The latest quarterly listening figures from RAJAR reveal a remarkable surge in audience engagement for both Talk and GB News in the final quarter of 2025. Talk, the speech radio station owned by News UK, achieved the highest average hours per listener among all speech stations, demonstrating strong listener loyalty and interest.
According to the RAJAR data, Talk recorded a substantial increase in total listening hours, rising by 35% year on year and 39% quarter on quarter, reaching a total of seven million hours. The station also noted a 12% growth in weekly reach, bringing its audience to 565,000 listeners. This increase reflects the growing appeal of Talk’s programming, which includes notable news coverage and engaging debate segments.
Noteworthy Programming and Audience Engagement
The station’s breakfast show, airing from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., experienced the highest growth rates, with a 23% increase in yearly reach and a 19% increase in the last quarter, resulting in 336,000 weekly listeners. Talk attributed part of its success to impactful programming, including an undercover documentary on migrants and discussions surrounding significant political events, such as US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace deal and the Labour government’s first Budget.
Additionally, Talk garnered impressive digital engagement, achieving an astonishing 383 million views on YouTube during the quarter, further enhancing its visibility and reach.
In comparison, GB News continues to lead with over 100,000 more weekly listeners than Talk. The station recorded a remarkable 44% growth in its weekly reach, climbing from 468,000 in Q4 2024 to 672,000 in the latest figures. This growth trajectory solidifies GB News’s position in the competitive landscape of UK news radio.
Competitive Landscape and Overall Trends
Despite its successes, GB News faces challenges in its breakfast show performance, which reported a weekly reach of 278,000 listeners, the lowest among its peers. In contrast, BBC Radio 2 remains the most listened-to station in the UK, boasting a weekly reach of 12.7 million, alongside achieving a four-year high for average hours per listener at 11 hours, following a quarterly growth of 6%.
The data also highlights some declines among other stations. BBC World Service experienced the most significant year-on-year drop in weekly reach, falling 15% to one million listeners. Times Radio and BBC Radio 4’s Today breakfast programme also reported declines of 10% and 5%, respectively. LBC News experienced a notable month-on-month decline, with weekly listeners dropping by 9% to 408,000 and listening hours down 26% to 1.2 million.
Despite these fluctuations, the overall reach for the LBC brand remains strong, hitting a record of 3.4 million weekly listeners, marking a 2% increase year on year and month on month.
As the radio landscape continues to evolve, these figures reflect shifting audience preferences and the ongoing competition among news stations. The results from the final quarter of 2025 provide valuable insights into listener habits and the effectiveness of programming strategies in capturing audience attention.
