(Update adds Local Radio Company figures)
LONDON (Thomson Financial) - Global Radio's Heart and Heinrich Bauer
Verlag's Magic tied for top London radio spot with a 5.8 percent share of the
United Kingdom capital's audiences, according to industry body Rajar's first
quarter figures.
GCap Media PLC.'s flagship Capital radio station maintained its third place
spot, but its share of London audiences slipped to 4.6 percent in the first
quarter from 4.7 percent in the fourth quarter of last year.
Global's other London station LBC 97.3, which it bought from Chrysalis PLC.
last year, moved up to fourth place with 4.5 percent of audience share, surging
past Kiss 100 FM, also owned by Bauer following its acquisition of Emap's radio
assets this year, and hot on the heals of Capital.
In March Global Radio reached an agreement to buy GCap for 225 pence a share
in cash, valuing GCap at about 375 million pounds.
Rajar's quarterly statement showed that radio listening increased 1 percent
to 45.4 million listeners and that 17.8 percent of all radio listening is now
via a digital platform.
The Local Radio Company PLC., which owns and operates stations across the
United Kingdom, said has increased its weekly listeners by 2 percent
year-on-year to 925,000 although this is a slight decline from the 927,000
fourth quarter listener numbers.
kathy.sandler@thomsonreuters.com
ks/hjp/ks/sal
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