Entertainment · TV & Streaming · 3 hrs ago
BBC Radio Scotland weekly reach falls 5% in a year
BBC Radio Scotland’s weekly audience fell to 753,000 between July and September, according to official listening figures.
That was down from 844,000 in the previous three-month period and about 40,000 fewer than a year earlier.
The figures cover the station as a whole, not individual programmes, and its share of listening also fell, from 5.7% to 5.3%.
The audience decline comes as the BBC makes cuts in Scotland, including the closure of its digital TV channel and job losses.
A former BBC journalist said cuts and changes to the breakfast programme were damaging the station, while its director said audiences may recover.
The BBC says it remains Scotland’s biggest station and that listeners are spending more time with it on average than in the previous quarter.
Further savings and job cuts are expected in Scotland, while the BBC says it will continue to develop its breakfast programme.
BBC Radio Scotland’s weekly reach fell 5% over the year to July–September, from 793,000 to 753,000, according to RAJAR figures.
Its weekly reach also fell from 844,000 in April–June to 753,000 in July–September, a decline of almost 11%.
The station’s audience share dropped from 5.7% to 5.3% over the year.
The BBC said Radio Scotland remained Scotland’s biggest station and reported a quarter-on-quarter rise in average listening time.
Former BBC journalist James Shaw said cuts and changes to the station were damaging it, while the BBC defended its programming and new breakfast offering.
- Who
- BBC Radio Scotland; its weekly audience fell.
- What
- Weekly reach was 753,000 in July–September, down 5% from a year earlier.
- When
- The figures cover July–September 2026 and compare them with the same period a year earlier.
- Where
- Scotland.
- Why
- Not stated. The figures were compiled by RAJAR.
James Shaw
BBC
Impact of changes
James Shaw
Shaw said cuts, redundancies and the removal of the Good Morning Scotland brand were damaging the station.
BBC
The BBC said it was happy with the development of its new breakfast offering and focused on serving listeners.
Breakfast audience
James Shaw
Shaw said listening figures for Radio Scotland Breakfast had dropped 37.5% since the name change.
BBC
The BBC said it remained Scotland’s biggest station and reported a quarter-on-quarter rise in average listening time.
BBC Radio Scotland’s weekly reach was 844,000.
Weekly reach was 753,000, down from 844,000 in the previous quarter.
The BBC announced 60 job losses in Scotland.
Hayley Valentine said more savings at the BBC in Scotland were likely and staff on the revamped breakfast show should hold their nerve.
- Weekly reach, July–September
- 753,000
- Weekly reach, April–June
- 844,000
- Year-on-year change in weekly reach
- Down 5%, from 793,000
- Audience share
- 5.3%, down from 5.7%
- Listening figures source
- RAJAR
What people are saying
This latest RAJAR report shows that in an increasingly competitive market, BBC Radio Scotland remains the biggest Scottish station, and has seen a quarter-on-quarter rise in the average amount of time listeners spend with us.
probably more savings to be made
duty to manage and preserve the value of a vital public asset
listening figures for what I must now call Radio Scotland Breakfast have dropped by 37.5 per cent since the name change