The Rajar Q1 figures are out, with 90% of the UK still regularly tuning into radio. In fact, 900,000 more adults are listening than at the same time last year, showing that radio is still growing. The total average number of weekly hours spent listening to the radio is just over a billion.

National:
Heart is the UK’s biggest commercial radio brand reaching 9.2m people every week. Capital, Kiss and Absolute Radio stats remain consistent when compared to Q4 2017.
Q1 2018 has seen a substantial overall rise in reach, shifting from 35.4m listeners, to just under 36m people. For the BBC stations, each quarter sees a rise in listeners, with BBC Radio 6 seeing an impressive 8% increase in reach when comparing to the last quarter.

London:
With Capital and Heart consistently coming out on top, Kiss Radio shows a substantial rise in its reach when compared to 2017 (8.3%) which has secured the radio’s place as one of the most popular shows to tune in to.
Capital Radio proves as a strong performer throughout the categories; whilst Kiss Breakfast continues from last quarter, as the capital’s favourite breakfast show, to hold a significant place in people’s morning routines. Absolute Radio and Smooth Radio also enjoyed growth in the capital; whilst BBC Radio 2 and Radio 4 remain as London’s favourite breakfast shows.

Digital listening has risen across the board, reiterating the importance of easy tuning in for listeners with digital listening standing at 62.8% for this quarter; whilst there has been an incline in weekly reach through apps and online connection.
As time moves forward, radio remains a loyal companion to the population of Britain. With such a huge variety of stations that broadcast throughout the day, target audiences are ensured to be met throughout a wide range of shows.

All this points to consistent growth across the medium, so there’s never been a better time to get involved and get your messages on the air to millions of listeners.
If you want to harness the power of radio for your brand, we can use our expertise and relationships forged over years of work to get your message to millions of people. Call us now to arrange a meeting, or get a free consultation. 

The Rajar Q4 figures are out, with 90% of the UK still regularly tuning into radio. In fact 178,000 more of us are listening than at the same time last year. We spend on average a billion hours a week listening to the radio.

National:
Heart is the UK’s biggest commercial radio brand reaching 9.2m people every week. Capital is second on 8.3m, and Absolute Radio has risen to 2.6 million listeners nationally.
35.4m people tuned into commercial stations over the year, just slightly more than tuned into BBC stations, but overall listening for BBC’s was higher than last quarter.

London:
Capital and LBC have retained their places as the number one commercial stations in London.
The big commercial winners in the capital compared with the previous quarter are Capital Xtra (reach is up 22% to 777k), Premier Christian Radio (up 11% to 142k) and LBC 97.3 (up 9.5% to 1.2m).
Consistently strong performers Kiss, Absolute Radio and Radio X also enjoyed growth in the capital. Radio X has also hit 1.6 million listeners for the first time.
BBC Radio London has seen explosive growth of almost 60% in the last 12 months to 574,000.
Kiss Breakfast has overtaken Capital as London’s most popular breakfast show.
Digital listening is also up to 49%, meaning people are able to tune in easier than ever. While many were worried that smart home assistant like the Amazon Echo would replace radio, 70% of people are actually using them to listen to their favourite station.

According to the Edelman Trust Barometer, 70% of us admit to being concerned about false information being used as a weapon and so are turning to more traditional forms of media for their news, such as radio.
All this points to consistent growth across the medium, so there’s never been a better time to get involved.
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If you want to harness the power of radio for your brand, we can use our expertise and relationships forged over years of work to get your message to millions of people. Call us now to arrange a meeting, or get a free consultation. 

The Rajar Q2 figures are out, with exciting news for anyone in the radio industry: commercial radio reached its biggest ever audience this quarter with 35.9 million people in the UK. This means commercial radio is actually more listened to than BBC radio stations, with a bigger audience of almost a million people.  And since last year, an additional 1.5 million people are listening digitally, making up a massive 61% of the population. 70% of those are listening on DAB digital radios, but apps and online listening are also on the rise. 

London and National Radio:
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An impressive debut from new digital only station Heart 80’s with 852,000 listeners each week shows that new stations can succeed and thrive thanks to a purely digital audience. 
But established radio is still going strong, with Capital London remaining the most-listened to commercial station in the city with 2.1 million listeners. The power of presenters is still a magnet to listeners, with Radio 1’s Nick Grimshaw gaining a larger audience. And LBC has hit 2 million listeners for the first time, meaning less traditional forms of radio are still capable of gaining massive followings.

The top 5 stations in London based on reach in Q2/2017 are:
1. Capital 2.3 million
2. Kiss 2 million
3. Heart 1.7 million
4. Magic 1.5 million
5. LBC 1.4 million

Across the country, Radio 1’s reach is up nearly half a million this quarter compared with Q1/17, to 9.5 million. What’s more, people are genuinely interested to engage with brand across all networks, with Radio 1 having a combined social media reach of 9 million followers. But the real leader is Radio 4, getting a record amount of listeners at 11.5 million across the entire country.
This means the industry is growing, bolstered by new technology which helps draw in a new audience. In a rapidly changing media landscape, radio remains consistent; a constant source of entertainment, news, and music. Radio holds more gravitas thanks to its long-standing position, cemented as not only an entertainment source, but also as a running commentary on life in a way that no other medium can quite capture or replicate. That’s why regular listeners stay, that’s why new listeners quickly find a station or presenter they enjoy, that’s why radio is still growing, with over a billion weekly hours listened to this quarter.

If you want to harness the power of radio for your brand, there’s no better time. We can use our expertise and relationships forged over years of work to get your message to millions of people. Call us now for a free consultation.

The biggest news from the frontline of radio this year is that Capital has expanded its listening figures by almost a third in the first quarter of 2017, to retake the top spot among the London stations. According to the latest Rajar listening figures, the station grew to an average of 2.24 million weekly listeners, increasing the size of its audience by almost 30% quarter-on-quarter.
 
There are also significant quarterly rises for fellow Global stations Gold London and LBC London News, both up around a third compared with Q4/16.
Magic London has lost 15% of its audience this quarter – down to 1.454m from 1.723m in the final three months of 2016, but remains third biggest commercial station in the capital.
Capital Xtra is down from over half a million listeners both a year ago and last quarter to now just 380,000 – its lowest audience size in two years.
 
The top 5 stations in London based on reach in Q1/2017 are as follows:
1. Capital London 2.24m
2. Kiss London 1.8m
3. Magic London 1.454m
4. Heart London 1.395m
5. LBC 1.072m
 
The gains Capital has made is a great sign of the industry being strong and, more importantly: adaptable. After their breakfast show host left, one would expect their figures to drop off massively. But they’ve taken a potential set-back and turned it into a really positive change that has grown their audience.
This means the field can be depended on even when shows or stations go through turbulent changes. 

This isn't restricted just to London or National Stations. Local Stations are also a powerhouse for audiences that can be marketed to in different ways. See what they can do for you: