Bauer has increased its reach across the UK from 12.3m to 13.4m listeners year-on-year (yoy). Bauer performed strongly in today's Q1 2011 Rajars, as commercial radio made yet more gains on the BBC.
Dance music station KISS recorded its highest ever reach in its first Rajars since taking to the national stage early in the New Year, jumping from 3.4m to 4.07m listeners across the UK, an increase of 20% year-on-year (yoy). The brand also registered a 25% increase in listening hours and an 18% increase in market share (yoy).
KISS is the flagship station in the new Bauer Passion Portfolio, which launched recently as the home of Bauer's passionate, iconic brands dedicated to music and lifestyle. The KISS breakfast show, Rickie, Melvin & Charlie in the Morning, went national with style, increasing its reach by 16% (yoy).
The Bauer Passion Portfolio itself performed very well in its first Rajars, increasing its reach from 5.5m to 6.6m, up 21% (yoy) and 6% (qoq). Listening hours also increased steeply, up 26% (yoy) and overall market share of adults increased 20% (yoy). In the critical 15-34 bracket the portfolio now reaches 4.6m listeners, 17% more than the Capital Network, so in this age range, the portfolio has a 10.1% market share against Capital's 9.5%.
Elsewhere in the portfolio the UK's leading digital commercial station, The Hits Radio, jumped up yet again to a reach of 1.1m, up 8% (yoy), also increasing its hours by 17% (yoy). Celebrity brand heat Radio continues to go from strength-to-strength, increasing its reach to 626k, up 40% (yoy), with listening hours up significantly, by 53% (yoy). Rock music station Kerrang! also increased reach to 1.4m, up 16% (yoy), and hours increased 19% (yoy) to 6.4m.
The Bauer Place Portfolio also performed solidly against newly launched national commercial competitors and the BBC, increasing its reach from 8.3m to 8.8m (yoy), up 6% (yoy) and up slightly on the quarter. Listening hours also increased by 1% (yoy). The portfolio, designed to champion local communities, strives to deliver more relevant local programming and to unite listeners in the places they live. Dominating the premier cities and towns across the UK, the Bauer Place portfolio is big in all the right places. It retains commercial market leadership in 19 of 21 markets, including Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Belfast and Southampton.
In London, Magic 105.4 breakfast presenter Neil Fox, fresh from this week's bronze Sony Radio Academy Award for his interview with Robbie Williams in late 2010, recorded a solid increase in reach to 831k listeners (yoy), a jump of 6% (yoy). Plans for Magic 105.4 in 2011 include the staging of the inaugural 'Magic Summer Live' event for 20,000 people at Hatfield House in July 2011, with Sir Elton John, Rumer and The Pierces all in the line-up.
Elsewhere in the Bauer Place Portfolio, top performing stations include Radio Aire in Leeds, with reach up 41% (yoy); Cool FM in Belfast, up 11% (yoy); Radio City in Liverpool, up 9% (yoy); Wave 105 in Southampton, up 5% (yoy) and Clyde 1 in Glasgow, up 2% (yoy).
Overall Bauer increased its reach across the UK from 12.3m to 13.4m listeners year-on-year.
Steve Parkinson, managing director of Bauer Radio London, said: "We couldn't be happier with the results for KISS since taking the brand to a national level earlier this year. We have seen increases in all four corners of the KISS world over the past year - nationally, in London and in the East and West of England. The Bauer Passion portfolio is built around stations that unite listeners around music and lifestyle, so the kind of significant increases we see from KISS, heat, Kerrang! and The Hits support our insight into what makes these audiences tick."
Dee Ford, group managing director radio, Bauer Media said: "This is a solid set of results with more listeners than ever choosing one of our iconic, market leading stations. The Bauer Place portfolio underlined its 'big in all the right places' proposition by growing local listening in major cities around the UK including Belfast, Sheffield, Edinburgh, Leeds, Dundee, Southampton, Liverpool, Glasgow and Newcastle. The Bauer Passion portfolio, delivered a fantastic 20% increase in reach, which reflects stations at the top of their game."
Ends
Source: RAJAR / Ipsos - MORI / RSMB, period ending March 2011, all stations and groups results are reported on their specified reporting period and TSA.
