GMG Radio?s Real Radio and Smooth FM brands have added 200,000 listeners in the last year to give the group a strong weekly audience of 2.9 million adults.
The weekly reach of the group?s five regional stations and digital operations has shown healthy growth both quarter-on-quarter and year-on-year.
Highlights for the group include the continued success stories at Real Radio in Scotland, which has once again seen strong audience growth, and at 100.4 smooth fm in the North West.
North of the border Real Radio now attracts 720,000 adult listeners a week, a year-on-year increase of 71,000 and a 19,000 increase on the quarter. As well as adding over 1.4 million hours of listening in the last year, to give it a new total of 8.8 million hours a week, Real Radio has also proved a housewives favourite, increasing its audience of housewives with children over the last quarter to 208,000.
Across the north west of England smooth fm has seen significant year-on-year growth and now attracts 579,000 adults to tune in every week, an increase of 157,000 since the same time last year. And people clearly love what they hear as the station, which broadcasts a relaxing mix of soulful music, has added more than 1.6 million hours in the last year, giving it a total of 4.9 million hours of listening each week.
GMG Radio Chief Executive John Myers said: ?Our group has seen continued and stable growth over the past year and our Real and Smooth brands are now a firm fixture in each of their regions. I?m particularly pleased with the significant audience increases we?ve seen in Scotland and the North West of England.?
Source: RAJAR/Ipsos-RSL p/e March 2006 within each respective station?s TSA