Radio 4 claimed a record weekly reach in the last quarter of 2013 – its highest ever figure under the current Rajar measurement system which dates back to 1999.
It had a weekly reach of 11.2m listeners, up from 10.9m in the same period a year ago. The station’s flagship current affairs show the Today programme also had a strong showing, with 7.14m listeners a week, up from 7.05m in the same period a year earlier.
Radio 2 was the UK’s most popular station with an audience of 15.5m a week.
BBC director of radio Helen Boaden said: “These figures are wonderful news for the radio industry and Britain’s love affair with radio shows no signs of cooling.
“We are a nation of audiophiles and so, despite the ever-increasing competition for people’s time and the growing range of online audio providers, radio is thriving in the digital age. I’m delighted that the BBC’s distinctive portfolio of stations is proving so enduringly popular and helping the UK radio industry go from strength to strength.”
According to Rajar the number of UK adults (aged 15 and over) tuning into their radio at least once a week rose to a record high (under the current system) of 48.4m. This represents 91 per cent of the UK population.
Other major UK speech radio stations also grew their audience in the last quarter of 2013.
Five Live grew its weekly listener numbers form 6.124m a week to 6.285m. London station LBC grew its audience from 902,000 to 958,000 and BBC London rose its audience numbers from 405,000 to 424,000.
Talksport grew its audience total from 3,034 to 3,212.
Rajar UK radio station listening figures – to December 2013
| All Individuals 15+ for period ending December 2013 | |||
| Station/Group | Reach 000s | Reach 000s | Reach 000s |
| Dec '12 | Dec '13 | Y on Y Dec '13 | |
| 102 Touch FM – Warks Worcs Cotswolds | 42 | 55 | 13 |
| 102.4 Wish FM | 63 | 68 | 5 |
| 102.5 Radio Pembrokeshire | 43 | 45 | 2 |
| 106 JACKfm (Bristol) (was Original 106) | 109 | 122 | 13 |
| 106 JACKfm (Oxford) | 54 | 86 | 32 |
| 106.1 Real XS Manchester (was 106.1 Rock Radio) | 153 | 150 | -3 |
| 106.3 Bridge FM | 35 | 38 | 3 |
| 107.2 Wire FM | 50 | 51 | 1 |
| 107.4 Tower FM | 49 | 52 | 3 |
| 107.5 Sovereign Radio | 23 | 24 | 1 |
| 107.6 Banbury Sound | 17 | 16 | -1 |
| 107.6 Juice FM | 248 | 211 | -37 |
| 107.8 Arrow FM for Hastings | 23 | 21 | -2 |
| 1Xtra from the BBC | 1044 | 1094 | 50 |
| 2BR | 55 | 62 | 7 |
| 3FM | 27 | 30 | 3 |
| 96.2 The Revolution | 32 | 34 | 2 |
| 96.2 Touch FM – Coventry | 19 | 31 | 12 |
| 96.3 Radio Aire | 126 | 126 | 0 |
| 96.3 Real XS Glasgow (was 96.3 Rock Radio) | 70 | 70 | 0 |
| 96.4 Eagle Radio | 145 | 143 | -2 |
| 96.4 FM The Wave | 128 | 150 | 22 |
| 96.9 Viking FM | 231 | 227 | -4 |
| 97.2 Stray FM | 50 | 52 | 2 |
| 97.4 Cool FM | 381 | 393 | 12 |
| 97.4 Rock FM | 259 | 280 | 21 |
| Absolute 80s | 888 | 1183 | 295 |
| Absolute Radio 00s | 149 | 145 | -4 |
| Absolute Radio 60s | 154 | 197 | 43 |
| Absolute Radio 70s | 164 | 181 | 17 |
| Absolute Radio 90s | 436 | 568 | 132 |
| Absolute Radio Classic Rock | 362 | 364 | 2 |
| Absolute Radio London | 686 | 593 | -93 |
| Absolute Radio National | 1242 | 1310 | 68 |
| BBC 6 Music | 1891 | 1962 | 71 |
| BBC Coventry and Warwickshire | 73 | 116 | 43 |
| BBC Essex | 247 | 222 | -25 |
| BBC Hereford & Worcester | 94 | 96 | 2 |
| BBC London 94.9 | 424 | 465 | 41 |
| BBC Radio 1 | 11091 | 10969 | -122 |
| BBC Radio 2 | 15109 | 15513 | 404 |
| BBC Radio 3 | 2061 | 1992 | -69 |
| BBC Radio 4 | 10754 | 11205 | 451 |
| BBC Radio 4 Extra | 1685 | 1646 | -39 |
| BBC Radio Berkshire | 135 | 109 | -26 |
| BBC Radio Bristol | 150 | 115 | -35 |
| BBC Radio Cambridgeshire | 116 | 147 | 31 |
| BBC Radio Cornwall | 152 | 159 | 7 |
| BBC Radio Cumbria | 107 | 127 | 20 |
| BBC Radio Cymru | 125 | 140 | 15 |
| BBC Radio Derby | 147 | 160 | 13 |
| BBC Radio Devon | 225 | 221 | -4 |
| BBC Radio FIVE LIVE | 6124 | 6285 | 161 |
| BBC Radio Gloucestershire | 112 | 85 | -27 |
| BBC Radio Guernsey | 22 | 22 | 0 |
| BBC Radio Humberside | 237 | 186 | -51 |
| BBC Radio Jersey | 28 | 29 | 1 |
| BBC Radio Kent | 271 | 259 | -12 |
| BBC Radio Lancashire | 203 | 228 | 25 |
| BBC Radio Leeds | 205 | 239 | 34 |
| BBC Radio Leicester | 172 | 144 | -28 |
| BBC Radio Lincolnshire | 104 | 120 | 16 |
| BBC Radio Manchester | 208 | 210 | 2 |
| BBC Radio Merseyside | 323 | 344 | 21 |
| BBC Radio Newcastle | 335 | 369 | 34 |
| BBC Radio Norfolk | 191 | 176 | -15 |
| BBC Radio Northampton | 105 | 92 | -13 |
| BBC Radio Nottingham | 181 | 193 | 12 |
| BBC Radio Oxford | 81 | 77 | -4 |
| BBC Radio Scotland | 994 | 868 | -126 |
| BBC Radio Sheffield | 249 | 241 | -8 |
| BBC Radio Shropshire | 110 | 108 | -2 |
| BBC Radio Stoke | 141 | 157 | 16 |
| BBC Radio Suffolk | 124 | 122 | -2 |
| BBC Radio Tees | 115 | 143 | 28 |
| BBC Radio Ulster | 507 | 524 | 17 |
| BBC Radio Wales | 436 | 466 | 30 |
| BBC Radio Wiltshire/Swindon | 97 | 108 | 11 |
| BBC Radio York | 93 | 81 | -12 |
| BBC Somerset | 68 | 75 | 7 |
| BBC Sussex and BBC Surrey | 251 | 236 | -15 |
| BBC Three Counties Radio | 143 | 154 | 11 |
| BBC WM (Birmingham & Black Country) | 220 | 233 | 13 |
| BBC World Service | 1462 | 1413 | -49 |
| Buzz Asia 963 & 972AM | 88 | 109 | 21 |
| C.F.M (Bauer Carlisle) | 83 | 111 | 28 |
| Capital Birmingham | 397 | 481 | 84 |
| Capital East Midlands | 496 | 478 | -18 |
| Capital London | 1983 | 2156 | 173 |
| Capital Manchester | 463 | 626 | 163 |
| Capital North East | 498 | 455 | -43 |
| Capital Scotland | 468 | 552 | 84 |
| Capital South Coast | 193 | n/a | n/a |
| Capital South Coast | n/a | 231 | n/a |
| Capital South Wales | 230 | 212 | -18 |
| Capital XTRA (Was Choice FM) | 568 | 470 | -98 |
| Capital Yorkshire | 1090 | 1062 | -28 |
| Central FM | 60 | 49 | -11 |
| Channel 103 FM | 48 | 54 | 6 |
| Cheshire's Silk 106.9 | 18 | 21 | 3 |
| Chester's Dee 106.3 | 38 | 47 | 9 |
| City Talk 105.9 | 60 | 79 | 19 |
| Citybeat 96.7/102.5FM | 112 | 147 | 35 |
| Classic FM | 5370 | 5634 | 264 |
| Clyde 1 FM | 624 | 580 | -44 |
| Clyde 2 | 233 | 168 | -65 |
| Connect FM (was Connect FM and Lite 106.8FM) | 44 | 51 | 7 |
| Dearne FM | 46 | 60 | 14 |
| Downtown Radio (DTR) | 267 | 318 | 51 |
| Dream 100 | 45 | 40 | -5 |
| Eagle Extra | 12 | 3 | -9 |
| Fire Radio | 41 | 46 | 5 |
| Fire Radio South Coast | 7 | 6 | -1 |
| FIVE LIVE SPORTS EXTRA | 847 | 889 | 42 |
| Forth2 | 78 | 74 | -4 |
| ForthOne | 346 | 320 | -26 |
| Free Radio 80s (Birmingham & Black Country) | 91 | 74 | -17 |
| Free Radio 80s (Coventry & Warwickshire) | 28 | 25 | -3 |
| Free Radio 80s (Shropshire) | 11 | 24 | 13 |
| Free Radio FM (Birmingham & Black Country) (was BRMB and Beacon) | 336 | 331 | -5 |
| Free Radio FM (Coventry & Warwickshire) (was Mercia) | 101 | 96 | -5 |
| Free Radio FM (Herefordshire & Worcestershire) (was Wyvern) | 78 | 97 | 19 |
| Free Radio FM (Shropshire) (was Beacon) | 84 | 86 | 2 |
| Gem 106 | 404 | 510 | 106 |
| Glide FM 1079 (was Oxford's FM 107.9) | 17 | 30 | 13 |
| Gold Cambridgeshire | 46 | 41 | -5 |
| Gold Devon | 36 | 35 | -1 |
| Gold East Anglia | 63 | 66 | 3 |
| Gold East Midlands | 62 | 66 | 4 |
| Gold Essex | 56 | 39 | -17 |
| Gold Four Counties | 75 | 58 | -17 |
| Gold Kent | 62 | 58 | -4 |
| Gold London | 298 | 274 | -24 |
| Gold Manchester | 102 | 108 | 6 |
| Gold North West & Wales | 23 | 20 | -3 |
| Gold Solent | 64 | 68 | 4 |
| Gold South Wales | 75 | 49 | -26 |
| Gold Sussex | 62 | 53 | -9 |
| Gold Thames Valley | 41 | 31 | -10 |
| Gold West Country | 105 | 112 | 7 |
| Hallam FM | 358 | 410 | 52 |
| Heart Cambridgeshire | 257 | 248 | -9 |
| Heart East Anglia | 313 | 286 | -27 |
| Heart Essex | 458 | 437 | -21 |
| Heart Four Counties | 577 | 505 | -72 |
| Heart Kent | 356 | 359 | 3 |
| Heart London | 1707 | 1557 | -150 |
| Heart North West and Wales | 244 | 212 | -32 |
| Heart Solent | 292 | 330 | 38 |
| Heart South West | 394 | 428 | 34 |
| Heart Sussex | 402 | 377 | -25 |
| Heart Thames Valley | 387 | 327 | -60 |
| Heart West Country | 643 | 606 | -37 |
| Heart West Midlands | 701 | 768 | 67 |
| Heat | 767 | 714 | -53 |
| IOW Radio | 40 | 41 | 1 |
| Island FM 104.7 | 32 | 35 | 3 |
| JACK fm (Swindon) (was More Radio) | 7 | 32 | 25 |
| Jack FM South Coast (Was The Coast) | 205 | 245 | 40 |
| Jazz FM | 608 | 681 | 73 |
| KCFM 99.8 | 93 | 78 | -15 |
| Kerrang! | n/a | 1021 | n/a |
| Key 103 (Manchester) | 512 | 570 | 58 |
| Kingdom FM | 87 | 61 | -26 |
| Kismat Radio 1035 (Greater London) | 69 | 88 | 19 |
| Kiss 100 FM | 1816 | 1825 | 9 |
| Kiss East | 458 | 447 | -11 |
| Kiss Fresh (Was Smash Hits) | 992 | 387 | -605 |
| Kiss West | 471 | 492 | 21 |
| Kisstory | n/a | 927 | n/a |
| KL.FM 96.7 | 50 | 46 | -4 |
| kmfm East | 80 | 82 | 2 |
| kmfm West | 67 | 71 | 4 |
| Lakeland Radio | 14 | 21 | 7 |
| LBC 97.3 | 902 | 958 | 56 |
| LBC News 1152 | 411 | 236 | -175 |
| Lincs FM 102.2 | 342 | 316 | -26 |
| Magic 105.4 (London) | 2031 | 1756 | -275 |
| Magic 1152 (Manchester) | 88 | 94 | 6 |
| Magic 1152 (Newcastle) | 131 | 147 | 16 |
| Magic 1161 (Hull) | 68 | 89 | 21 |
| Magic 1170 (Teesside) | 87 | 86 | -1 |
| Magic 1548 (Liverpool) | 77 | 92 | 15 |
| Magic 828 (Leeds) | 98 | 124 | 26 |
| Magic 999 (Preston) | 32 | 26 | -6 |
| Magic AM (Sheffield) | 94 | 91 | -3 |
| Manx Radio | 36 | 40 | 4 |
| Metro Radio | 411 | 450 | 39 |
| Minster FM | 71 | 73 | 2 |
| Mix 96 | 39 | 42 | 3 |
| MKFM | n/a | 7 | n/a |
| Moray Firth Radio (Bauer Inverness) | 108 | 116 | 8 |
| Nation Hits! (was Nation 80s) | 42 | 38 | -4 |
| Nation Radio | 137 | 150 | 13 |
| North Norfolk Radio | 21 | 22 | 1 |
| Northsound One | 137 | 136 | -1 |
| Northsound Two | 55 | 40 | -15 |
| Norwich 99.9fm | 52 | 47 | -5 |
| Oak FM | 26 | 26 | 0 |
| Original 106 (Aberdeen) | 42 | 66 | 24 |
| Palm FM | 37 | 43 | 6 |
| Peak 107 FM | 94 | 104 | 10 |
| Pirate FM | 153 | 174 | 21 |
| Planet Rock | 877 | n/a | n/a |
| Planet Rock 105.2 | 323 | 256 | -67 |
| Premier Christian Radio | 175 | 160 | -15 |
| Pulse 2 | 58 | 31 | -27 |
| Q | 196 | n/a | n/a |
| Q Radio Network | n/a | 110 | n/a |
| Q100.5 (Was Five FM) | 13 | n/a | n/a |
| Q102.9FM/Q97.2FM/Q101.2FM | 85 | n/a | n/a |
| Q106 (was Six FM) | 7 | n/a | n/a |
| Q107 (was Seven FM) | 10 | n/a | n/a |
| Radio Borders (Bauer Borders) | 51 | 54 | 3 |
| Radio Carmarthenshire and Scarlet FM | 44 | 44 | 0 |
| Radio Ceredigion | 19 | 19 | 0 |
| Radio City 96.7 | 439 | 398 | -41 |
| Radio Exe 107.3 FM (was Exeter FM) | 21 | 24 | 3 |
| Radio Mansfield 103.2 | 42 | 44 | 2 |
| Radio Plymouth | 37 | 38 | 1 |
| Radio Wave 96.5 FM | 67 | 80 | 13 |
| Reading 107 FM | 18 | 19 | 1 |
| Real Radio North East – (was Century Radio) | 279 | 257 | -22 |
| Real Radio North West – (was Century Radio) | 416 | 472 | 56 |
| Real Radio Scotland | 547 | 567 | 20 |
| Real Radio Wales (North) | 61 | 67 | 6 |
| Real Radio Wales (South) | 450 | 424 | -26 |
| Real Radio Yorkshire | 397 | 326 | -71 |
| Ridings FM | 53 | 37 | -16 |
| Rother FM | 36 | 42 | 6 |
| Rugby FM | 24 | 22 | -2 |
| Signal 107 | 57 | 40 | -17 |
| Signal One | 254 | 304 | 50 |
| Signal Two | 82 | 65 | -17 |
| Smooth 70s | 709 | 804 | 95 |
| Smooth Radio East Midlands | 305 | 302 | -3 |
| Smooth Radio Glasgow | 260 | 259 | -1 |
| Smooth Radio London | 514 | 441 | -73 |
| Smooth Radio North East | 439 | 406 | -33 |
| Smooth Radio North West | 866 | 900 | 34 |
| Smooth Radio West Midlands | 389 | 398 | 9 |
| Southend & Chelmsford Radio | 52 | 48 | -4 |
| Spire FM | 47 | 43 | -4 |
| Spirit FM | 55 | 46 | -9 |
| Star NE – North (was Durham FM) | 21 | 20 | -1 |
| Star NE – South (was Alpha 103.2) | 31 | 28 | -3 |
| Star Radio in Cambridge | 24 | n/a | n/a |
| Sun FM | 69 | 71 | 2 |
| Sunrise Radio (Greater London) | 227 | 382 | 155 |
| Sunrise Radio National | 361 | 521 | 160 |
| Swansea Sound – 1170 MW | 51 | 57 | 6 |
| talkSPORT | 3034 | 3212 | 178 |
| Tay-AM | 73 | 82 | 9 |
| Tay-FM | 130 | 153 | 23 |
| TFM Radio | 167 | 172 | 5 |
| The Bay | 94 | 118 | 24 |
| THE BEACH | 60 | 56 | -4 |
| The Bee | 37 | 51 | 14 |
| The Breeze (Basingstoke and North Hampshire) (was Kestrel FM) | 33 | 26 | -7 |
| The Breeze (East Hampshire & South West Surrey) (was Kestrel FM) | 19 | n/a | n/a |
| The Breeze (North Somerset) (was Nova Radio – Weston) | 20 | n/a | n/a |
| The Breeze (South) | 57 | 72 | 15 |
| The Breeze South West (North) | 49 | n/a | n/a |
| The Breeze South West (North) | n/a | 92 | n/a |
| The Breeze South West (South) (was Midwest Radio) | 31 | n/a | n/a |
| The Breeze South West (South) (was Midwest Radio) | n/a | 49 | n/a |
| The Hits | 905 | 910 | 5 |
| The Pulse | 150 | 120 | -30 |
| Time FM 106.6 | 27 | 22 | -5 |
| Total Absolute Radio (London) | 890 | 809 | -81 |
| Total BBC Radio Solent | 285 | 297 | 12 |
| Total Capital XTRA (UK) | 748 | 854 | 106 |
| Total Essex | n/a | 47 | n/a |
| Touch FM Staffs | 29 | 35 | 6 |
| Town 102 FM | 61 | 58 | -3 |
| Trax FM | 95 | 88 | -7 |
| U105 | 200 | 195 | -5 |
| Wave 102 FM | 28 | n/a | n/a |
| Wave 105 FM (Bauer South Coast) | 344 | 438 | 94 |
| Wessex FM | 45 | 48 | 3 |
| West Sound (Bauer Southwest Scotland) | 178 | 177 | -1 |
| XFM London | 445 | 440 | -5 |
| XFM Manchester | 208 | 199 | -9 |
| Yorkshire Coast Radio | 43 | 51 | 8 |
| Yorkshire Radio | 113 | n/a | n/a |
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