Radio retains its popularity as Northern stations see listening growth

The RAJARs have revealed a strong end to 2013 for many of the region’s stations. Chester’s Dee 106.3 has continued its record-breaking trend, while Key 103 appears to have turned the corner with a rise in listening figures and audience share.

Key 103 dipped to a 5.1% share in Q3, but rallied to 7.7% at the end of the year, although it’s still behind Capital Manchester, which has continued to gain share and listeners.

Elsewhere at Bauer Radio, TFM’s figures have fallen further, since its move to the Metro Radio base in Newcastle. In Q2 it had a 7.7% share, but by Q4 this had fallen to 6.2%.

Better news at Chester’s Dee 106.3, which, having celebrated a record-breaking 10% quarter on quarter increase in Q3, has seen listening figures increase yet again.

“I’m over the moon, it’s a credit to the team that a 10 year old station is attracting its highest audiences ever despite the increase in competitors. We’re proud to provide local programming,” said  chief executive Chris Hurst.

UTV Media’s stations in the North West have also seen some growth in listeners, in particular Radio Wave, which posted a 19% increase in the total number of listeners year on year.

“These figures are extremely pleasing as they show the resilience of UTV’s local stations in a competitive and difficult market. Our local stations all play an integral part in their communities, raising money for local charities and hosting events and we are proud that this has translated into making them an even better offering for listeners and advertisers alike,” explained Iain Fowler, director of local radio for UTV Media (GB).

At the BBC, MediaCityUK-based Radio 5 Live continues to grow, with a 4.2% share of listening (Q3: 3.7%). Locally, it’s also a fairly healthy picture for BBC stations, with most increasing listener numbers. 

“These figures are wonderful news for the radio industry and Britain’s love affair with radio shows no signs of cooling. We are a nation of audiophiles and so, despite the ever-increasing competition for people’s time and the growing range of online audio providers, radio is thriving in the digital age. I’m delighted that the BBC’s distinctive portfolio of stations is proving so enduringly popular and helping the UK radio industry go from strength to strength,” stated Helen Boaden, director of BBC Radio.