Thursday 6 August 2026
STV RADIO BUILDS EARLY MOMENTUM WITH STRONG DEBUT LISTENING FIGURES
· STV Radio already one of the top ten most-listened-to commercial stations in Scotland
· Scotland's newest national commercial radio station attracts 139k weekly listeners in first official audience results from RAJAR
· STV Radio MD Graham Bryce says results are "well ahead of expectations" with station building a loyal audience
STV Radio, Scotland's newest and only national commercial radio station, has recorded a strong debut in its first official audience figures since launching in January 2026.
According to the latest RAJAR results for the station's first six months on air, STV Radio is attracting 139,000 weekly listeners, who tuned in for 1.3m hours. The figures already make STV Radio one of the top ten most-listened-to commercial radio stations in Scotland.
Available on DAB, STV Player and smart speakers, STV Radio is building a loyal and growing audience. Listeners are spending over 9.3 hours with the station each week, demonstrating strong engagement and highlighting the station's appeal with its target audience.
Aimed at listeners aged 35+, STV Radio is already resonating strongly with its target audience, with the research showing this demographic accounts for a significant proportion (84%).
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.
Playing a wide variety of music from the last five decades, with a promise of "never the same song, all day long", the station has quickly established itself as a destination for great music and compelling Scottish voices. Since launch, STV Radio has welcomed celebrity guests including musicians KT Tunstall, Amy Macdonald, Marti Pellow, Susan Boyle and Hue and Cry, as well as actors Richard Gadd and Peter Capaldi, and is proud to champion emerging Scottish talent.
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.
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. The station's social media channels are also attracting a growing audience of engaged users, with STV Radio channels (Instagram, Facebook, X, TikTok and YouTube) delivering almost 20m video views and 1.5m engagements since launch; and The STV Radio Football Podcast amassing 21m video views across socials (X, Instagram and TikTok).*
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 just 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!"
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
· Figures from RAJAR, Scotland TSA, Q2 2026
· STV Radio launched on DAB, Smart Speakers and STV Player on 6 January.
· In terms of the Total Survey Area, as Scotland's only national commercial radio station there is no direct comparator
· The studio HQ is Glasgow with presenters based across the country in Aberdeen, Glasgow, Aviemore and Tayside
· *Sprout Social, Jan-July 2026
Media Contact:
Kirstin Stevenson, STV Radio - kirstin.stevenson@stv.tv | 07803 970106
Stephen Innes, STV Radio - Stephen.innes@stv.tv