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BBC Radio 4 has added around 750,000 listeners over the past year to reach a record ratings high for the station, new audience figures have revealed.
According to data compiled by RAJAR (Radio Joint Audience Research) for the third quarter of 2009, Radio 4 attracted 10.22 million listeners every week, up from 10m in the last quarter and 9.45m last year. The station now commands 12.4% share of the total radio audience.
Radio 4's Today programme reached 6.6m listeners over the three months, up from 6.51m on the previous quarter.
Overall, BBC stations saw their listeners cut to 33.577m, down from 34.10m in Q2. However, this still represented a 55% share of the total weekly radio audience in the UK, up from 54.6%.
Commercial radio stations also saw their total ratings decline to 31.225m, down from 31.968m in the previous quarter, with audience share dropping slightly to 42.40% from 42.70%.
"BBC Radio remains at the heart of millions of people's lives, with two-thirds of the UK population listening to our networks every week," said BBC audio & music director Tim Davie.
"Radio 4 goes from strength to strength. In offering radio of the highest quality, it is both delighting loyal listeners and attracting inquisitive new audiences."
BBC Radio 1's weekly viewing share fell to 11.11m listeners from 11.34 million in Q2, with The Chris Moyles Show losing nearly 700,000 listeners over the quarter to stagnate at 7.04m.
Terry Wogan's Radio 2 breakfast show also lost weekly viewing share at 7.76m, down from 7.93m in the previous quarter. The total Radio 2 audience fell by 16% on the year to stand at 13.62m.
In contrast, BBC Radio 3 posted its best ever audience figures, with ratings growing to 2.2m, up from 2.02m in the previous quarter. BBC 6 Music also posted a 4.9% quarterly increase to reach 624,000 listeners.
BBC Radio 5 Live's coverage of the Ashes cricket tournament pulled in a record 963,000 people, which helped to add a further 600,000 listeners to the combined reach of Radio 5 Live and Sports Extra at 6.54m.
The BBC World Service commanded 1.26m digital listeners in the UK, down by 12.6% on the second quarter of this year.
