STV Radio claims top ten spot after strong debut audience figures

STV Radio has recorded a strong debut in its first official audience figures, breaking into Scotland’s top ten most listened to commercial radio stations.

According to the latest RAJAR results, covering the station’s first six months on air, STV Radio is attracting 139,000 weekly listeners, who tuned in for a total of 1.3m hours.

The station appears to be resonating with its target audience, with people aged over 35 accounting for 84% of listeners, who are spending over 9.3 hours with the station each week on average.

Headquartered in Glasgow and with presenters located across Scotland, STV Radio combines “relatable presenters with a distinctly Scottish perspective,” with music and content reflecting and celebrating life in Scotland.

The line-up includes breakfast show hosts Ewen Cameron and Cat Harvey, who joined from Greatest Hits Radio to launch the station’s flagship morning show. They lead a schedule built around music from the last five decades, with a promise of “never the same song, all day long”.

Since launching in January, STV Radio has welcomed celebrity guests including KT Tunstall, Amy Macdonald, Marti Pellow, Susan Boyle, Hue and Cry, Richard Gadd and Peter Capaldi.

Saturday afternoon programme, The STV Radio Football Show, featuring Ewen Cameron and STV sport presenter Ronnie Charters, has become a hit with sports fans. STV has capitalised on this popularity with the launch of a spin-off podcast each Monday, a new peak-time TV show each Friday on STV, STV Player and YouTube, as well as a live sell-out show from Glasgow’s Òran Mór.

Amy MacDonald on air at STV Radio (Alan Peebles) STV News

The station has attracted a range of advertisers, many of whom already advertise with broadcaster and streamer STV, and others that are new to the company.

STV Radio’s social media network, across Instagram, Facebook, X, Tiktok and YouTube, has logged roughly 20 million video views and 1.5 million engagements since its launch.

Graham Bryce, MD of STV Radio said: “As a new entrant, STV Radio has quickly established itself in the market and these first official figures are well ahead of our expectations. In just six months, we’ve built a meaningful audience by offering something genuinely different for Scottish listeners – a strong mix of great music, personality-led programming, entertainment, sport and a distinctly Scottish perspective.

“To attract around 139,000 weekly listeners and deliver 1.3 million hours of listening in our first months on air is an incredible result. What’s particularly encouraging is the depth of listening we’re seeing. Audiences aren’t just sampling STV Radio – they’re spending time with us and making us part of their daily routine, spending over 9 hours per week. That tells us we’re not only attracting audiences; we’re building loyalty.

“Being part of STV gives us a unique advantage. By combining radio with STV’s broader multi-platform reach, we can offer audiences and advertisers a powerful proposition that spans audio, video and digital. These results are a strong foundation, but we’re only just getting started!”