Capital regains London top spot
Rajar: A major summer advertising campaign starring Black Eyed Peas and Rihanna helped Global Radio’s Capital regain the title of London’s most listened to commercial radio station in the third quarter, according to the latest Rajar figures.
The station overtook Bauer’s Magic 105.4 as London’s top commercial draw with 2.2 million listeners in the three months to 30 September, up 4.9% on the previous quarter and 2.5% on the same period last year.
Magic dipped to 1.99 million listeners, down 12.8% on the previous quarter when performance was boosted by activity to push a branded Elton John concert, and 7.3% on the same period last year.
Global’s Heart London bounced back after two consecutive quarters of listener losses, registering 2.02 million listeners, up 1.9% on the previous quarter but down slightly on the same period last year.
Bauer’s urban station KISS FM, which traditionally performs strongly over the summer months, also registered losses. Listener numbers fell 8.4% quarter on quarter and 3.8% year on year to 1.7 million.
The flagship breakfast shows at the top four stations all lost listeners. Capital duo Johnny Vaughan and Lisa Snowdon remain the capital’s top draw with 1.13 million listeners, down from 1.14 million in the second quarter.
Heart’s Jamie Theakston and Harriet Scott jumped to second spot, with 843,000 listeners, despite losing followers. Magic’s Neil Fox suffered the steepest decline, down to 717,000 from 845,000 in the previous quarter.