May 19, 2016updated 25 May 2016 9:18am

Rajar radio figures round-up: Radio 4’s Today loses 300,000 listeners following departure of Jim Naughtie

Radio 4’s Today breakfast news show lost 300,000 listeners in the first quarter of 2016 following the departure of long-serving presenter Jim Naughtie at the end of last year.

According to figures released by Rajar, it had an average reach of 6.8m listeners per week in the first three months of this year compared with 7.1m in the first quarter of 2015.

Naughtie was replaced by Nick Robinson who works alongside regular Today presenters John Humphrys, Justin Webb, Sarah Montague and Mishal Husain.

BBC Radio 2 is the most listened to radio station in the UK with weekly reach of 15.5 m (up 2.8 per cent year on year.)

Radio 4 dipped 2.9 per cent year on year to 10.6m listeners per week.

Radio 5 Live (including Sports Extra) grew 0.6 per cent to 6.1m on average across the quarter.

The BBC World Service grew its reach inside the UK by 8.4 per cent to 1.5m listeners per week.

Overall the BBC’s local/regional radio network was slightly down by 0.3 per cent year on year to 8.8m listeners per week.

In the commercial sector, LBC (now available nationally on digital radio) grew 13.5 per cent to 1.5m listeners per week. Talksport fell 4.9 per cent year on year to 3.1m.

In London, LBC 97.3 grew 13 per cent year on year to 1m listeners per week, comfortably ahead of BBC Radio London, which fell 32.6 per cent year on year to 354,000 per week.

Full UK radio station listening figures for Jan-March 2016 (source: Rajar)

All Individuals 15+ for period ending March 2016
Station/Group	Survey Period	Survey Period	Reach 000s
	Mar ’15	Mar ’16	Y on Y % change
102 Touch FM – Warks Worcs Cotswolds	48	48	0.0
102.4 Wish FM	73	80	9.6
102.5 Radio Pembrokeshire	43	36	-16.3
106 JACKfm (Oxford)	69	84	21.7
106.3 Bridge FM	41	33	-19.5
107 JACK fm Berkshire	17	22	29.4
107.2 Wire FM	54	39	-27.8
107.4 Tower FM	53	43	-18.9
107.5 Sovereign Radio	21	22	4.8
107.6 Banbury Sound	15	15	0.0
107.8 Arrow FM for Hastings	15	19	26.7
1Xtra from the BBC	839	1038	23.7
2BR	60	59	-1.7
3FM	29	30	3.4
96.2 The Revolution	28	21	-25.0
96.2 Touch FM – Coventry	22	20	-9.1
96.4 FM The Wave	145	150	3.4
97.2 Stray FM	47	46	-2.1
Absolute 80s	1448	1720	18.8
Absolute Radio	n/a	2174	n/a
Absolute Radio (London)	924	760	-17.7
Absolute Radio (National)	1576	n/a	n/a
Absolute Radio (West Midlands) (was Planet Rock (West Midlands))	199	212	6.5
Absolute Radio 70s	224	285	27.2
Absolute Radio 90s	584	681	16.6
Absolute Radio Classic Rock	516	566	9.7
BBC 6 Music	2064	2236	8.3
BBC Coventry and Warwickshire	96	88	-8.3
BBC Essex	197	229	16.2
BBC Hereford & Worcester	119	112	-5.9
BBC Radio 1	9699	9907	2.1
BBC Radio 2	15087	15514	2.8
BBC Radio 3	2084	2117	1.6
BBC Radio 4	10886	10568	-2.9
BBC Radio 4 Extra	2172	1851	-14.8
BBC Radio 5 live	5757	5774	0.3
BBC Radio 5 live sports extra	1339	1326	-1.0
BBC Radio Berkshire	98	113	15.3
BBC Radio Bristol	149	164	10.1
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire	104	122	17.3
BBC Radio Cornwall	149	142	-4.7
BBC Radio Cumbria	108	127	17.6
BBC Radio Cymru	126	112	-11.1
BBC Radio Derby	157	156	-0.6
BBC Radio Devon	221	194	-12.2
BBC Radio Gloucestershire	97	79	-18.6
BBC Radio Guernsey	23	19	-17.4
BBC Radio Humberside	175	171	-2.3
BBC Radio Jersey	30	27	-10.0
BBC Radio Kent	198	203	2.5
BBC Radio Lancashire	186	213	14.5
BBC Radio Leeds	250	220	-12.0
BBC Radio Leicester	160	121	-24.4
BBC Radio Lincolnshire	104	96	-7.7
BBC Radio London (was BBC London 94.9)	404	354	-12.4
BBC Radio Manchester	229	176	-23.1
BBC Radio Merseyside	306	286	-6.5
BBC Radio Newcastle	286	282	-1.4
BBC Radio Norfolk	180	202	12.2
BBC Radio Northampton	90	87	-3.3
BBC Radio Nottingham	155	174	12.3
BBC Radio Oxford	86	81	-5.8
BBC Radio Scotland	931	940	1.0
BBC Radio Sheffield	276	233	-15.6
BBC Radio Shropshire	91	92	1.1
BBC Radio Stoke	130	118	-9.2
BBC Radio Suffolk	129	104	-19.4
BBC Radio Tees	138	148	7.2
BBC Radio Ulster	524	546	4.2
BBC Radio Wales	426	380	-10.8
BBC Radio Wiltshire/Swindon	90	79	-12.2
BBC Radio York	74	81	9.5
BBC Somerset	68	55	-19.1
BBC Sussex and BBC Surrey	271	263	-3.0
BBC Three Counties Radio	147	162	10.2
BBC WM (Birmingham & Black Country)	209	225	7.7
BBC World Service	1353	1466	8.4
C.F.M (Bauer Carlisle)	114	112	-1.8
Capital Birmingham	441	454	2.9
Capital East Midlands	490	504	2.9
Capital East Midlands – Derbyshire	n/a	131	n/a
Capital East Midlands – Leicestershire	n/a	165	n/a
Capital East Midlands – Nottinghamshire	n/a	245	n/a
Capital Liverpool (was 107.6 Juice FM)	257	228	-11.3
Capital London	1793	2286	27.5
Capital Manchester	511	494	-3.3
Capital North East	493	488	-1.0
Capital North West and Wales	174	155	-10.9
Capital Scotland	514	573	11.5
Capital South Coast	200	202	1.0
Capital South Wales	186	170	-8.6
Capital XTRA (London)	311	548	76.2
Capital XTRA (UK)	841	1202	42.9
Capital Yorkshire	1016	1023	0.7
Central FM	45	58	28.9
Channel 103 FM	45	52	15.6
Cheshire’s Silk 106.9	23	23	0.0
Chester’s Dee 106.3	37	33	-10.8
City Talk 105.9	66	45	-31.8
Classic FM	5525	5121	-7.3
Clyde 1	556	627	12.8
Clyde 2	155	151	-2.6
Clyde 3	n/a	17	n/a
Connect DAB	7	2	-71.4
Connect FM (was Connect FM and Lite 106.8FM)	36	38	5.6
Cool FM	349	388	11.2
Dearne FM	45	51	13.3
Dilse 1035am	72	32	-55.6
Downtown Country	n/a	84	n/a
Downtown Radio (DTR)	299	243	-18.7
Dream 100	35	44	25.7
Eagle Radio	135	126	-6.7
Fire Radio	52	54	3.8
Forth 1	354	336	-5.1
Forth 2	76	45	-40.8
Forth 3	n/a	11	n/a
Free Radio 80s (Birmingham & Black Country)	61	102	67.2
Free Radio 80s (Coventry & Warwickshire)	20	28	40.0
Free Radio 80s (Herefordshire & Worcestershire)	n/a	12	n/a
Free Radio 80s (Shropshire)	18	21	16.7
Free Radio FM (Birmingham & Black Country) (was BRMB and Beacon)	324	392	21.0
Free Radio FM (Coventry & Warwickshire) (was Mercia)	118	116	-1.7
Free Radio FM (Herefordshire & Worcestershire) (was Wyvern)	97	97	0.0
Free Radio FM (Shropshire) (was Beacon)	89	90	1.1
Gem 106 (East Midlands)	430	476	10.7
Gold East Midlands	76	65	-14.5
Gold London	263	250	-4.9
Gold Manchester	56	70	25.0
Hallam 2 (was Magic AM (Sheffield))	90	88	-2.2
Hallam 3	n/a	13	n/a
Hallam FM	364	301	-17.3
Heart Cambridgeshire	236	265	12.3
Heart East Anglia	261	296	13.4
Heart East Anglia – Norfolk	n/a	161	n/a
Heart East Anglia – Suffolk	n/a	135	n/a
Heart Essex	438	393	-10.3
Heart Essex – Chelmsford & Southend	n/a	328	n/a
Heart Four Counties	451	551	22.2
Heart Four Counties – Beds/Bucks/Herts	n/a	171	n/a
Heart Four Counties – Northamptonshire	n/a	186	n/a
Heart Kent	405	359	-11.4
Heart London	1533	1547	0.9
Heart North East	331	324	-2.1
Heart North Wales	131	139	6.1
Heart North West	550	631	14.7
Heart Scotland	430	411	-4.4
Heart Solent	298	274	-8.1
Heart South Wales	447	459	2.7
Heart South West	422	391	-7.3
Heart South West – Cornwall	105	102	-2.9
Heart Sussex	358	333	-7.0
Heart Thames Valley	328	393	19.8
Heart Thames Valley – Berks & N.Hants	n/a	229	n/a
Heart Thames Valley – Oxfordshire	n/a	164	n/a
Heart West Country	704	700	-0.6
Heart West Country – Bristol/Weston & Bath	n/a	440	n/a
Heart West Midlands	770	709	-7.9
Heart Yorkshire	441	402	-8.8
Heat	902	878	-2.7
IOW Radio	41	39	-4.9
Island FM 104.7	33	32	-3.0
JACKfm 2 Oxford	33	50	51.5
Jazz FM (National)	457	506	10.7
KCFM	83	88	6.0
Kerrang!	920	787	-14.5
Key 103	444	n/a	n/a
Key 103	n/a	356	n/a
Key 2 (was Magic 1152 (Manchester))	51	n/a	n/a
Key 2 (was Magic 1152 (Manchester))	n/a	49	n/a
Key 3	n/a	39	n/a
Kingdom FM	61	60	-1.6
Kiss	n/a	4478	n/a
Kiss (East)	459	457	-0.4
Kiss (London)	1883	2011	6.8
Kiss (West)	461	442	-4.1
Kiss Fresh	422	548	29.9
Kisstory	1131	1441	27.4
KL.FM 96.7	52	n/a	n/a
KL.FM 96.7	n/a	61	n/a
kmfm East	93	83	-10.8
kmfm West	73	94	28.8
Lakeland Radio	19	19	0.0
LBC 97.3	887	1001	12.9
LBC London News (was LBC News 1152)	375	482	28.5
Lincs FM 102.2	330	301	-8.8
Lyca Radio 1458am	115	62	-46.1
Magic (London)	1911	1745	-8.7
Magic Network	n/a	3434	n/a
Manx Radio	42	42	0.0
Metro 2 Radio (was Magic 1152 (Newcastle))	91	123	35.2
Metro 3 Radio	n/a	15	n/a
Metro Radio	406	341	-16.0
Minster FM	65	73	12.3
Mi-Soul	n/a	29	n/a
Mix 96	48	45	-6.3
Moray Firth Radio (Bauer Inverness)	113	117	3.5
Nation Radio	176	107	-39.2
North Norfolk Radio	21	16	-23.8
Northsound 1	127	139	9.4
Northsound 2	37	31	-16.2
Norwich 99.9fm	45	44	-2.2
Oak FM	24	27	12.5
Original 106 (Aberdeen)	83	80	-3.6
Panjab Radio	n/a	75	n/a
Peak 107 FM	87	77	-11.5
Pirate FM	165	166	0.6
Planet Rock	n/a	1265	n/a
Premier Christian Radio	124	159	28.2
Pulse 1 (was The Pulse)	98	123	25.5
Pulse 2	37	42	13.5
Q Belfast’s City Beat (was Citybeat 96.7/102.5FM)	145	127	-12.4
Q Radio	129	121	-6.2
Radio Aire	86	98	14.0
Radio Aire 2 (was Magic 828 (Leeds))	83	75	-9.6
Radio Aire 3	n/a	10	n/a
Radio Borders (Bauer Borders)	57	59	3.5
Radio Carmarthenshire and Scarlet FM	37	32	-13.5
Radio Ceredigion	18	16	-11.1
Radio City	381	359	-5.8
Radio City 2 (was Magic 1548 (Liverpool))	56	106	89.3
Radio City 3	n/a	19	n/a
Radio Essex (was Southend & Chelmsford)	52	34	-34.6
Radio Essex DAB	54	44	-18.5
Radio Exe	24	26	8.3
Radio Mansfield 103.2	38	31	-18.4
Radio Plymouth	43	36	-16.3
Radio Wave 96.5 FM	68	73	7.4
Radio X London (was XFM London)	363	337	-7.2
Radio X Manchester (was XFM Manchester)	194	179	-7.7
Radio Yorkshire	71	46	-35.2
Ridings FM	45	37	-17.8
Rock FM	253	180	-28.9
Rock FM 2 (was Magic 999 (Preston))	20	43	115.0
Rock FM 3	n/a	17	n/a
Rother FM	30	24	-20.0
Rugby FM	22	24	9.1
Sam FM Bristol (was JACK fm (Bristol))	114	78	-31.6
Sam FM South Coast (was JACK fm (South Coast))	231	189	-18.2
Sam FM Swindon (Surveyed as JACK fm (Swindon))	39	22	-43.6
Signal 107	60	56	-6.7
Signal One	293	266	-9.2
Signal Two	66	68	3.0
Smooth Extra	n/a	910	n/a
Smooth Radio Cambridgeshire	44	44	0.0
Smooth Radio Devon	53	44	-17.0
Smooth Radio East Anglia	56	63	12.5
Smooth Radio East Midlands	315	380	20.6
Smooth Radio Essex	34	70	105.9
Smooth Radio Four Counties	71	69	-2.8
Smooth Radio Kent	50	77	54.0
Smooth Radio London	627	779	24.2
Smooth Radio North East	451	489	8.4
Smooth Radio North West	1172	1004	-14.3
Smooth Radio North West and Wales	69	107	55.1
Smooth Radio Scotland	401	416	3.7
Smooth Radio Solent	43	77	79.1
Smooth Radio South Wales	55	51	-7.3
Smooth Radio Sussex	66	63	-4.5
Smooth Radio Thames Valley	42	39	-7.1
Smooth Radio West Country	128	83	-35.2
Smooth Radio West Midlands	498	477	-4.2
Spire FM	45	36	-20.0
Spirit FM	52	51	-1.9
Star North East	51	50	-2.0
Sun FM	78	71	-9.0
Sunrise Radio	250	n/a	n/a
Sunrise Radio	n/a	269	n/a
Swansea Bay Radio (surveyed as Nation Hits!)	43	28	-34.9
Swansea Sound – 1170 MW	64	36	-43.8
talkSPORT	3246	3088	-4.9
Tay 2	63	42	-33.3
Tay 3	n/a	3	n/a
Tay FM	153	134	-12.4
TFM 2 (was Magic 1170 (Teesside))	60	45	-25.0
TFM 3	n/a	12	n/a
TFM Radio	182	135	-25.8
The Bay	100	99	-1.0
THE BEACH	57	62	8.8
The Bee	43	43	0.0
The Breeze (Basingstoke / Newbury and Andover)	42	52	23.8
The Breeze (Cheltenham)	19	21	10.5
The Breeze (Solent/ East Hants and West Surrey)	69	70	1.4
The Breeze (Yeovil/ Shaftesbury and Bridgwater)	57	47	-17.5
The Breeze South Devon (surveyed as The Breeze (was Palm FM))	29	40	37.9
The Breeze South West (Bristol/ Weston/ Bath and West Wilts)	101	67	-33.7
The Hits	681	693	1.8
The Wireless from Age UK	n/a	29	n/a
Time FM 106.6	19	n/a	n/a
Time FM 107.5	n/a	25	n/a
Total BBC Radio Solent	272	261	-4.0
Total Connect	n/a	40	n/a
Touch FM Staffs	30	31	3.3
Town 102 FM	62	59	-4.8
Trax FM	82	79	-3.7
U105	180	229	27.2
UCB 1 (was UCB UK)	n/a	121	n/a
Viking 2 (was Magic 1161 (Hull))	58	60	3.4
Viking 3	n/a	6	n/a
Viking FM	221	189	-14.5
Wave 102	n/a	24	n/a
Wave 105 FM (Bauer South Coast)	366	364	-0.5
Wessex FM	56	55	-1.8
West Sound (Bauer Southwest Scotland)	180	187	3.9
XFM Scotland	35	n/a	n/a
XS Manchester (surveyed as 106.1 Real XS Manchester)	118	93	-21.2
Yorkshire Coast Radio	54	49	-9.3

Topics in this article : BBC , Rajar

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

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.