BBC Radio Berkshire has lost nearly a third of its listeners after a schedule shake-up.
New RAJAR figures show that the changes to the station have gone down like a lead balloon.
Last autumn, the BBC axed a host of popular presenters including Bill Buckley and Phil Kennedy. Breakfast DJ Andrew Peach also left.
The only local programmes on BBC Radio Berkshire are on weekdays: the breakfast show, hosted by Kirsten O’Brien and Vernon Harwood, and the morning show hosted by Sarah Walker.
After 2pm and at weekends, aside from Reading FC coverage, the station’s output is shared with other BBC local radio stations and its weekday late-night programme is broadcast from Salford.
It has also meant the end of many specialist music programmes, although BBC Radio Berkshire lost shows such as Irish Eye and BBC Introducing a while ago.
Radio Today said that commercial radio has gained a million extra listeners in the last quarter, while the BBC’s share dropped from 47.1% to 43.2%.
Berkshire was one of 23 BBC local radio stations that saw the number of people listening decline – its drop of 31,000 listeners was a reduction of 31% and the biggest in the country.
The station had a reach of 112,000 people in the fourth quarter of 2016. It peaked in the first quarter of 2018, with a reach of 159,000. It was 105,000 people in the third quarter of 2023. However, it ended last year with a reach of 73,000.
However, it was not all bad news for the BBC. The number of listeners at 15 stations increased.
Phil Kennedy has released a podcast series, Mildly Getting Away With It, which is loosely based on his former Radio Berkshire show. It includes interviews, previews and special guests and can be found on all podcasting platforms including iTunes and Buzzsprout.
A BBC Spokesperson told Reading Today: “It has been a period of significant change across our local radio network but it is too early to make any links between the latest RAJAR figures and our new schedules.
“Any audience losses are disappointing and this has clearly been a difficult RAJAR for speech radio.”
