BBC Radio 5 Celebrates 'Million'

BBC Radio 5 Live added nearly a million listeners in the last year to post its biggest ever audience of 7.09m, according to figures published by RAJAR (Radio Joint Audience Research Ltd).
The Sony Station of the Year's weekly reach was up from 6.11m last year and 6.30 last quarter, whilst its share during the measurement period (20 September to 19 December) was up to 5.3% from 4.5% last year and 4.7% last quarter.
The station's performance was boosted by 5 Live Breakfast with Nicky Campbell and Shelagh Fogarty, which added more than 600,000 listeners over the year to post a reach of 3.17 million (from 2.51m last year and 2.72m last quarter).
Elsewhere, BBC Radio 3 built on its strong performance following the most successful ever BBC Proms, attracting a weekly audience of 2.22 million listeners - up from last year's 1.87m and last quarter's 2.15m. The network's share is 1.2% (up from 1.1% last year and level with last quarter).
Tim Davie, Director BBC Audio & Music, said: "These figures show that listeners' appetite for distinctive, high quality radio is as great as ever. They also mark a milestone for digital radio, with a quarter of all listening now taking place through a digital device.
"I'm delighted at Radio 5 Live's success - a tribute to its unparalleled commitment to high quality coverage of news and sport - while Radio 3's sustained performance following the BBC Proms is a great achievement."
In a strong period for radio listening, all BBC Radio had a weekly reach of 34.51m - up from 33.26m last year and 34.24m last quarter and a share of 55.3% - from 54.3% last quarter and 55.2% last year.
BBC Radio 1 attracted 11.42 million listeners per week in the quarter, compared to 10.76m last year and 11.65m last quarter. Its share - at 8.8% - is down on last quarter (9.1%) and last year (9.8%). The Chris Moyles Show now has 7.45 million listeners every week – up from 7.10m last quarter and 7.24m last year.
BBC Radio 2 has a reach of 13.94 million - up on last quarter's 13.68m and last year's 13.47m.
It has a share of 16.2% compared to 15.6% last quarter and 16.5% last year. The Chris Evans Breakfast Show attracted 8.72 million listeners every week, up on both year and quarter.
BBC Radio 4 attracts 10.32 million listeners every week, up from last year (9.84m) and slightly down on last quarter (10.37m). Share is 12.1%, from 12.5% last year and 11.8% last quarter. The Today programme drew 6.63 million listeners per week over the period - up from 6.41m last year and 6.51m last quarter.
In digital-only services, BBC 6 Music has 1.14 million listeners – from 695,000 last year and 1.20m last quarter.
BBC 1Xtra continued to grow with 816,000 weekly listeners – up on last year's 531,000 and last quarter's 806,000, while BBC Radio 7 posted a reach of 941,000 listeners - from 931,000 last year and 1.05m last quarter. The BBC Asian Network's weekly reach is 477,000 - up from 360,000 last year and 462,000 last quarter.
The BBC World Service attracted 1.46 million listeners – up from 1.23m last year and 1.32m last quarter - and BBC Local / Regional radio drew 9.84 million listeners – up from 8.86m last year and 9.14m last quarter.
BBC Radio Wales' listening figures are at their highest level in four years according to the latest RAJAR (Radio Joint Audience Research Ltd.) figures.
The station has seen an increase of 37,000 listeners compared to six months ago and 92,000 higher than the same period last year, with the weekly reach now 486,000. BBC Radio Cymru has also seen an increase in listeners, 20,000 compared to a year ago, with the weekly reach now 153,000.
With both Radio Wales and Radio Cymru nominated in the Radio Station of the Year category at the Celtic Media Festival (13-15 April 2011), the next few months will see them raise their profile once again in Wales.
BBC Radio Ulster remains the No. 1 listened to radio station in Northern Ireland with an average weekly audience of 524,000 listeners tuning in each week - according to the latest RAJAR (Radio Joint Audience Research Ltd) figures for Quarter 4, 2010.
BBC Radio Scotland is also showing increases in all three of the main indicators (reach, hours and share) both year-on-year and quarter-on-quarter.
Jeff Zycinski, Head of BBC Radio Scotland, said: "These figures are positive news for all of us at BBC Radio Scotland. I've no doubt our response to the bad weather in November and December encouraged more listeners to tune in.
"I also believe we're shaping a schedule which responds to the audience appetite for information presented by popular personalities such as Gary Robertson, Kaye Adams, Fred MacAulay and John Beattie. As ever we're also drawing big numbers at the weekend thanks to the continued success of Sportsound and Off The Ball."
(BMcC/GK)