Jazz FM is fastest growing radio station in UK
By Robert Shepherd2009-08-06T11:35:00+01:00
Jazz FM, still short of its first birthday, added an extra 74,000 listeners, taking it up to 482,000 listeners.
The digital-only station also kept its position as the pre-eminent UK upmarket commercial radio station with a 62% in favour of ABC1 listeners - listening is split 61% men to 39% women.
Chairman Richard Wheatly said: "I was confident that the UK still needed a jazz station when Jazz FM was dropped from FM in June 2005. I am delighted with this Rajar, which reflects the appetite for a contemporary jazz station elegantly shaped for today's digital generation. Our goal for the year was to become the UK's interactive home of all things jazz, I do believe we might already be there."
Elsewhere, Bauer Radio's Smash Hits was up 16% on Q1 and 18.3% year-on-year to 1.16m. Sister station Heat was up 35.2% on the quarter and 32.4% year-on-year to 572,000.
However, two other Bauer stations suffered. The Hits saw its audience fall 4.4% on the quarter and 15.8% year on year to 1.24m, while Q was also down, 10% on the quarter and 2.5% year on year to 270,000.
Q2 proved a good one for entrepreneur Malcolm Bluemel. His station Planet Rock grew its audience to 709,000, up 5.2% on the previous quarter and 21.2% year-on-year.
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