August 4, 2011updated 14 Sep 2012 3:46pm

Rajar figures: Radio 4 Today reaches new high

Radio 4's flagship current affairs programme Today reached a record 7.18m listeners a week in the second quarter of this year, according to figures released today.

The figures, released by Rajar, show Today increasing its number of weekly listeners from 6.98m in the same period last year. It is Today's biggest total since the current Rajar research methodology was introduced in 1999.

Radio 4 was up overall reaching 10.85m listeners a week, according to Rajar, compared with 10.4m in the same period a year ago.

Radio 5 Live (including Sports Extra) was slightly down year on year to 6,676,000 listeners a week in April to June this year from 6,804,000 in the same period a year ago.

The BBC's network of local, regional and nations radio stations also saw a year on year decline in listeners to 9,135,000s a week from 9,645,000 in the same period a year ago – according to Rajar.

In the commercial sector, TalkSport was the biggest winner – increasing its weekly listener numbers by 28 per cent to 3,212,000 in the second quarter of this year.

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London talk station LBC 97.3 saw a 10.3 per cent dip in listeners to 861,000 for the period. Rival BBC London station, BBC London 94.9, saw a 9.3 per cent year-on-year increase to 554,000 listeners a week for the period.

According to Rajar, 91.7 per cent of UK adults (defined as those aged 15 and over) tuned in to the radio at least once a week in the second quarter of this year. This makes a total of 47.6m people. Some 20.2m listened via a digital receiver, an increase of 11.1 per cent year on year.

Full UK-wide breakdown of radio listening for April to June 2011(source Rajar)

Name of station: weekly listeners in thousands; percentage change year on year

102.1 Bay Radio : 43 ; 22.9
102.4 Wish FM : 73 ; -16.1
102.5 Radio Pembrokeshire : 41 ; 0.0
102FM Touchradio – Warks Worcs Cotswolds : 43 ; 7.5
105-107 Atlantic FM : 71 ; 12.7
105.4 Leicester Sound FM : n/a ; n/a
106 JACKfm (Bristol) (was Original 106) : 114 ; 200.0
106 JACKfm (Oxford) : 76 ; 46.2
106.1 Rock Radio : 150 ; 35.1
106.3 Bridge FM : 39 ; 11.4
107 The Bee : 21 ; -27.6
107.2 Wire FM : 64 ; 28.0
107.3 Touchradio – Warwick : 10 ; 25.0
107.4 The Quay : n/a ; n/a
107.4 Tower FM : 50 ; 6.4
107.5 Sovereign Radio : 22 ; -26.7
107.6 Banbury Sound : 15 ; -25.0
107.6 Juice FM : 193 ; 27.8
107.7 The Wolf : 43 ; 0.0
107.8 Arrow FM for Hastings : 22 ; -4.3
1Xtra from the BBC : 992 ; 65.3
2BR : 52 ; -21.2
3FM : 21 ; -12.5
96 Trent FM : n/a ; n/a
96.2 The Revolution : 52 ; 23.8
96.2FM Touchradio – Coventry : 27 ; -18.2
96.3 Radio Aire : n/a ; n/a
96.3 Radio Aire : 141 ; n/a
96.3 Rock Radio : 67 ; 24.1
96.4 BRMB : 416 ; 14.3
96.4 Eagle Radio : 137 ; -7.4
96.4 FM The Wave : 145 ; 5.1
96.9 Viking FM : 222 ; -4.7
97.1 Radio Carmarthenshire : 40 ; 2.6
97.2 Stray FM : 46 ; 4.5
97.4 Cool FM : 410 ; 9.9
97.4 Rock FM : 267 ; -21.0
Absolute 80s : 894 ; 210.4
Absolute Radio 00s : 200 ; n/a
Absolute Radio 90s : 432 ; n/a
Absolute Radio Classic Rock (was Virgin Radio Classic Rock) : 400 ; 43.9
Absolute Radio London (was Virgin Radio London) : 704 ; 0.7
Absolute Radio National (was Virgin Radio National) : 1109 ; 14.2
BBC 6 Music : 1270 ; 6.4
BBC Coventry and Warwickshire : 77 ; -6.1
BBC Essex : 294 ; 21.0
BBC Hereford & Worcester : 129 ; -4.4
BBC London 94.9 : 554 ; 9.3
BBC Oxford 95.2FM : 77 ; 5.5
BBC Radio 1 : 11692 ; -1.0
BBC Radio 2 : 13966 ; 1.7
BBC Radio 3 : 2174 ; 17.0
BBC Radio 4 : 10854 ; 4.3
BBC Radio 4 Extra (was BBC Radio 7) : 1605 ; 69.1
BBC Radio Berkshire : 125 ; -17.2
BBC Radio Bristol : 186 ; 9.4
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire : 119 ; -3.3
BBC Radio Cornwall : 142 ; -3.4
BBC Radio Cumbria : 147 ; -7.5
BBC Radio Cymru : 146 ; -9.3
BBC Radio Derby : 157 ; -12.8
BBC Radio Devon : 262 ; 6.5
BBC Radio FIVE LIVE : 6542 ; -3.3
BBC Radio Gloucestershire : 95 ; 1.1
BBC Radio Guernsey : 22 ; 22.2
BBC Radio Humberside : 184 ; -13.2
BBC Radio Jersey : 29 ; 0.0
BBC Radio Kent : 244 ; -11.6
BBC Radio Lancashire : 229 ; -4.2
BBC Radio Leeds : 234 ; -4.9
BBC Radio Leicester : 163 ; 24.4
BBC Radio Lincolnshire : 111 ; -3.5
BBC Radio Manchester : 165 ; -33.5
BBC Radio Merseyside : 338 ; 10.1
BBC Radio Newcastle : 296 ; -0.3
BBC Radio Norfolk : 235 ; 16.9
BBC Radio Northampton : 107 ; 3.9
BBC Radio Nottingham : 209 ; 6.1
BBC Radio Scotland : 1035 ; 7.1
BBC Radio Sheffield : 242 ; -5.5
BBC Radio Shropshire : 115 ; 5.5
BBC Radio Solent : 292 ; 7.4
BBC Radio Stoke : 206 ; 18.4
BBC Radio Suffolk : 147 ; 10.5
BBC Radio Ulster : 591 ; 11.1
BBC Radio Wales : 464 ; 3.3
BBC Radio Wiltshire/Swindon : 95 ; 33.8
BBC Radio York : 96 ; 3.2
BBC Solent for Dorset : 21 ; -12.5
BBC Somerset : 78 ; 14.7
BBC Sussex and BBC Surrey : 285 ; 9.6
BBC Tees : 136 ; 32.0
BBC Three Counties Radio : 189 ; 26.0
BBC WM (Birmingham & Black Country) : 219 ; -3.5
BBC World Service : 1720 ; 33.9
Beacon Radio : 232 ; 11.0
Buzz Asia 963 & 972AM : 96 ; -20.0
C.F.M (Bauer Carlisle) : 106 ; 1.0
Capital Birmingham (was Galaxy) : 470 ; 22.7
Capital East Midlands (was Leicester Sound RAM FM & Trent FM) : 540 ; n/a
Capital London : 2077 ; 8.1
Capital Manchester (was Galaxy) : 502 ; -6.9
Capital North East (was Galaxy) : 548 ; -0.9
Capital Scotland (was Galaxy) : 467 ; n/a
Capital South Coast (was Galaxy) : 197 ; n/a
Capital South Wales (was Red Dragon) : 264 ; -9.0
Capital Yorkshire (Was Galaxy) : 1059 ; -1.2
Central FM : 54 ; 10.2
Channel 103 FM : 44 ; 15.8
Chelmsford Radio 107.7 FM : n/a ; n/a
Cheshire's Silk 106.9 : 21 ; -8.7
Chester's Dee 106.3 : 35 ; 2.9
Chill : 190 ; 18.8
Choice FM London : 492 ; 3.4
City Talk 105.9 : 63 ; 5.0
Citybeat 96.7/102.5FM : 155 ; 21.1
Classic FM : 5735 ; 0.9
Clyde 1 FM : 575 ; 8.5
Clyde 2 : 263 ; 3.5
Colourful : n/a ; n/a
Connect FM : n/a ; n/a
Connect FM (was Connect FM and Lite 106.8FM) : 46 ; n/a
Connect FM Peterborough (was Lite FM) : n/a ; n/a
County Sound 1566 : 13 ; 44.4
Dearne FM : 59 ; 37.2
Downtown Radio (DTR) : 295 ; 14.8
Dream 100 : 51 ; 21.4
Exeter FM : 30 ; 3.4
Fire Radio : n/a ; n/a
Fire Radio : 39 ; n/a
Five FM : 25 ; 31.6
FIVE LIVE SPORTS EXTRA : 797 ; 45.7
Forth2 : 97 ; 7.8
ForthOne : 349 ; 6.1
Fun Radio : n/a ; n/a
Galaxy Scotland (East) : n/a ; n/a
Galaxy Scotland (West) : n/a ; n/a
Galaxy South Coast : n/a ; n/a
Gem 106 : 457 ; n/a
Glide FM 1079 (was Oxford's FM 107.9) : 24 ; 71.4
Gold Bedford : n/a ; n/a
Gold Berkshire/North Hampshire : n/a ; n/a
Gold Birmingham : 78 ; 21.9
Gold Bristol/Bath/Wiltshire : n/a ; n/a
Gold Cambridgeshire : 39 ; n/a
Gold Coventry : 23 ; -14.8
Gold Crawley : n/a ; n/a
Gold Derby : n/a ; n/a
Gold Devon : n/a ; n/a
Gold Devon : 31 ; n/a
Gold Dorset : n/a ; n/a
Gold East Anglia : 66 ; n/a
Gold East Midlands : 70 ; n/a
Gold Essex : n/a ; n/a
Gold Essex : 62 ; n/a
Gold Four Counties : 71 ; n/a
Gold Gloucester : n/a ; n/a
Gold Hampshire : n/a ; n/a
Gold Kent : 55 ; 96.4
Gold London : 389 ; 9.0
Gold Luton : n/a ; n/a
Gold Manchester : n/a ; n/a
Gold Manchester : 97 ; n/a
Gold Norfolk : n/a ; n/a
Gold North Wales/Cheshire : n/a ; n/a
Gold North West & Wales : 23 ; n/a
Gold Northampton : n/a ; n/a
Gold Nottingham : n/a ; n/a
Gold Peterborough : n/a ; n/a
Gold Plymouth : n/a ; n/a
Gold Solent : 82 ; n/a
Gold South Wales : 60 ; 42.9
Gold Suffolk : n/a ; n/a
Gold Sussex : n/a ; n/a
Gold Sussex : 54 ; n/a
Gold Thames Valley : 36 ; n/a
Gold West Country : 115 ; n/a
Gold Wolverhampton : 49 ; 8.9
Hallam FM : 361 ; 0.3
Heart 102.3 FM Dorset and New Forest (was 2CR) : n/a ; n/a
Heart 102.4 FM Norfolk : n/a ; n/a
Heart 102.7 Peterborough : n/a ; n/a
Heart 103 FM Anglesey and Gwynedd (was Champion) : n/a ; n/a
Heart 103 FM Cambridgeshire : n/a ; n/a
Heart 103.3 FM Milton Keynes : n/a ; n/a
Heart 103.4 FM Cheshire and North East Wales (was Marcher Sound) : n/a ; n/a
Heart 106 FM East Midlands : n/a ; n/a
Heart 96.1 FM Colchester : n/a ; n/a
Heart 96.3 FM North Wales Coast (was Coast) : n/a ; n/a
Heart 96.6 FM Hertfordshire (was Mercury FM (Herts)) : n/a ; n/a
Heart 96.6 FM Northants : n/a ; n/a
Heart 96.9 FM Bedford : n/a ; n/a
Heart 97.1 FM Wirral (was The Buzz) : n/a ; n/a
Heart 97.6 FM Beds/Bucks/Herts : n/a ; n/a
Heart Berkshire and North Hants (was 2-Ten FM) : n/a ; n/a
Heart Bristol/Bath/Wiltshire (was GWR) : n/a ; n/a
Heart Cambridgeshire : 220 ; n/a
Heart Crawley and Surrey (was Mercury FM (Surrey & Sussex)) : n/a ; n/a
Heart Devon : 360 ; n/a
Heart East Anglia : 324 ; n/a
Heart East Midlands : 37 ; n/a
Heart Essex : 477 ; n/a
Heart Essex (was Essex FM) : n/a ; n/a
Heart Exeter & East Devon (was Gemini) : n/a ; n/a
Heart Four Counties : 497 ; n/a
Heart Gloucestershire (was Severn Sound) : n/a ; n/a
Heart Hampshire and West Sussex (was Ocean) : n/a ; n/a
Heart Kent : 377 ; 3.3
Heart London : 1990 ; -8.9
Heart North Devon (was Lantern FM) : n/a ; n/a
Heart North West and Wales : 207 ; n/a
Heart Oxfordshire (was Fox FM) : n/a ; n/a
Heart Plymouth (was Plymouth Sound) : n/a ; n/a
Heart Solent : 293 ; n/a
Heart Somerset (was Orchard FM) : n/a ; n/a
Heart South Hams : n/a ; n/a
Heart Suffolk : n/a ; n/a
Heart Sussex : 386 ; n/a
Heart Sussex (was Southern FM) : n/a ; n/a
Heart Thames Valley : 433 ; n/a
Heart Torbay & South Devon (was Gemini) : n/a ; n/a
Heart West Country : 704 ; n/a
Heart West Midlands : 869 ; 16.8
Heat : 670 ; -0.3
Imagine FM : n/a ; n/a
IOW Radio : 37 ; -2.6
Island FM 104.7 : 27 ; 3.8
Jazz FM : n/a ; n/a
Jazz FM : 592 ; n/a
KCFM 99.8 : 67 ; -1.5
Kerrang! 105.2 : 374 ; 11.3
Kestrel FM : 34 ; 17.2
KESTREL FM – was Delta Radio : 16 ; -11.1
Key 103 (Manchester) : 527 ; 0.6
Kingdom FM : 81 ; 15.7
Kismat Radio 1035 (Greater London) : 182 ; 62.5
Kiss 100 FM : 1860 ; 0.6
Kiss East : 426 ; 13.3
Kiss West : 475 ; 27.0
KL.FM 96.7 : 46 ; -2.1
kmfm East : 101 ; 16.1
kmfm West : 67 ; 21.8
Lakeland Radio : 15 ; 0.0
LBC 97.3 : 861 ; -10.3
LBC News 1152 : 401 ; -0.2
Lincs FM 102.2 : 354 ; 15.7
Magic 105.4 : 2286 ; 11.7
Magic 1152 (Manchester) : 101 ; -4.7
Magic 1152 (Newcastle) : 165 ; -10.3
Magic 1161 (Hull) : 72 ; -6.5
Magic 1170 (Teesside) : 90 ; 5.9
Magic 1548 (Liverpool) : 95 ; 6.7
Magic 828 (Leeds) : 98 ; 2.1
Magic 999 (Preston) : 35 ; -20.5
Magic AM (Sheffield) : 97 ; 22.8
Manx Radio : 35 ; -7.9
Mercia : 144 ; -3.4
Metro Radio : 383 ; 1.6
Midwest Radio : 41 ; 28.1
Minster FM : 83 ; 7.8
Mix 96 : 42 ; 7.7
Moray Firth Radio (Bauer Inverness) : 125 ; 2.5
Nation Radio : 116 ; 6.4
NME Radio : 225 ; -11.1
North Norfolk Radio : 22 ; 4.8
Northsound One : 135 ; 17.4
Northsound Two : 41 ; -14.6
Nova Radio – Weston (was Star Radio in North Somerset) : 17 ; -10.5
Oak FM : 29 ; -14.7
Original 106 (Aberdeen) : 44 ; 10.0
Palm FM : 37 ; 15.6
Panjab Radio : n/a ; n/a
Peak 107 FM : 84 ; 6.3
Pirate FM : 149 ; -3.2
Planet Rock : 857 ; 19.4
Premier Christian Radio : 235 ; 64.3
Pulse 2 : 65 ; 62.5
Q : 274 ; 17.6
Q102.9FM/Q97.2FM/Q101.2FM : 90 ; 1.1
Radio Borders (Bauer Borders) : 61 ; 1.7
Radio Ceredigion : 9 ; n/a
Radio City 96.7 : 497 ; 12.7
Radio Mansfield 103.2 : 37 ; -5.1
Radio NORWICH 99.9 : 51 ; 13.3
Radio Wave 96.5 FM : 80 ; 21.2
RAM FM : n/a ; n/a
Reading 107 FM : 26 ; 18.2
Real Radio North East – (was Century Radio) : 369 ; 19.8
Real Radio North West – (was Century Radio) : 501 ; -1.0
Real Radio Scotland : 646 ; -8.8
Real Radio Wales (North) : 37 ; n/a
Real Radio Wales (South) : 434 ; 6.6
Real Radio Yorkshire : 360 ; 20.8
Ridings FM : 50 ; 28.2
Rother FM : 36 ; 16.1
Rugby FM : 21 ; 0.0
Seven FM : 18 ; 0.0
Signal One : 258 ; 5.7
Signal Two : 76 ; 18.8
Six FM : 12 ; -20.0
Smash Hits Radio : 1122 ; 13.3
Smooth Radio East Midlands : 346 ; 15.0
Smooth Radio Glasgow : 249 ; 1.2
Smooth Radio London : 486 ; 17.1
Smooth Radio North East : 374 ; 0.8
Smooth Radio North West : 860 ; 11.8
Smooth Radio West Midlands : 416 ; 18.9
Southend & Chelmsford Radio : 47 ; n/a
Spire FM : 46 ; 21.1
Spirit FM : 51 ; 10.9
Star NE – North (was Durham FM) : 20 ; -16.7
Star NE – South (was Alpha 103.2) : 23 ; -4.2
Star Radio in Cambridge : 32 ; 52.4
Sun FM : 75 ; 13.6
Sunrise Radio (Greater London) : 417 ; 14.6
Sunrise Radio National : 586 ; 17.7
Swansea Sound – 1170 MW : 70 ; 1.4
talkSPORT : 3212 ; 28.1
Tay-AM : 71 ; -9.0
Tay-FM : 127 ; 17.6
TFM Radio : 183 ; -8.5
The Bay : 98 ; 1.0
THE BEACH : 57 ; 9.6
The Breeze (East) (formerly The Quay) : 21 ; n/a
The Breeze (South West) (was Star Radio (Bristol)) : 31 ; 0.0
The Breeze (West) : 17 ; n/a
The Coast : 117 ; 7.3
The Hits : 1215 ; 6.8
The Pulse : 177 ; 30.1
Time FM 106.6 : 20 ; -4.8
Total Absolute Radio (London) (was Total Virgin (London)) : 832 ; 1.3
Total Choice (UK) : 654 ; n/a
Touchradio Staffs : 30 ; -11.8
Town 102 FM : 56 ; 75.0
Trax FM : 95 ; -13.6
U105 : 234 ; 59.2
Wave 102 FM : 30 ; 7.1
Wave 105 FM (Bauer South Coast) : 412 ; 18.7
Wessex FM : 41 ; 10.8
West Sound : 189 ; 6.8
Wyvern FM : 114 ; 17.5
XFM London : 671 ; 21.3
XFM Manchester : 151 ; -15.6
Yorkshire Coast Radio : 39 ; -11.4
Yorkshire Radio : 76 ; 8.6

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Dominic Ponsford

@DomPonsford

Dominic Ponsford is the editor in chief of Press Gazette and has more than 20 years experience in journalism. Former Paul Foot Awards finalist and PPA editor of the year nominee 2022.