Zoe Ball Exits Radio 2 Breakfast Show on Two-Year Audience High”Zoe Ball Exits Radio 2 Breakfast Show as Audience Peaks at Two-Year High”

Zoe Ball Exits Radio 2 Breakfast Show with Surge in Listeners
By Paul Revoir | Updated: 03:57 GMT, 6 February 2025

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Zoe Ball’s Radio 2 breakfast show saw its audience peak at 6.8 million listeners in Q4 2024, marking her highest numbers in nearly two years.

Zoe Ball, 54, bid farewell to her BBC Radio 2 breakfast show in December 2024, capping off her five-year tenure with a significant audience boost. Latest RAJAR data reveals her final quarter attracted 6.8 million weekly listeners—a 9% increase (+550,000) from the previous quarter and over 250,000 more than the same period in 2023.

The presenter, who described hosting the show as a “gift,” faced challenges during her stint, including an 800,000 listener drop in 2019 that saw her overtaken by Ken Bruce. Ball also took a mid-2024 hiatus, briefly returning in August before fully resuming in September. Her departure paves the way for successor Scott Mills, who debuted in January 2025.

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Ball called hosting the show a “gift” amid fluctuating audience figures during her five-year run.

Radio 2’s Overall Success
Ball’s strong exit contributed to Radio 2’s quarterly growth, rising to 13.6 million weekly listeners—up from 13.3 million in 2023. Vernon Kay’s mid-morning show also thrived, drawing 7.2 million listeners, hailed by the BBC as the “biggest in the country.”

Radio 4 Struggles
In contrast, BBC Radio 4 shed 647,000 listeners quarter-over-quarter, dropping to 9.0 million. Its flagship Today program dipped to 5.7 million listeners (down 112,000 from Q3). However, the BBC emphasized Radio 4’s dominance in speech radio and its adaptability to on-demand trends, noting 13 million weekly podcast listeners nationwide.

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Radio 2’s audience growth contrasted with Radio 4’s decline, reflecting shifting listener habits.

Helen Thomas, Head of Radio 2, praised Ball’s “most listened to breakfast show” and Kay’s “fantastic figures.” A BBC spokesperson added: “Radio 4 remains the largest speech station… complemented by podcasts and on-demand programming.”

Ball’s resurgence underscores Radio 2’s enduring appeal, even as traditional radio faces digital competition. Share your thoughts at [email protected].