Rajar Q1 2011: Capital FM regains London's top spot from Magic

According to Q1 Rajar figures released today (12 May), more than two million (2.179 million people are now tuning into Capital FM each week.

The results represent Capital’s highest total reach and share for more than six years.

Leading the charge is the station's energetic breakfast duo, Johnny Vaughan and Lisa Snowdon, who retained their number one breakfast show position with 1.227 million listeners – up 143,000 on the fourth quarter of 2010.

The show now attracts 100,000 more listeners than BBC Radio 1's Chris Moyles in the capital, although Radio 2's Chris Evans remains topdog with 2.259m listeners.

It will be a double celebration at Global Radio's Leicester Square headquarters today, with sibling Heart 106.2 also leapfrogging Magic to become London's second most listened to commercial station.

However, Steve Parkinson, managing director of Magic's owner Bauer Media, was far from defeatist. He told Media Week: "The amount of marketing that Global Radio has done you would expect to see that return. Well done to them, given the amount they spent you've got to secure some gains. Magic has been consistently at the top over the last few quarters."

The battle for the mantle of London's biggest commercial radio station promises to be fiercely contested throughout rest of 2011, with Parkinson promising "it will be the fight it always is".

This article was first published on mediaweek.co.uk