Capital FM takes crown back from Magic in battle for listeners

Capital FM staff were today celebrating after the station regained its mantle as London’s most popular commercial radio station.

The station, which also emerged as London’s most popular breakfast show, gained 290,000 listeners in the last three months, to take its audience to 2.2 million over the course of an average week.

London figures released by Rajar today show that Magic 105.4, which had the top spot in the previous quarter, dropped to second place, with 1.9 million listeners.

Overall, the most popular station in the capital in the last quarter was BBC Radio 4 with 2.6 million, followed by Radio 2 with 2.3 million, Capital and Magic. Radio 1 was in fifth place with 1.9 million.

While Dave Berry and Lisa Snowdon on Capital won the commercial breakfast ratings war, Chris Evans on Radio 2 was the clear winner nationally, with more than 9.9 million listeners a week, the biggest audience recorded in the UK since the current measurement began 15 years ago.

Radio 1’s Nick Grimshaw also increased his listenership — up to nearly 6 million — up 1.4 per cent compared to the same time last year.

Ashley Tabor, founder and executive president at Global, which runs Capital FM, said: “It’s an immensely special day for Capital, leading the pack in the fiercely competitive London market.

“I’m very proud that Dave Berry and Lisa Snowdon continue to win at breakfast, and Capital London as a whole has added nearly 300,000 listeners, taking it clearly past all commercial competitors in the UK’s biggest market.”

Steve Parkinson, managing director of Bauer Radio London, which runs Magic, said: “Our national digital brands have seen strong growth, with standout record performances from Absolute 80s, Kisstory and Heat Radio.

“In London, I’m also pleased to see Magic 105.4’s audience showing growth on the year and it remains consistent as one of London’s most listened-to radio brands.”