Listeners Tune In For Radio Ulster Boost

The BBC's Radio Ulster remains the number one listened to radio station in Northern Ireland.

It has returned an average weekly audience of 507,000 listeners tuning each week, according to the latest Radio Joint Audience Research (RAJAR) figures for Quarter Three, 2010.

The latest RAJAR figures show that over all radio listening in Northern Ireland is down this quarter, which covers the summer period.

Listening figures for Radio Ulster during the same period last year (Quarter Three 2009) were 554,000 and last quarter (Quarter Two, 2010) were 532,000.

Sister NI broadcaster, BBC Radio Foyle, meanwhile, has an average weekly audience of 32,000 listeners.

This is an increase of 4,000 listeners from the same period last year (with 28,000 listeners in Quarter Three, 2009) and the same as last quarter (with 32,000 listeners in Quarter Two, 2010).

Radio Ulster was named Station of the Year at this year's Phonographic Performance Ireland (PPI) Awards, which took place earlier this month.

Meanwhile, both of BBC Cymru Wales' radio stations are attracting more listeners across Wales, according to the RAJAR figures.

Both BBC services in Wales are attracting their highest levels of listeners for three years.

Across the past six months, the number of people listening to BBC Radio Wales each week grew by 48,000 to 467,000. The station now has a share of 7.9% of all radio listening in Wales.

In the same six-month period, BBC Radio Cymru's weekly reach grew by 24,000 to 172,000 with the Welsh language station strengthening its share of radio listening in Wales to 4.5%.

Nationally, BBC Radio 3 attracted nearly 300,000 additional listeners during this season's record-breaking BBC Proms season.

During the measurement period (28 June-19 September), the network reached 2.15 million people every week - up from 1.86m in the previous quarter - in a period when Radio 3 broadcast every single Prom live from the Royal Albert Hall.

The network's share is 1.2%, from 1.0% last quarter and 1.4% last year.

In a strong period for radio listening, all BBC Radio had a weekly reach of 34.24m - up from 33.58m last year and slightly down from 34.59m last quarter - and a share of 54.3% - from 54.6% last quarter and 55.0% last year.

(BMcC/GK)