Big news boosts audiences for Radio 4's Today programme and John Humphrys

Latest Rajar figures reveal BBC's influential news show has almost as many listeners as Chris Moyles on Radio 1

Chris Moyles is in danger of being overtaken in the popularity stakes by John Humphrys, according to audience figures released by Rajar on Thursday.

BBC Radio 4's Today programme had an average weekly audience of 7.15 million in the last three months of 2011, a whisker away from its biggest ever listenership and just 90,000 behind Moyles on Radio 1, who had an audience of 7.24 million.

Radio 4 insiders attributed Today's growing popularity to big news stories such as the faltering economy and fears of a double dip recession.

Chris Evans had an average weekly audience of 8.86 million for his Radio 2 breakfast show – meaning he remains by far the UK's favourite person to wake up to.

BBC 6 Music, the digital station the corporation tried to axe, celebrated its biggest audience of nearly 1.5 million listeners on the eve of its 10th birthday.

The station, whose presenters include Lauren Laverne, Jarvis Cocker and Guy Garvey, was saved by a campaign from listeners.

Its figures have more than doubled since the BBC announced plans to close it in 2010 – since described as the best marketing campaign the station ever had.

But there was no audience lift for the BBC's 40 local radio stations in England in the wake of controversial proposals to cut £15m from the budget and axe 280 jobs.

BBC local radio had an average of 7.3 million weekly listeners, up 45,000 on the previous quarter but down from 7.43 million at the end of 2010. Its share of the audience rose from 7.9% to 8.4%.

About half of the planned local radio cuts will be reversed following an outcry from the public, politicians and religious leaders, although it remains to be seen exactly where the axe will now fall.

The BBC's biggest faller in audience terms was 5 Live, which lost nearly a million listeners on the same period in 2010, down to a weekly figure of 6.23 million. The rolling news and sport station has just completed a move from London to the new BBC North HQ in Salford.

Radio 2 remained by some distance the UK's most popular radio station with an average weekly audience of 14.27 million listeners, ahead of Radio 1 with 11.67 million and Radio 4 with 10.83 million.

Contributor

John Plunkett

The GuardianTramp

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