BBC Radio 2 loses one million listeners after Ken Bruce departure
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BC Radio 2 has misplaced a million listeners since veteran broadcaster Ken Bruce left the station, new figures present.
The station noticed its common weekly listeners drop by 7 per cent from 14.5 million in January to March 2023 to 13.5 million in April to June – the most important quarterly fall for Radio 2 since viewers analysis physique Rajar resumed amassing knowledge in September 2021 after it was paused initially of the pandemic.
Scottish broadcaster Bruce left Radio 2 on March 3, having introduced his mid-morning programme for greater than three many years, and commenced a brand new present on Greatest Hits Radio in April – taking with him his standard music radio quiz PopMaster.
Veteran BBC DJ Gary Davies crammed in as mid-morning host till May, when Bolton-born broadcaster Vernon Kay took over completely.
At the identical time, Greatest Hits Radio noticed a 13 per cent leap in its common weekly viewers, from 5.1 million in January-March to five.8 million in April-June, together with a 59 per cent enhance year-on-year.
Bruce, 72, mentioned: “I’ve always said that it’s not really about the numbers and it’s not, for me at least, but I’m delighted to hear today’s news for the team here at my new home, Greatest Hits Radio.
“My first four months have flown by and I’ve loved every minute of it – and there’s much more to come.”
The Rajar figures present listeners to BBC Radio 4 have additionally fallen to their lowest stage for the reason that pandemic, averaging 9.0 million in April-June, down 5 per cent from 9.4 million within the earlier quarter and a drop of 1.3 million year-on-year.
But there was higher news for the BBC with Radio 1, the place the typical weekly viewers stood at 7.7 million within the newest quarter, up 2 per cent on the earlier three months and up 3 per cent year-on-year.
BBC 5 Live’s viewers was broadly unchanged at 5.0 million, in contrast with 5.1 million in each the earlier quarter and a yr in the past, whereas BBC 6 Music continues to be greatest digital-only community within the UK, with listeners holding regular at 2.7 million.
Helen Thomas, head of Radio 2, mentioned: “Radio 2 remains the UK’s most popular radio station with 13.5 million loyal listeners who tune in each week to the best music from the past seven decades, presented by some of the country’s most loved presenters.
“Congratulations to the brilliant Zoe Ball who continues to host the most listened to breakfast show in the country.”
Ball’s present had a median of 6.7 million listeners in April-June, down from 7.3 million in January-March, whereas Radio 4’s Today programme dropped from 5.8 million to five.5 million. In each instances, that is the bottom viewers for the reason that Rajar figures resumed in 2021.
The BBC’s total share of the time individuals spend listening to radio within the UK has additionally fallen to a brand new post-pandemic low.
The company’s stations accounted for 43.2 per cent of complete listening in April-June, down from 46.3 per cent in January-March and the 48.1 per cent recorded in April-June 2022.
The determine was 50.9 per cent when radio audiences reporting resumed in autumn 2021.
Rajar paused the gathering of knowledge initially of the Covid-19 pandemic as a result of it was unable to hold out the same old face-to face survey interviews.
It now makes use of a mix of in-person surveys and knowledge collected remotely, which implies figures reported since 2021 can’t be in contrast straight with these from earlier than 2020.
Elsewhere, audiences for Greg James’ breakfast present on Radio 1 and the 5 Live breakfast programme have been broadly unchanged on the earlier quarter, at 4.0 million and 1.4 million respectively.
Audiences for the BBC’s native and regional radio stations had been on a downwards path prior to now two years, however the newest figures recommend this pattern might need come to a halt, with the whole variety of listeners averaging 7.7 million in April-June – up from 7.4 million within the earlier quarter and again to the place they stood a yr in the past.
The BBC introduced cuts final October to native radio providers, which deliberate for stations sharing extra content material and broadcasting much less programming distinctive to their space, though a number of the proposals have been revised.
Among the smaller business stations, GB News Radio, which launched initially of 2022, noticed its viewers drop barely quarter-on-quarter from 319,000 to 317,000, though the determine is up year-on-year from 277,000.
SpeakRadio’s viewers stood at 727,000 in April to June, down from 840,000 within the earlier quarter however up year-on-year from 686,000.
Times Radio, which launched in June 2020, noticed a median viewers of 523,000, down from 554,000 within the earlier quarter and from 570,000 a yr in the past.