Sir Terry bows out at breakfast
Sir Terry Wogan has hosted his last breakfast show on BBC Radio 2 after 27 years in the slot.
It is estimated that fifteen million tuned in to hear Sir Terry present his last show, the most listened to on British radio.
He will be replaced by Chris Evans who will move from his current slot at drive time in the New Year.
Sir Terry’s departure could prove to be good news for commercial radio. According to Rajar, he had 7.7 million listeners in the second quarter, up from 7.01 million in the same period last year.
However, Evans could bring a younger audience with him, potentially taking a larger slice of the ad-friendly 15-44 year-olds.
Commercial radio chiefs have accused the BBC of targeting younger listeners by shifting its programming policies, particularly at Radio 2, at the expense of the ad-funded sector, which it claims is losing key listeners as a result.
Commercial radio also lost some younger listeners to the BBC. Its share of 15-44 year-olds dropped to 52.1% from 52.9% in the second quarter and 53.5% last year. The BBC attracted 44.7% of the demographic, up from 43.6% in quarter two and 44% last year.
