"Music, Makes The People Come Together"

The RAJAR figures always generate a headline, and there’s no doubt BBC Radio 2’s loss of a million listeners over the last 3 months is the attention grabber. Combine this with the story of Ken Bruce’s recent move to Greatest Hits Radio with their continued rise, and it all seems fairly straight forward. But is it?

I often talk about the need for stations to evolve, and Radio 2 may have needed a refresh in terms of talent. So, it was out with Steve Wright and Ken Bruce and in with Scott Mills and Vernon Kay. It’s still a bit early to tell how these shows will bed in with the new audience that Radio 2 is trying to attract, but they’re both great broadcasters. The technicalities of RAJAR come in to play for judging both Radio 2 and GHR growth.

Talent might be the thing that drives trial of a new station, or pushes you away from your former P1, but it’s the music mix that will ultimately keep you there or not. And when comparing these 2 stations in the battle for the broad 35-64 demo, there’s a significant difference.

Radio 2 was once the station of Neil Diamond, The Bellamy Brothers, Bruce Springsteen, Erasure and Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, whereas in fact I’ve just given you artists that had the Top 5 most played songs in July for Greatest Hits Radio.?

Their music mix is broadly that of Radio 2 from about 15 years ago. And they don’t have to play any currents. At all. That’s a big factor. Then add in Simon Mayo, Ken Bruce, Paul Gambaccini, Richard Allinson, Mark Goodier, Alex Lester, close your eyes and you’ve got Radio 2 Extra.?

So, what about Radio 2’s music? It’s no secret the music has been moving steadily “younger” over the last few years. In July 2023, the most played songs on Radio 2 included Leigh-Anne - ‘Don't Say Love’, Olivia Rodrigo - ‘vampire’, Rita Ora - ‘Don't Think Twice’, Kylie Minogue - ‘Padam Padam’ and even Peggy Gou - ‘(It Goes Like) Nanana’. It’s a melodic, yet progressive AC format with back-catalogue variety. But that back-catalogue has shifted too. You’re more likely to hear Sweet Like Chocolate than Sweet Caroline.

But hang on a minute. We’re not really comparing apples with apples here. BBC Radio stations, due to the unique way the BBC is funded, have very specific Service Licences, and the remit of Radio 2 is to be a distinctive mixed music and speech service, targeted at a broad audience. It has to ensure that at least 40% of the music in daytime is from UK acts and at least 20% of the music in daytime is new. It’s got to broadcast at least 260 hours of live music each year and?mustbroadcast “a broader range of music than any other major UK radio station”.

Greatest Hits Radio doesn’t have to do any of that. Its Ofcom format is as loose as you like. It can (and does) literally play ‘the greatest hits’ & not have to worry about ‘public value’ & all the other stipulations that Radio 2 has to think about each and every day.

You can make an argument that the music on Radio 2 has shifted too far, and the ‘fit’ and compatibility of the songs is being stretched to breaking point. For some, it will just be too eclectic in a world of fragmented formats, narrow brand extensions and on-demand playlists.

Remember – you strengthen a brand when you narrow its focus. Radio 2 is the opposite of that. And that’s where the vulnerability lay. Greatest Hits Radio have just exploited that, which is exactly their role. It’s a commercial operation after all.?

Although the headlines are seductive, and losing a big chunk of audience in one quarter is never fun, BBC Radio 2 still remains the UK’s most popular radio station. Its role in UK’s radio landscape is very different to that of a ‘hit-machine’ with great personalities. That’s taking nothing away from the Greatest Hits Radio team who have done a fantastic job and executed the format really, really well. It's a very polished product indeed.

We’re lucky in the UK. We have some amazingly programmed commercial stations which deliver for huge audiences day in, day out. And we have a public service broadcaster as good as the BBC who craft stations with output as beautifully produced as BBC Radio 2.?

I like living in a place where there’s room for both of those things, and it’s less about winning and losing.?