Bruce’s new station has gained a staggering 800,000 listeners since June.
While it’s been a period of change for radio host Ken Bruce, it seems as though his major move to Greatest Hits Radio has more than paid off – with the station announcing they’ve seen a growth of 76.9 per cent year on year, the largest across all stations.
Listeners have continued to tune into Bruce’s radio shows on the new station after his BBC Radio 2 departure, with Greatest Hits Radio now having 6.5 million weekly listeners for all of its shows, compared to 3.7 million last year.
Since joining the station in April, Bruce alone now has a weekly audience of 3.7 million listeners, and has said: “I’m delighted to hear that Greatest Hits Radio has welcomed more and more listeners.
“Much like myself, it’s great to know more people are enjoying the very best music from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s, as well as my fellow broadcasters such as Simon Mayo and Jackie Brambles.”
More recently, Bruce has also started up another show on the station, which is dedicated to the sounds of the ’60s.
Secret 60s is only available to Greatest Hits Radio subscribers, and announcing his new show, Bruce said: “You can expect the greatest hits, obviously, but also some buried treasure you haven’t heard in a while.
“I’m sure many people will agree it’s the soundtrack of our youth! I can’t wait for you to hear it, just don’t tell anyone – it’s a secret, remember!”
It seems as though Bruce’s former radio station Radio 2, where he helmed the breakfast show for 31 years, has taken a major hit following Bruce’s departure, struggling to regain the listeners it has lost since.
According to Rajar, an audience measurement system for the radio industry, in the last three months, the BBC station had 13.5 million weekly listeners, the same as last quarter.
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While the number does sound impressive, it’s actually a million people fewer than this time last year. The most notable loss of listeners for the station has been Zoe Ball’s Breakfast Show, which has shed 200,000 listeners.
Listening figures for the show have gone down to 6.5 million, compared to 6.7million three months ago – but it still retains its label as the UK’s most listened-to breakfast show.
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