Earwigging

The quarterly RAJAR figures are always interesting for longer-term trends. The biggest network loser was Radio 1, shedding 652,000 listeners year on year - 5.5%. And hours per listener are at their historic low - 7.5 (first hit last December). The peak was 10.3 in June 2006.

The Asian Network is making slow but steady progress. 584,000 weekly listeners - up 15% year on year; 1Xtra busts through the million marker, to 1.1m - up 23%; and 6Music stands at 1.6m, up 32%.  Those strategists who said 6 should go, because the market was well served, may be crowing now. Matt Deegan argues in his blog that it's clearly taking listeners (as well as presenters) from XFM; and notes that it now posts more listener hours than Radio 3.

In terms of interesting moves, BBC staff mag Ariel decided to highlight network breakfast show figures - a job usually left to the press.

Radio 1 6.73m
Radio 2 8.55m
Radio 3 0.67m
Radio 4 6.94m
Radio 5 live 2.77m

Now all we need is the cost per listener...

Meanwhile, globally, Peter Horrocks has turned his back on at least 1.5m radio listeners. World Service transmissions via short wave are to be cut to a standard six hours a day (currently some regions get up to 17 hours). Arabic broadcasting on short-wave stops altogether in April. The Cyprus short-wave transmitter closes; and WS medium wave transmissions to the hotspots of Syria and Lebanon are cut from 18 hours a day to 8. There's more, saving a total £4.8m a year. If you're interesting in what's left on short-wave, try this site - Short Wave Heaven.