BBC Radio shows dealt devastating blow as ratings plummet after mass stars exit

The BBC's share of radio listening time in the UK has plummeted to a post-pandemic low, despite some of its flagship stations seeing an increase in listeners, according to recent statistics. Research body Rajar's data shows that the corporation's stations accounted for 42.6 per cent of radio listening from April to June, a drop from 43.4 per cent in the previous quarter.

This figure was at 50.9 per cent from July to September 2021 when radio listening figures reporting resumed after a pause due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. The downward trend for the BBC seems to be mainly driven by a steady decrease in the number of people tuning into local and regional services.

The average weekly audience for these stations was 7.0 million from April to June, down from 7.7 million a year earlier and a fall of over two million since July-September 2021, when the figure was at 9.2 million. BBC local and regional stations constituted 4.3 per cent of total radio listening in the most recent quarter, compared with 5.7 per cent a year earlier and 6.1 per cent in July-September 2021.

In its annual report for 2023/24, the BBC claimed that efforts to enhance the depth and volume of local news stories online had resulted in an "increase in the size of audiences consuming local news online". However, this has "necessarily resulted in schedule changes for audiences across local radio, with more sharing of programmes, off-peak and at weekends".

Last year, BBC local journalists went on strike over proposals to restructure local radio stations to share more content and broadcast fewer unique programmes. The dispute was officially resolved in November, reports the Mirror.

Several of the BBC's flagship stations saw a significant increase in listenership in the last quarter. Radio 1 experienced an 11 per cent rise, bringing its average weekly audience to 8.1 million.

This surge is likely due to the popularity of Radio 1's Big Weekend in May, which contributed to an increase of 812,000 weekly listeners since the previous quarter.

Radio 5 Live also enjoyed a 10 per cent quarterly increase, taking its average to 5.4 million, largely thanks to coverage of major sporting events including Euro 2024.

Despite the departure of long-time presenter Ken Bruce, Radio 2's listenership has remained stable with an average weekly audience of 13.3 million. This figure is similar to its 13.2 million level during the previous quarter and 13.5 million a year ago.

Bruce left the station in March 2023 after hosting the mid-morning show for over three decades, to join Greatest Hits Radio, taking his PopMaster quiz with him.

The commercial station, which also now hosts former BBC DJ Simon Mayo, had been enjoying a rise in listener numbers for the past two years. However, its growth appears to have slowed as this is the first quarter since June 2022 that its average audience has not increased.

Greatest Hits Radio has experienced a slight decrease in its audience numbers, dipping to 7.5 million listeners from last quarter's 7.7 million, yet it still celebrates a significant 30 per cent jump from the 5.8 million average recorded a year earlier.

Despite some fluctuations in listenership for certain stations, the overall weekly radio audience in the UK has impressively surged beyond 50 million for the first time since records post-pandemic have been kept, showcasing that the British public's passion for radio remains undiminished in the face of digital advancements.

BBC's chief content officer, Charlotte Moore, shared her enthusiasm about the thriving audio scene, remarking: "I'm delighted to see the strength of the audio landscape with a record number of people listening to radio and podcasts across the UK."

Moore also took the opportunity to praise the performance of Radio 1 and 5 Live, assuring audiences of "more world class coverage" for forthcoming sports events.

Over at Radio 2, Helen Thomas, the station's director, was thrilled to announce: "We're incredibly proud that Radio 2 remains the UK's favourite station with over 13.3 million people tuning in each week, and delighted that The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show and Vernon Kay on weekday mid-mornings continue to be the UK's most listened to shows."

Furthermore, the latest Rajar data indicates that the listenership for Radio 4's Today programme has held firm, with an average of 5.5 million listeners this quarter, maintaining the figures from January to March at 5.6 million and matching the count from the same period last year.

Zoe Ball's Radio 2 breakfast show has experienced a decrease in listeners, with an average audience of 6.4 million, a drop from 6.6 million the previous quarter and 6.7 million a year ago.

Greg James's breakfast show on Radio 1 has held steady with 4.0 million listeners, a slight increase from just under four million in the previous three months. However, comparable year-on-year figures were not available due to a change in the show's transmission time.

This follows James receiving a pay rise in the past year, moving into a pay bracket of £415,000 to £419,999 for 2023/24, up from between £395,000 to £399,000 in 2022/23.

The BBC Asian Network saw a post-pandemic high of 644,000 listeners in the latest quarter, while BBC 1Xtra recorded its second highest figure since the pandemic began, with 829,000 listeners.

Among the smaller speech-based stations, GB News had its best quarter since its launch in 2022, boasting an average weekly audience of 518,000 from April to June, up from 455,000 in the previous quarter and 317,000 a year earlier.

Times Radio reported an average of 478,000 listeners, a decrease from the previous quarter (503,000) and a year ago (523,000). Talk Radio also saw a drop in its audience to 689,000, down from the previous quarter (757,000) and the previous year (727,000).