(Image: Shutterstock/SunKids)

Another week, another post about radio… but the latest RAJAR figures for Q2 give us plenty to talk about.

Key Q2 headlines:

– Radio reached 51.1 million people – 87% of the UK population

– Commercial radio recorded its second-highest-ever reach at 40.2 million

– Commercial now reaches 9.3 million more people than the BBC – a new record

– Its share of listening increased to 55.1%

Listening habits continue to evolve too:

– DAB and digital platforms account for 76% of listening hours

– Online listening now holds a 30% share

– Smart speakers alone account for 19%

Heart remains the UK’s biggest radio brand, while Classic FM, Kiss, LBC and Times Radio all posted strong growth. Specialist stations also continue to gain ground, giving advertisers more ways to reach clearly defined audiences.

The Mostly Media view? These figures reflect what we see across our own campaigns: radio remains one of the most cost-effective ways to build reach and frequency quickly.

Its growing mix of national, regional, genre and digital stations also means we can target audiences more precisely without losing the scale that makes radio so valuable in the first place.

That combination of reach, repetition and flexibility is why radio continues to earn its place in media plans.

Credit: Jonny Owen, Media Account Manager