How 200,000 listeners have deserted BBC Radio Scotland
‘Bored to the brink of despair’
BBC Radio Scotland has seen listener numbers crash by more than 200,000 in two years, figures show.
In the last three months of 2018, the audience reach was 749,000 – down from 839,000 in the same quarter the previous year, and 952,000 in 2016.
The BBC is coming under pressure from commercial rivals amid claims some listeners may be turning over to escape Brexit coverage.
The figures were disclosed after it emerged Radio 4 has lost 750,000 listeners in the past year, while BBC 5 Live lost 10 per cent of its audience in the past 12 months.
Former BBC journalist Professor Tim Luckhurst said that in the past year Britain had seen commercial radio overtake the BBC for total share of listening for the first time.
He added: ‘This change of fortunes applies principally to music stations, of course – in speech radio, the BBC remains dominant.
‘But there is evidence of difficulties in speech radio, too. Radio 4 has lost listeners in the past year, so has 5 Live – and it is clear that BBC Scotland is not immune.
‘The BBC recognises the challenge. It is investing heavily in BBC Sounds because it understands that many, primarily younger listeners, prefer to listen to podcasts.’
Overall audience share for BBC Radio Scotland – whose presenters include news anchor Sally Magnusson, former rugby international John Beattie and Deacon Blue frontman Ricky Ross – in the last quarter of 2018 was 6.7 per cent, slightly up from 6.5 per cent last year, but down from 8.6 per cent in 2016 and 8.5 per cent in 2015.
The figures were revealed by Radio Joint Audience Research, known as RAJAR.
Professor Luckhurst said the news agenda has been dominated for the past year by a ‘UK-wide dilemma over Brexit’, adding: ‘I wonder whether listeners to Radio Scotland may have concluded that UK national channels such as Radio 4, LBC etc have better coverage of this topic than BBC Scotland?
‘Alternatively, and possibly more plausible, Scots may have taken the same decision as many of their counterparts south of the Border: switch off the news and listen to Classic FM, Radio 2 or Talksport. Brexit does appear to have bored many of us to the brink of despair.’
The figures come as BBC Scotland prepares to launch its £32million TV channel on February 24. It has been criticised for plans to fill half its output with repeats and to screen reality TV shows.
The corporation has already offered a teaser of forthcoming content – including a show fronted by a YouTube ‘star’ and a car-based quiz presented by a professional wrestler.
Commenting on the figures, a BBC Scotland spokesman said: ‘It’s a competitive time for radio, with listeners consuming their content in many different ways.
‘We will continue to listen to our audiences and adapt to provide the content they love, where and when they want it.
‘BBC Radio Scotland still has the second largest weekly reach of any station in Scotland and during the last quarter of 2018, listeners spent more time with us than during the same period in the previous year.’