Radio 2 loses half a million listeners since relaunch

Radio 2 has lost nearly half a million listeners since the launch of its new weekday schedule earlier this year, new figures show.

- IAN JONES

The BBC station had an estimated weekly audience of 12.62 million across April to June of this year, down from 13.11 million in the previous three months. It is the lowest total for Radio 2 since the current method of measuring listeners was introduced by research body Rajar in autumn 2021, following a break during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The figures are the first full set of quarterly data since Radio 2 overhauled its weekday schedule at the end of January 2025.

The new schedule included Scott Mills replacing Zoe Ball as host of the flagship breakfast show. New additions also included Trevor Nelson beginning a new afternoon show and DJ Spoony presenting a late evening slot on Mondays to Thursdays.

Ball bowed out on December 20 2024, after nearly six years in the role, with Gaby Roslin and Mark Goodier filling in during January until Mills began. The breakfast show had an average weekly audience of 6.22 million in the three months to June, down from 6.45 million in January to March - again, the lowest figure since the pandemic.

Despite the dip in listeners, the slot continues to enjoy the largest audience on national radio at that time of the day, ahead of Radio 4's Today programme, which had an average audience of 5.64 million in the latest period, as well as the breakfast shows on Radio 1 (3.86 million) and commercial broadcaster Greatest Hits (3.24 million).

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