[Toby brown]

Totally predictable the BBC would suffer a Ratings slump after forcing out such a popular figure. Very little ever actually gets ratings boosts when revamped to target new audiences.

He chose to leave he wasn't forced out

[Brekkie]

Haven’t GHR basically swallowed up a lot of local stations in the past few years? How could they not add listeners?

Also if they’re stealing audience from Radio 2, why does the BBC need to make Radio 2? Doesn’t this demonstrate audiences are well served elsewhere? I don’t agree with this btw but it’s an interesting point to consider.

Because Radio 2 doesn't think music ended in 1999.

[Kim Wexler’s Ponytail]

In 20yrs time GHR will be Vernon Kay, Scott Mills and Sara Cox. If Radio's 1 & 2 didn't change, or even exist, where would Greatest Hits Radio, and other similar commercial stations, get their future audiences of disgruntled listneners who think everything should stay the same as it was when they were young?. Radio 2 is a PSB and absolutley should evolve, even if it's met with initial resistence.

[Ash101]

Haven’t GHR basically swallowed up a lot of local stations in the past few years? How could they not add listeners?

Also if they’re stealing audience from Radio 2, why does the BBC need to make Radio 2? Doesn’t this demonstrate audiences are well served elsewhere? I don’t agree with this btw but it’s an interesting point to consider.

The RAJAR for 'Greatest Hits Network' was always going to rise this quarter because they rebranded a set of Scottish stations the same day that Ken Bruce started - so there were more stations in the Network in April than ever before. All the other rebrands happened a few years ago.

As has been noted, it'll be a few more quarters until we know Ken's true number because of the way some of the smaller stations that are now Greatest Hits Radio record their RAJAR. It's not a great method of knowing data, but I guess it is OK to analyse because you're compared like-for-like data, so you can see trends even if the raw numbers might not be totally true.

[Stooky Bill]

The RAJAR for 'Greatest Hits Network' was always going to rise this quarter because they rebranded a set of Scottish stations the same day that Ken Bruce started - so there were more stations in the Network in April than ever before. All the other rebrands happened a few years ago.

Not just the Scottish stations, when Ken started GHR also replaced two big FM stations in England: Lincs FM and CFM, plus Radio Borders.

It's been a gradual process increasing it's coverage, it took over stations like Wave FM in Poole in 2022 and Absolute in London in 2021 as well as some smaller transmitters such as Stafford along the way.

Oxford is next as they're taking over Jack FM. Apparently KMFM in Kent might be next.

[AaronLancs]

Not just the Scottish stations, when Ken started GHR also replaced two big FM stations in England: Lincs FM and CFM, plus Radio Borders.

It's been a gradual process increasing it's coverage, it took over stations like Wave FM in Poole in 2022 and Absolute in London in 2021 as well as some smaller transmitters such as Stafford along the way.

Oxford is next as they're taking over Jack FM. Apparently KMFM in Kent might be next.

As what I have always said. We need Bauer for several quarters to not expand the GHR network then the results can be studied in a true like for like basis.

[Brekkie]

So they don't release the figures on a local level then to show how becoming part of a network has impacted them?

[Spencer]

So they don't release the figures on a local level then to show how becoming part of a network has impacted them?

The individual ‘local’ GHR stations are still published separately, so if you did want to do a comparison of each, you can. Although again, it varies as to whether each reports figures averaged over the last four or two quarters, so you have to bear that in mind.

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Not just the Scottish stations, when Ken started GHR also replaced two big FM stations in England: Lincs FM and CFM, plus Radio Borders.

Interestingly Lincs FM’s figures have hardly changed despite losing their FM frequency to GHR. They’re a half-yearly reporting station, so you’d expect some indication of the impact of going DAB/online only. Perhaps a sign that the importance of having an FM frequency is diminishing.

[IanJRedman]

I genuinely can't remember the last time I used FM to listen to radio* - it's either online at home, or DAB in the car.

* (With the exception that, from time to time, the car might fallback from DAB to FM, if the signal is iffy. But that doesn't really count)

[Worzel]

Remember GHR will be coming to FM in Cambridgeshire and Suffolk (most likely later this month as they'll want a full Rajar diary from the TSA in a future quarter so needs to be implemented by September) after Ofcom approved the format flip from Kiss last month on 105.6 in Cambridge, 107.7 in Peterborough and 106.4 in Suffolk, so that will greatly increase their analogue footprint in the East of England. 106.1 in Norwich will remain as Kiss as GHR is already available there.