RAJAR Q4 2009: Global's Heart rebrand fails to boost listenership

An average of 7.26 million listeners tuned into a Heart station in the final three months of 2009, down 2.9% since the three months to June 2009 and 1.4% quarter on quarter.

Heart's reach was still up a healthy 4.6% year on year and it retains the widest reach of any commercial network.

Global Radio's dance and R&B Galaxy network gained listeners in the same period in 2008. The Galaxy network had an average weekly reach of 3.83 million listeners, up 4.6% year on year but down 1.5% quarter on quarter.

Kiss, the dance network from Bauer Media, had an average of 3.39 million listeners a week, up 5.1% year on year but down 4.3% quarter on quarter.

The Gold network, which is part of Global Radio, increased its weekly reach to 1.22 million listeners a week, up an impressive 22.1% year-on-year and 0.8% quarter on quarter.

Both Bauer Media's Magic and Guardian Media Group's Smooth Radio lost listeners year on year. The weekly reach across the Magic network was an average of 3.36 million listeners, down 3.6% year-on-year and 7.2% quarter on quarter.

The Smooth network had an average weekly reach of 2.69 million listeners between October and December 2009, down 6.6% year on year and 3.9% quarter on quarter.

This article was first published on mediaweek.co.uk