… as commercial stations attract new radio listeners

Weighted Rajar radio audience figures for the final quarter of 1995 show local commercial stations’ weekly reach up from 51 to 52 per cent since quarter three.

Listening to all commercial radio rose five per cent – from 412,830 to 434,183 hours – year on year. But, weekly reach for almost all stations was down this quarter due to changes in the research methodology.

Of the national services, Classic FM fared best, remaining stable with ten per cent weekly reach. It now commands a weekly audience of 4.7 million listeners.

Atlantic remains the number one commercial hit music station with 4.5 million listeners a week. Its reach was ten per cent, down from 13 per cent in the previous quarter. Year on year its total listening hours were down 13 per cent.

Virgin 1215’s reach was seven per cent (down from eight) and Talk Radio UK four per cent (down from five). Virgin has not increased total listening hours year on year – despite the addition of its London FM service – all Virgin hours were down one per cent.

Viva!, the troubled London women’s station, saw weekly reach slump to 59,000. It plans to relaunch in the next few months after increasing the power of its transmitters.