Radio : 37 ; n/a

Minster FM : 70 ; -15.7

Mix 96 : 37 ; -11.9

Moray Firth Radio (Bauer Inverness) : 115 ; -8.0

Nation Radio : 138 ; 19.0

NME Radio : n/a ; n/a

North Norfolk Radio : 23 ; 4.5

Northsound One : 128 ; -5.2

Northsound Two : 43 ; 4.9

Nova Radio – Weston (was Star Radio in North Somerset) : 22 ; 29.4

Oak FM : 26 ; -10.3

Original 106 (Aberdeen) : 47 ; 6.8

Palm FM : 37 ; 0.0

Peak 107 FM : 94 ; 11.9

Pirate FM : 167 ; 12.1

Planet Rock : 948 ; 10.6

Premier Christian Radio : 172 ; -26.8

Pulse 2 : 45 ; -30.8

Q : 248 ; -9.5

Q100.5 (Was Five FM) : 17 ; -32.0

Q102.9FM/Q97.2FM/Q101.2FM : 76 ; -15.6

Q106 (was Six FM) : 11 ; -8.3

Q107 (was Seven FM) : 14 ; -22.2

Radio Borders (Bauer Borders) : 53 ; -13.1

Radio Ceredigion : 11 ; 22.2

Radio City 96.7 : 457 ; -8.0

Radio Exe 107.3 FM (was Exeter FM) : 25 ; -16.7

Radio Mansfield 103.2 : 39 ; 5.4

Radio NORWICH 99.9 : 57 ; 11.8

Radio Wave 96.5 FM : 67 ; -16.3

Reading 107 FM : 22 ; -15.4

Real Radio North East – (was Century Radio) : 265 ; -28.2

Real Radio North West – (was Century Radio) : 446 ; -11.0

Real Radio Scotland : 599 ; -7.3

Real Radio Wales (North) : 73 ; 97.3

Real Radio Wales (South) : 425 ; -2.1

Real Radio Yorkshire : 388 ; 7.8

Ridings FM : 42 ; -16.0

Rother FM : 39 ; 8.3

Rugby FM : 25 ; 19.0

Signal One : 275 ; 6.6

Signal Two : 57 ; -25.0

Smash Hits Radio : 1071 ; -4.5

Smooth Radio East Midlands : 303 ; -12.4

Smooth Radio Glasgow : 300 ; 20.5

Smooth Radio London : 385 ; -20.8

Smooth Radio North East : 390 ; 4.3

Smooth Radio North West : 886 ; 3.0

Smooth Radio West Midlands : 378 ; -9.1

Southend & Chelmsford Radio : 64 ; 36.2

Spire FM : 40 ; -13.0

Spirit FM : 50 ; -2.0

Star NE – North (was Durham FM) : 23 ; 15.0

Star NE – South (was Alpha 103.2) : 28 ; 21.7

Star Radio in Cambridge : 26 ; -18.8

Sun FM : 67 ; -10.7

Sunrise Radio (Greater London) : 286 ; -31.4

Sunrise Radio National : 447 ; -23.7

Swansea Sound – 1170 MW : 57 ; -18.6

talkSPORT : n/a ; n/a

talkSPORT : 2919 ; n/a

Tay-AM : 77 ; 8.5

Tay-FM : 121 ; -4.7

TFM Radio : 176 ; -3.8

The Bay : 107 ; 9.2

THE BEACH : 54 ; -5.3

The Breeze (East and West) : 35 ; n/a

The Breeze (East) (formerly The Quay) : n/a ; n/a

The Breeze (South West) (was Star Radio (Bristol)) : 29 ; -6.5

The Breeze (West) : n/a ; n/a

The Hits : 973 ; -19.9

The Pulse : 137 ; -22.6

Time FM 106.6 : 21 ; 5.0

Total Absolute Radio (London) : 974 ; 17.1

Total Choice (UK) : 738 ; 12.8

Touchradio Staffs : 26 ; -13.3

Town 102 FM : 59 ; 5.4

Trax FM : 96 ; 1.1

U105 : 178 ; -23.9

Wave 102 FM : 23 ; -23.3

Wave 105 FM (Bauer South Coast) : 356 ; -13.6

Wessex FM : 47 ; 14.6

West Sound (Bauer Southwest Scotland) : 180 ; -4.8

Wyvern FM : n/a ; n/a

XFM London : 417 ; -37.9

XFM Manchester : 211 ; 39.7

Yorkshire Coast Radio : 40 ; 2.6

Yorkshire Radio : 88 ; 15.8

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