Are We Falling Out of Love with Radio?

Are we falling out of love with radio in the UK? There has never been more entertainment choice at our finger tips. So what’s happening in 2025?

The question of whether the UK is falling out of love with radio is complex, and this summer’s RAJAR figures for Q2 2025 paint a mixed picture.

While some stations are experiencing a significant drop in listeners, others are seeing impressive growth, suggesting that radio remains a powerful and relevant medium, even if audience preferences are shifting.

The BBC, for example, maintains its position as the number one UK radio brand, with millions of listeners tuning in for news, analysis and sports. So, while a blanket statement about the end of radio would be premature, it’s clear that the landscape is changing, and only those stations that resonate with their audiences are thriving.

The Movers and Shakers

The Q2 RAJAR data reveals which stations are gaining momentum and which are losing ground.

The Movers:

Times Radio emerged as a standout performer, reporting a record 29% year-on-year growth to reach a weekly listenership of 616,000. This growth is attributed to its coverage of major news events like the death of Pope Francis and President Donald Trump’s tariff wars, as well as the addition of hosts like Andrew Neil.
Heart, owned by Global, solidified its position as the UK’s most popular station, with a massive 13 million weekly listeners. This is the first time Heart has taken the overall top spot in the RAJARs, a significant achievement.
LBC News saw the biggest increase in total listening hours, growing by 8% to 3 million hours. The London stream’s breakfast show also saw a remarkable surge in listeners, climbing by 77.3% to 195,000.
BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 5 Live both demonstrated stability and growth, with a 2% year-on-year increase. Radio 4, with 9.2 million weekly listeners, remains the UK’s most listened-to speech network.

The Shakers:

Talk (formerly Talkradio) faced a challenging year, losing the most listeners among current affairs stations with a 29% year-on-year drop to 487,000 weekly listeners.
GB News Radio saw the biggest drop in listening hours, falling by 30% to 3 million. Its breakfast show with Eamonn Holmes and Ellie Costello also suffered a decline, down 19.4% on a quarterly basis.
BBC Radio 2, while still a giant with 12.6 million weekly listeners, experienced a 4% quarterly decline.
BBC World Service saw the biggest quarterly drop of any station, with a 17% decline.

The data from RAJAR Q2 2025 demonstrates that radio remains a powerful and effective medium for advertisers. While certain stations are losing listeners, the overall picture shows that radio continues to reach millions of people weekly. For marketers, the key takeaway is not whether to advertise on radio, but where.

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