There's a saying that a rising tide lifts all boats, and in the latest RAJAR* audience figures, with the total hours listened to all local radio in Northern Ireland being up 12% year on year and 14% on the quarter, every station has reason to be pleased to see gains in the last 3 months at least.
Downtown has most to celebrate, with a 36% annual increase in hours taking these to almost 3 million, making it now the most listened to station in the Commercial sector and overtaking sister service Cool FM for the first time in a number of years.
Cool however is market leader on weekly reach (361,000 compared to Downtown's 307,000), an enviable position to hold in the week of the station's 25th birthday.
BBC Radio Ulster cut its 40th birthday cake on New Year's Day, and saw a 17% rise in hours over the year and reach up to 569,000.
U105 enjoyed a 7% increase in hours year-on-year, but its reach dipped from 195,000 to 189,000 over the same period.
Across the year, the Q Network stations were up in both hours and reach (110,000 to 121,000), and Citybeat improved in hours by 13% while the reach fell from 147,000 to 130,000.
This is now the starting point for those two broadcast entities to work together as one, in the light of the recent news that the Q Network has bought Citybeat from Carlisle-based CN Group. In my experience at the station, CN struggled to 'get' Northern Ireland, and even during the height of Citybeat's success in 2003 failed to fully appreciate the reasons for this. The next phase will be fascinating to watch and listen to, as will Downtown's new Country station on DAB now being made ship shape for its imminent launch.
*RAJAR is compiled by Ipsos-MORI. The figures for each station relate to its own TSA.
More RAJAR analysis:
The national picture from Matt Deegan: http://www.mattdeegan.com
Paul Easton with the London perspective: http://pauleaston.blogspot.co.uk
Downtown has most to celebrate, with a 36% annual increase in hours taking these to almost 3 million, making it now the most listened to station in the Commercial sector and overtaking sister service Cool FM for the first time in a number of years.
Cool however is market leader on weekly reach (361,000 compared to Downtown's 307,000), an enviable position to hold in the week of the station's 25th birthday.
BBC Radio Ulster cut its 40th birthday cake on New Year's Day, and saw a 17% rise in hours over the year and reach up to 569,000.
U105 enjoyed a 7% increase in hours year-on-year, but its reach dipped from 195,000 to 189,000 over the same period.
Across the year, the Q Network stations were up in both hours and reach (110,000 to 121,000), and Citybeat improved in hours by 13% while the reach fell from 147,000 to 130,000.
This is now the starting point for those two broadcast entities to work together as one, in the light of the recent news that the Q Network has bought Citybeat from Carlisle-based CN Group. In my experience at the station, CN struggled to 'get' Northern Ireland, and even during the height of Citybeat's success in 2003 failed to fully appreciate the reasons for this. The next phase will be fascinating to watch and listen to, as will Downtown's new Country station on DAB now being made ship shape for its imminent launch.
*RAJAR is compiled by Ipsos-MORI. The figures for each station relate to its own TSA.
More RAJAR analysis:
The national picture from Matt Deegan: http://www.mattdeegan.com
Paul Easton with the London perspective: http://pauleaston.blogspot.co.uk
RSS Feed