Radio Stations Smash Records, Despite Halifax

The audience figures for the first three months of the year are out, and radio listening has hit an all-time high.

According to research from RAJAR, 47.3 million people now listen to radio each week – that’s 91.6% of the population over the age of 14. Another way to look at the numbers – 1,058 million hours of radio consumed in a week. Two record highs.

The numbers are also looking better for digital radio, showing a 15% increase, with a quarter of us listening to radio digitally. Controversial format DAB gets 63% of all digital radio listening in the UK – remember, 2015 is still a target for the switch-off of FM radio services here in Britain.

Interestingly, listening to radio via a mobile phone has jumped up by 10%, presumably due to the increasing number of free radio applications available for the range of Android OS and iPhones out there.

Here at Radio and Telly HQ, we’re impressed to see such an increase in radio listening, given the three key factors that many assumed would impact radio listening:

1. More stations merging and losing their local identity
2. More people using mp3 and smartphones to consume music
3. Those dreadful adverts for Radio Halifax FM.

Great top see the UK’s radio industry continuing to thrive and pull in listeners. Long may it continue.

Also, well done to those stations that recently picked up accolades in the Industry’s Sony Radio Awards.