Bauer Radio portfolio reaches 14 million listeners according to latest RAJAR figures

Overall listening for Radio Clyde was revealed to have grown since this time last year, Clyde 1 breakfast show Bowie at Breakfast added 57,000 new listeners in the last 12 months. Graham Bryce, managing director, Bauer Media Scotland, described the figures as “knockout”, adding: “Our relentless focus on delivering a product that has compelling and entertaining content - locally tailored and delivered by presenters that understand our audience - connects more deeply with both our commercial partners and our audiences and continues to be a winning formula.”

Bauer’s Passion Portfolio in particular recorded reach of 7.6m adults each week, up 14.5 per cent year-on-year.

Bauer’s Kiss is listened to by 4.4 million adults each week, in London Kiss 100 reached two million listeners for the first time, and in its first RAJAR under Bauer ownership Planet Rock recorded its best ever reach of over one million listeners (up 7.8 per cent year-on-year).

Dee Ford, group managing director radio, Bauer Media, commented: “This is a great RAJAR performance for Bauer Media and we’re thrilled that we are now reaching over 14 million listeners for the first time. Our continued focus on product excellence and investment in content is driving this success across our stations.”

Real and Smooth Radio Ltd managed to increase its reach by over quarter of a million year-on-year. With Real Radio UK recording a 128,000 increase in reach quarter-on-quarter and Smooth Radio recording a total of 3.69 million adult listeners per week.

Smooth Radio’s digital sister channel Smooth 70s, launched in January 2012, increased its reach with 730,000 adults tuning in each week. Regionally Real Radio North West saw an increase of 115,000 listeners quarter-on-quarter to 476,000 listeners each week. Real Radio Yorkshire saw a quarter-on-quarter increase of 35,000 and, Real Radio Wales remained number one it its market with 530,000 adult listeners each week, an increase of 33,000.

Real and Smooth Ltd group managing director, Andy Carter, said: “To have 5.7 million adult listeners tuning into our stations every week is a wonderful achievement and testament to the hard work, commitment and talent we have on both Real and Smooth Radio. Smooth Radio maintains a fantastic reach and to see Smooth 70s continue to grow audience is proof the brand is connecting with our listeners via the digital platform.”

Global Radio's 95.8 Capital FM remained London's No.1 commercial radio station in terms of reach, reaching 2.19 million each week. Heart 106.2 recorded the most commercial radio station hours, increasing by nearly two million hours since last quarter and LBC 97.3 marked its 40th anniversary year reaching over one million listeners for the first time.

The Capital network now reaches over 7.4 million listeners each week, with the Heart network attracting 7.5 million listeners each week. Classic FM added 134,000 listeners over the last 12 months and Choice FM recorded more than 70,000 new listeners this quarter.

Founder and executive president of Global Radio, Ashley Tabor, said: "I am immensely proud to see growth across all of our brands this quarter, and Global reaching its highest reach number ever, over 20.2 Million listeners every week. Results like these are testament to the teams at Global, and I’d like to thank them today for their very hard work."

Meanwhile, BBC Radio 1 saw its breakfast show host Nick Grimshaw grow his average audience to 5.88 million listeners, while on Radio 2, the Chris Evans' breakfast show saw a slight fall in its average weekly reach to 9.75 million and Radio 4's Today Programme recorded 6.97 million average listeners.

Radio 1 had an average weekly audience of 11 million listeners as Radio 2 recorded a record number of average weekly listeners of around 15.44 million, as did Radio Four at 10.97 million each week.