The BBC speech-based station, which is squarely aimed at older listeners, also performed well in the latest round of Rajar figures in terms of share, experiencing a 1.1% point increase during the quarter.
The three months to September saw national sports stations build on the success afforded them by the World Cup in the last quarter.
TalkSPORT, which has no doubt been boosted by recent the closure of TEAMtalk 252, saw its weekly reach increase by 7.6% year on year, while its share of listening increased by 0.1% points. Radio 5 Live also performed strongly, with a 2.1% increase in reach, matched by a 0.1% point improvement in share.
The news, however, is unlikely to placate MacKenzie how has been highly vocal in his criticism of the Rajar system (see associate article).
Once again, BBC Radio 2 proved its continuing popularity with a 2.2% increase in reach to 12.4m, keeping it comfortably in the lead among the national stations. Its share rose by 0.5% points to 15.2%, suggesting that heavy cross-promotion on the BBC's TV channels is paying off. Also doing well is Classic FM, which recently celebrated its 10th birthday. The station experienced a 3.8% year-on-year increase in reach and saw a 0.2% point increase in share.
At the other end of scale, Virgin AM saw its weekly reach decline by 18.7% during the third quarter, with share slipping by 0.6% points. BBC Radio 1 also had a less than impressive period, with reach declining by 2.9% year on year and share slipping by 0.6% points.
Report compiled by MediaTel. For detailed Rajar information, visit .
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