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  1. Data
  2. Audience Data
February 4, 2016

Radio 4 Today grows audience by 257,000 to edge back above 7m

By Dominic Ponsford

BBC Radio 4's Today Programme edged back up above 7m listeners in the last quarter of 2015, according to RAJAR.

The weekly reach of 7,025,000 compared with 6,768,000 in the last quarter of 2014. This compares with a high for Today of 7.18m in the second quarter of 2011. This was its highest figure under the RAJAR system, which dates back to 1999.

Overall, Radio 4's audience grew 1.5 per cent year on year to 10.9m a week, according to RAJAR. Radio 5 Live fell 0.4 per cent to 5.6m.

The most popular UK radio station was Radio 2, with 15.5m listeners a week (up 1.2 per cent).

Listeners of BBC local/regional radio fell 4.7 per cent to 8.6m a week.

In the commercial sector, Talksport grew its listener number by 1.9 per cent to 3.1m and London news station LBC, which is now available nationally on digital radio, grew 8.4 per cent to 1.4m.

Full breakddown of UK radio station listening for the last quarter of 2015 (RAJAR)

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Station Reach Dec '15 in thousands Year on year % change  
102 Touch FM – Warks Worcs Cotswolds 45 -10.0  
102.4 Wish FM 93 45.3  
102.5 Radio Pembrokeshire 36 -20.0  
106 JACKfm (Oxford) 82 28.1  
106.1 Real XS Manchester (was 106.1 Rock Radio) 111 -8.3  
106.3 Bridge FM 36 -16.3  
107 JACK fm Berkshire 21 16.7  
107.2 Wire FM 38 -33.3  
107.4 Tower FM 47 9.3  
107.5 Sovereign Radio 21 0.0  
107.6 Banbury Sound 16 6.7  
107.8 Arrow FM for Hastings 18 20.0  
1Xtra from the BBC 982 -11.5  
2BR 62 6.9  
3FM 28 3.7  
96.2 The Revolution 20 -35.5  
96.2 Touch FM – Coventry 20 -13.0  
96.4 FM The Wave 149 8.0  
97.2 Stray FM 43 -8.5  
Absolute 80s 1585 11.7  
Absolute Radio (London) 812 17.0  
Absolute Radio (National) 1707 26.5  
Absolute Radio (West Midlands) (was Planet Rock (West Midlands)) 206 6.2  
Absolute Radio 70s 303 60.3  
Absolute Radio 90s 650 -2.8  
Absolute Radio Classic Rock 592 22.3  
BBC 6 Music 2202 5.7  
BBC Coventry and Warwickshire 94 9.3  
BBC Essex 213 0.0  
BBC Hereford & Worcester 99 -18.9  
BBC Radio 1 10330 -1.0  
BBC Radio 2 15465 1.2  
BBC Radio 3 2051 1.0  
BBC Radio 4 10926 1.5  
BBC Radio 4 Extra 2112 22.7  
BBC Radio 5 live 5586 -0.4  
BBC Radio 5 live sports extra 1235 88.0  
BBC Radio Berkshire 120 30.4  
BBC Radio Bristol 136 -9.9  
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire 96 -10.3  
BBC Radio Cornwall 141 -7.8  
BBC Radio Cumbria 121 14.2  
BBC Radio Cymru 108 1.9  
BBC Radio Derby 143 14.4  
BBC Radio Devon 169 -20.3  
BBC Radio Gloucestershire 70 -25.5  
BBC Radio Guernsey 20 -16.7  
BBC Radio Humberside 170 5.6  
BBC Radio Jersey 29 -6.5  
BBC Radio Kent 232 19.0  
BBC Radio Lancashire 200 3.6  
BBC Radio Leeds 210 -2.8  
BBC Radio Leicester 118 -31.0  
BBC Radio Lincolnshire 82 -28.7  
BBC Radio London (was BBC London 94.9) 525 8.7  
BBC Radio Manchester 207 -9.2  
BBC Radio Merseyside 280 -11.7  
BBC Radio Newcastle 272 -11.4  
BBC Radio Norfolk 202 4.1  
BBC Radio Northampton 80 6.7  
BBC Radio Nottingham 176 17.3  
BBC Radio Oxford 83 -12.6  
BBC Radio Scotland 943 6.2  
BBC Radio Sheffield 220 -9.1  
BBC Radio Shropshire 101 -3.8  
BBC Radio Stoke 130 3.2  
BBC Radio Suffolk 110 -18.5  
BBC Radio Tees 109 -22.7  
BBC Radio Ulster 538 -5.4  
BBC Radio Wales 409 -4.2  
BBC Radio Wiltshire/Swindon 72 10.8  
BBC Radio York 84 5.0  
BBC Somerset 49 -31.0  
BBC Sussex and BBC Surrey 258 -5.8  
BBC Three Counties Radio 148 -6.3  
BBC WM (Birmingham & Black Country) 231 9.5  
BBC World Service 1506 10.5  
C.F.M (Bauer Carlisle) 119 10.2  
Capital Birmingham 467 0.4  
Capital East Midlands 484 -5.8  
Capital Liverpool (surveyed as 107.6 Juice FM) 213 -9.0  
Capital London 2077 11.1  
Capital Manchester 527 -1.1  
Capital North East 520 8.8  
Capital North West and Wales 147 -15.5  
Capital Scotland 570 14.5  
Capital South Coast 219 21.7  
Capital South Wales 161 -22.6  
Capital XTRA (London) 569 38.4  
Capital XTRA (UK) 1168 44.4  
Capital Yorkshire 987 -9.8  
Central FM 52 13.0  
Channel 103 FM 46 -4.2  
Cheshire's Silk 106.9 23 -14.8  
Chester's Dee 106.3 36 0.0  
City Talk 105.9 59 -27.2  
Classic FM 5520 -0.9  
Clyde 1 584 21.9  
Clyde 2 158 22.5  
Clyde 3 18    
Connect DAB 2 -75.0  
Connect FM (was Connect FM and Lite 106.8FM) 40 11.1  
Cool FM 391 8.3  
Dearne FM 50 16.3  
Dilse 1035am 88 25.7  
Downtown Country 89    
Downtown Radio (DTR) 217 -29.3  
Dream 100 39 5.4  
Eagle Radio 136 0.7  
Fire Radio 56 24.4  
Forth 1 358 6.2  
Forth 2 67 13.6  
Free Radio 80s (Birmingham & Black Country) 84 55.6  
Free Radio 80s (Coventry & Warwickshire) 39 50.0  
Free Radio 80s (Shropshire) 18 -14.3  
Free Radio FM (Birmingham & Black Country) (was BRMB and Beacon) 401 27.7  
Free Radio FM (Coventry & Warwickshire) (was Mercia) 138 39.4  
Free Radio FM (Herefordshire & Worcestershire) (was Wyvern) 102 14.6  
Free Radio FM (Shropshire) (was Beacon) 94 14.6  
Gem 106 (East Midlands) 496 6.7  
Gold East Midlands 81 -9.0  
Gold London 337 20.8  
Gold Manchester 69 6.2  
Hallam 2 (was Magic AM (Sheffield)) 99 -18.2  
Hallam FM 284 -25.5  
Heart Cambridgeshire 247 8.3  
Heart East Anglia 304 7.0  
Heart Essex 383 -5.4  
Heart Four Counties 536 18.8  
Heart Kent 386 0.8  
Heart London 1804 1.2  
Heart North East 348 5.5  
Heart North Wales 146 36.4  
Heart North West 606 5.2  
Heart Scotland 427 -13.9  
Heart Solent 312 12.2  
Heart South Wales 522 5.0  
Heart South West 407 2.8  
Heart South West – Cornwall 117 20.6  
Heart Sussex 350 -5.4  
Heart Thames Valley 398 25.2  
Heart West Country 655 -3.4  
Heart West Midlands 689 -10.5  
Heart Yorkshire 389 -15.4  
Heat 950 1.0  
IOW Radio 40 -4.8  
Island FM 104.7 32 -3.0  
JACKfm 2 Oxford 59 43.9  
Jazz FM (National) 480 -6.1  
KCFM 93 12.0  
Kerrang! 870 -3.8  
Key 103 382    
Key 2 (was Magic 1152 (Manchester)) 64    
Key 3 38    
Kingdom FM 65 18.2  
Kiss (East) 457 5.5  
Kiss (London) 2015 5.4  
Kiss (West) 449 -6.3  
Kiss Fresh 553 21.0  
Kisstory 1403 33.5  
KL.FM 96.7      
KL.FM 96.7 60    
kmfm East 77 -16.3  
kmfm West 94 10.6  
Lakeland Radio 18 -5.3  
LBC 97.3 1040 -4.7  
LBC London News (was LBC News 1152) 489 92.5  
Lincs FM 102.2 317 -1.6  
Lyca Radio 1458am 159 27.2  
Magic (London) 1921 9.0  
Manx Radio 43 7.5  
Metro 2 Radio (was Magic 1152 (Newcastle)) 110 0.0  
Metro 3 Radio 14    
Metro Radio 364 -11.9  
Mi-Soul 29    
Minster FM 79 27.4  
Mix 96 46 0.0  
Moray Firth Radio (Bauer Inverness) 120 3.4  
Nation Hits! 31 -26.2  
Nation Radio 150 -14.8  
North Norfolk Radio 19 -5.0  
Northsound 1 141 9.3  
Northsound 2 33 -19.5  
Norwich 99.9fm 44 -13.7  
Oak FM 24 -33.3  
Original 106 (Aberdeen) 80 -5.9  
Panjab Radio 77    
Peak 107 FM 76 -12.6  
Pirate FM 165 3.1  
Planet Rock 1147    
Premier Christian Radio 143 -24.3  
Pulse 1 (was The Pulse) 110 -24.1  
Pulse 2 41 0.0  
Q Belfast's City Beat (was Citybeat 96.7/102.5FM) 132 1.5  
Q Radio Network 126 4.1  
Radio Aire 108 -7.7  
Radio Aire 2 (was Magic 828 (Leeds)) 80 -17.5  
Radio Aire 3 11    
Radio Borders (Bauer Borders) 56 -1.8  
Radio Carmarthenshire and Scarlet FM 32 -17.9  
Radio Ceredigion 17 -5.6  
Radio City 354 -5.9  
Radio City 2 (was Magic 1548 (Liverpool)) 101 23.2  
Radio City 3 21    
Radio Essex (Was Southend & Chelmsford) 35 -37.5  
Radio Essex DAB 48 -11.1  
Radio Exe 23 4.5  
Radio Mansfield 103.2 33 -17.5  
Radio Plymouth 34 -27.7  
Radio Wave 96.5 FM 72 -2.7  
Radio X London (was XFM London) 517 17.5  
Radio X Manchester (was XFM Manchester) 183 -17.6  
Radio Yorkshire 52    
Ridings FM 43 -4.4  
Rock FM 220 -22.5  
Rock FM 2 (was Magic 999 (Preston)) 39 56.0  
Rock FM 3 20    
Rother FM 30 0.0  
Rugby FM 25 25.0  
Sam FM Bristol (was JACK fm (Bristol)) 93 -17.7  
Sam FM South Coast (was JACK fm (South Coast)) 196 -14.8  
Sam FM Swindon (Surveyed as JACK fm (Swindon)) 22 -47.6  
Signal 107 69 3.0  
Signal One 266 -5.0  
Signal Two 54 -20.6  
Smooth Extra 904    
Smooth Radio Cambridgeshire 47 34.3  
Smooth Radio Devon 43 -2.3  
Smooth Radio East Anglia 76 46.2  
Smooth Radio East Midlands 396 2.3  
Smooth Radio Essex 63 80.0  
Smooth Radio Four Counties 85 21.4  
Smooth Radio Kent 74 48.0  
Smooth Radio London 800 5.3  
Smooth Radio North East 492 4.5  
Smooth Radio North West 992 -12.0  
Smooth Radio North West and Wales 125 68.9  
Smooth Radio Scotland 405 16.7  
Smooth Radio Solent 54 17.4  
Smooth Radio South Wales 52 -10.3  
Smooth Radio Sussex 79 16.2  
Smooth Radio Thames Valley 61 48.8  
Smooth Radio West Country 102 -12.1  
Smooth Radio West Midlands 479 -5.1  
Spire FM 39 2.6  
Spirit FM 53 -5.4  
Star North East 44 -18.5  
Sun FM 75 0.0  
Sunrise Radio 215 -20.1  
Swansea Sound – 1170 MW 39 -43.5  
talkSPORT 3061 1.9  
Tay 2 46 -32.4  
Tay 3 2    
Tay FM 140 -7.3  
TFM 2 (was Magic 1170 (Teesside)) 33 -57.7  
TFM 3 11    
TFM Radio 137 -26.7  
The Bay 100 1.0  
THE BEACH 63 6.8  
The Bee 47 6.8  
The Breeze (Basingstoke / Newbury and Andover) 39 -22.0  
The Breeze (Cheltenham) 22 22.2  
The Breeze (Solent/ East Hants and West Surrey) 65 -12.2  
The Breeze (Surveyed as Palm FM) 40 14.3  
The Breeze (Yeovil/ Shaftesbury and Bridgwater) 54 -6.9  
The Breeze South West (Bristol/ Weston/ Bath and West Wilts) 78 -13.3  
The Hits      
The Hits 812    
The Wireless from Age UK 24    
Time FM 106.6      
Time FM 107.5 20    
Total BBC Radio Solent 269 -2.2  
Touch FM Staffs 34 3.0  
Town 102 FM 57 -16.2  
Trax FM 83 3.8  
U105 237 25.4  
UCB 1 (surveyed as UCB UK) 236    
Viking 2 (was Magic 1161 (Hull)) 61 -18.7  
Viking 3 6    
Viking FM 216 3.8  
Wave 102 25    
Wave 105 FM (Bauer South Coast) 382 4.4  
Wessex FM 56 5.7  
West Sound (Bauer Southwest Scotland) 177 -4.3  
XFM Scotland      
Yorkshire Coast Radio 51 -1.9  
       

 

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