10 Jun 1999 |

Radio 1 Still The UK’s Favourite Station

BBC Radio 1 remains the most listened to station in the country according to new radio audience figures, released by RAJAR this afternoon. Radio 1 had an average weekly reach of 10.8 million listeners during the first quarter of 1999. This is followed by Radio 2, with 9.7 million and Radio 4 with 9.5 million. Radio 2’s total share of listening, 12.8%, is higher than Radio 1’s 9.8%.

National Stations Q1 1999
Station	Share of Listening %	Weekly Reach %	Weekly Reach (‘000s)
All BBC	50.3	64	30,500
All BBC Network Radio	39.7	56	26,478
All Commercial	47.5	66	31,482
All Local Commercial	38.6	56	26,229
All National Commercial	9.4	26	12,349
All Radio	100.0	89	42,632
Atlantic 252	1.0	5	2,285
BBC Local Radio	10.3	20	7,833
BBC Local/Regional	10.6	21	10,204
BBC Radio 1	9.8	23	10,846
BBC Radio 2	12.8	20	9,678
BBC Radio 3	1.4	5	2,277
BBC Radio 4	11.4	20	9,475
BBC Radio 5	4.2	12	5,830
Classic FM	4.3	13	6,038
Talk Radio	1.8	5	2,321
Virgin Radio AM (UK)	2.4	7	3,524

Of the national commercial stations, Classic FM leads the way and broke the six million listeners barrier in the first quarter. Classic’s share of the national market is 4.3%, slightly higher than BBC Radio 5 which has a share of listening at 4.2%.

Commenting on the results, Classic’s managing director, Roger Lewis, says: “In recent years, commerce and classical music have been uneasy bedfellows. The fact that a mass audience to classical music has been created by commercial radio makes the achievement all the more remarkable.”

Chris Evans’ Virgin Radio has listenership of 3.5 million nationally on AM and a further 1.2 million FM listeners in London.