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BBC Radio Scotland loses more than 90,000 listeners in three months amid a backlash over axed shows and presenters

BBC Radio Scotland loses more than 90,000 listeners in three months amid a backlash over axed shows and presenters

Victoria Easton-Riley, BBC Radio Scotland's head of audio and events, faces mounting pressure after RAJAR figures show the station plummeted from a peak of 921,000 weekly listeners at the start of 2026 to just 753,000 between July and September. The audience chief had axed well-known hosts including Billy Sloan and Michelle McManus — an internal analysis found McManus alone had added more than 50,000 listeners in six months before her removal.

The station's share of radio listening fell from 5.7% to 5.3%, with around 40,000 listeners lost over the past year.

A former BBC journalist warned the station was being 'damaged' by cuts, redundancies and the scrapping of the 'Good Morning Scotland' brand, which launched on Hogmanay 1973.

MoreThe TelegraphBBC Today programme audience falls to post-pandemic lowDaily MailBBC Radio Scotland loses 40K listeners in last yearThe HeraldBBC Radio Scotland’s weekly audience falls by more than 90,000
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