We are providing our listeners with 'the best seat in the house'

Jim Moir Radio 2 controller

Radio 2 has been undergoing a revival in recent years, attracting more listeners through a broader range of music, new DJs and a modernisation of its image.

It was recently named national station of the year at the Sony radio awards, where it also won four other awards.

DJs like Jonathan Ross, Stuart Maconie, Terry Wogan and Steve Wright have been credited with turning the station's fortunes around.

Ross, who presents a Saturday morning show, has added 300,000 listeners in the last three months. And afternoon host Wright has increased his figures by 200,000.

Ross: Saturday BBC Radio 2 show is a hit

Radio 2 was already the favourite station in the country in terms of listener hours.

The station's fans listen for an average of 13.4 hours per week, compared to Radio 1's 9.1 hours.

Radio 2 controller Jim Moir said of the new figures: "I'm delighted - it confirms that our star presenters, the music we play and the programmes we broadcast are striking the right note with the audience.

"We are providing our listeners with 'the best seat in the house' for the top artists in a very buoyant music scene."

Radio 1 has not been able to stop its decline in audience figures. It has lost almost one million listeners in the last year.

The last quarterly slump has been blamed on Simon Mayo's move to Radio 5Live.

Cox: Increased audience despite Radio 1 slump

Some shows have seen an increase, though. Sara Cox's breakfast show - which recently changed its timeslot to 0700-1000 - attracted 7.1 million listeners per week, slightly up on the last period.

A Radio 1 spokesman said: "Over the last year the majority of our losses have been over-35s. Things have been going according to plan and we have been reaching a younger audience."

Radio 1's target audience is 15- to 24-year-olds, and the station is listened to by just over half of the target age group, according to the spokesman.

Radio 4 has increased its audience levels to just over nine million listeners per week, with Radio 5Live and Radio 3 attracting 5.7 million and 1.9 million respectively.

The figures were compiled by Radio Joint Audience Research (RAJAR), which is jointly owned by the BBC and commercial stations.