HUGE AUDIENCE GROWTH FOR BOOM RADIO

 

• Official research indicates Boom — the music radio station targeted at Baby Boomers — now delivers 20% more listeners.
• Boom Radio listeners are also the most loyal of all national commercial music stations.
• Boom Radio presenters have an average age of 68 with some coaxed out of retirement to join the station.
• Launched mid-pandemic, Boom is broadcast from presenters’ attics and sheds.

 

A music radio station for baby boomers launched during lockdown by presenters with an average age of 68 broadcasting from their bedrooms and garden sheds has posted record audiences - becoming the top music-based national commercial station for listener loyalty, according to the radio industry’s official research.

The station's weekly audience grows in the last three months by almost 50,000 to 290,000 adults.

After just a year on-air, it’s calculated that almost half a million people a month** now listen to Boom — launched last February to target baby boomers aged 60 - 75  — according to the latest audience figures released today (19th May) by RAJAR.

Much of this growth is attributed by Boom to listeners deserting BBC Radio 2 — which has recently moved to target a younger audience — despite Boom Radio being run on a fraction of the cost of the BBC network.

Many of Boom Radio’s presenters — who include David Hamilton, Kid Jensen, Graham Dene, Roger Day, Nicky Horne, Judi Spiers and Bill Bingham — were persuaded out of retirement to join the station. Former Radio 2 stalwart DJ Pete Murray broke his 20-year broadcast hiatus for an on-air return over Christmas — aged 96.

The station was founded by Phil Riley and David Lloyd — veterans of the British radio industry — who spotted a gap in the market for a new music radio station targeting a neglected audience. It was funded using money raised from friends and colleagues.

According to RAJAR, as BBC Radio 2’s weekly audience reach fell back amongst the over-50s by 108,000, Boom’s grew by 42,000. Boom’s own internal research shows 69%*** of Boom listeners are listening less to R2 in order to listen to Boom.

Boom listeners are already the most loyal of all commercial music radio fans – tuning into Boom for 9.3 hours every week* – longer than listeners to any other commercial music station.

Commenting on the results, CEO Phil Riley said: “We are stunned by the response and passion from our listeners. Our programming budget is around 1% of the cash spent by BBC Radio 2 – yet our fans are choosing us over them.”

Programme Director David Lloyd added: “The enthusiasm the Boom audience are showing is evidence of the extent to which listeners now feel they are not served by the BBC”.

19th May 2022

 

Press enquiries: press@boomradio.co.uk

Advertising enquiries: sales@boomradio.co.uk

Listener comments: boom@boomradio.co.uk

 

*Rajar UK TSA, Q1 2022. (all comparisons with Q4 2021).

** 467,000 Predicted monthly reach based on Rajar UK TSA, Q1 2022

*** Boom Smartsurvey, Autumn 2021, 670 Boom listener sample