Strong RAJAR results for the Bauer Radio Network
Brand investment, unique programming and strong local commitment deliver 12.3 million listeners every week
MAGIC
Magic 105.4, the ‘more music, less talk’ station, is London’s number one commercial radio station with an audience of over 2 million, the only station in London to achieve this milestone audience figure.
Magic’s audience has increased by 10% on the quarter – delivered in part by Neil Fox’s More Music Breakfast recording a rise in listeners to 785,000, the finale of the station’s popular on air competition Magic Mystery Voices and the addition of new guest DJs such as Ronan Keating.
Overall the Magic Network added over 400,000 listeners across the UK to reach 3.7 million.
Steve Parkinson, MD of Bauer Radio London said: “It is fantastic to see Magic hold the number one spot in London passing that magical 2 million listener mark. A great focus from the team on delivering the right music along with a sprinkling of special guests has kept our listeners loyal.
KISS
Kiss 100, London’s dance music station, recorded a solid audience figure of 1.667 million, adding 62,000 listeners on the quarter.
Kiss 100, voted Station of the Year (1m+) at this week’s Sony Radio Awards, remains the most popular radio station in London for 15-44 years old in terms of reach, beating all commercial and BBC stations in London for that age range.
Rickie, Melvin & Charlie’s flagship breakfast show, which is broadcast across the Kiss Network, delivered 656,000 listeners.
The Total Kiss Network in the UK now delivers an audience of 3.4 million people. There were great results for individual stations Kiss 101 and Kiss 105, which delivered their highest ever reach, with 351,000 and 340,000 listeners respectively.
Steve Parkinson, MD of Bauer Radio London said: “Kiss 100’s dominance in London within the 15-44 age range is testament to the great content and special programming delivered by the station, a unique offering that can not be found anywhere else. As the brand grows in popularity across the country we look forward to a summer of events such as partnering the Wireless festival.”
BIG CITY:
Our Big City Network of 18 local stations reaches 4.5 million people across the UK every week up 2% on the quarter, with 41 million listening hours up 3% on the quarter. Big City continues to reach more listeners in its TSA than either Radio 1 or Radio 2.
In Inverness, MFR tops its Station of the Year Sony Gold with a standout set of results – it reaches an incredible 54% of its TSA, with yearly reach increasing by 16%. Other strong performances were seen by Key 103, Rock FM, 96.3 Radio Aire, TFM, CFM and Westsound. At Edinburgh’s Forth One, reach was up 8% on the year and its market share of 19.7% is the highest for ten years.
Particular mention must also go to Liverpool’s Radio City – their reach increased by 8.4% on the quarter in the same week its Programme Controller, Euan McMorrow, was crowned Station Programmer of the Year at the Sony's.
In Scotland, our eight stations are each commercial market leaders within the markets they serve, and all have the commercial number one breakfast show. Around the country, 1.8m people – 41% of the population - listen to a Bauer Media station. Aside from MFR and Forth mentioned above, Clyde 1 has regained market leadership on both reach and share, and increased lead to 134,000 more listeners than its nearest commercial competitor. Radio Borders gained 5.8% audience on the quarter to reach an incredible 52% of its target market.
Cool FM in Northern Ireland, which celebrates its 20th birthday this year, delivered a 20.5% market share, up 1.4% on the quarter. Cool FM and Downtown posted a market share of 22.5%, and reach a combined audience of 553,000.
Ric Blaxill, Head of Music for Big City, commented: "This great set of results for Big City is testament to a combination of the strength of our locally produced, relevant programming plus a real focus on delivering engaging content. We pride ourselves on truly understanding what our listeners want from a local station – and are clearly delivering on this. Initiatives such as the exclusive cross-network interview with Cheryl Cole earlier in the year create real appointments to listen, and we have another fantastic live music broadcast announcement coming up next week – watch this space!"
In the heart of England, Kerrang! 105.2 now reaches 337,000 listeners, a quarter on quarter gain of 5.6%. On the South Coast, Wave 105 continues to dominate listening with a 9.3% market share, up 4.9% year on year, entertaining 387,000 loyal listeners with its variety of hits.
DIGITAL:
With share of radio listening via a digital platform increasing by 19% on the year to 24%, Bauer Media boasts the number one digital station The Hits with over 1 million listeners. Bauer Media’s digital portfolio also includes three other stations in the Top Ten - Smash Hits, heat Radio and Q Radio.
Dee Ford, Group MD Radio, Bauer Media, commented: "These are a great set of RAJAR results for our national, local and digital stations across the Bauer Radio Network. Whether in London, where Magic 105.4 reclaimed its place as the only commercial station in London with more than two million listeners every week or Inverness, where Sony Award winning MFR now reaches an incredible 54% of its population every week, the individual personalities of our stations and the passion we have for the local communities they serve continues to drive listening and engagement across the UK."
“Source: RAJAR / Ipsos - MORI / RSMB, period ending March 2010, all stations and groups results are reported on their specified reporting period and TSA”
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