HITS RADIO (ESSEX)
HThe Biggest Hits. The Biggest Throwbacks
Local / regional · RAJAR code 6506 · Half-yearly — 6-month rolling sample · Local
Headline figures · MAR 2026
TSA population 603k · unweighted sample 857
Weekly reach over time
All adults 15+, ’000s
Source: RAJAR — HITS RADIO (ESSEX) TSA, MAR 2026 (H) · WEEKS 38 2025 - 13 2026 (15th SEPTEMBER '25 - 5th APRIL '26)
Total hours over time
All adults 15+, ’000s of hours
Source: RAJAR — HITS RADIO (ESSEX) TSA, MAR 2026 (H) · WEEKS 38 2025 - 13 2026 (15th SEPTEMBER '25 - 5th APRIL '26)
Market share over time
Share of all-radio hours within the station’s TSA
Source: RAJAR — HITS RADIO (ESSEX) TSA, MAR 2026 (H) · WEEKS 38 2025 - 13 2026 (15th SEPTEMBER '25 - 5th APRIL '26)
Audience profile · MAR 2026
| By age | Reach | % reach | Avg hrs | % of audience |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALL ADULTS 15+ | 10k | 2.0% | 1.8 | 100.0% |
| ADULTS 15-24 | 4,000 | 5.0% | 0.5 | 39.1% |
| ADULTS 25-34 | 3,000 | 3.0% | 3.5 | 25.8% |
| ADULTS 35-44 | 1,000 | 1.0% | 0.7 | 11.5% |
| ADULTS 45-54 | 1,000 | 1.0% | 3.8 | 11.9% |
| ADULTS 55-64 | 1,000 | 1.0% | 0.5 | 8.0% |
| ADULTS 65-74 | — | — | — | — |
| ADULTS 75+ | 0 | 0.0% | 2.3 | 3.7% |
| ADULTS 15-34 | 7,000 | 4.0% | 1.7 | 65.0% |
| ADULTS 15-44 | 8,000 | 3.0% | 1.5 | 76.5% |
| Men | Reach | % reach | Avg hrs | % of audience |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALL MEN 15+ | 7,000 | 2.0% | 2.2 | 67.2% |
| MEN 15-24 | 4,000 | 10.0% | 0.5 | 37.5% |
| MEN 25-34 | 1,000 | 3.0% | 5.4 | 14.1% |
| MEN 35-44 | — | — | — | — |
| MEN 45-54 | 1,000 | 2.0% | 4.5 | 9.5% |
| MEN 55-64 | 0 | 1.0% | 0.5 | 2.4% |
| MEN 65-74 | — | — | — | — |
| MEN 75+ | 0 | 1.0% | 2.3 | 3.7% |
| Women | Reach | % reach | Avg hrs | % of audience |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALL WOMEN 15+ | 3,000 | 1.0% | 0.8 | 32.8% |
| WOMEN 15-24 | 0 | 0.0% | 0.3 | 1.7% |
| WOMEN 25-34 | 1,000 | 3.0% | 1.2 | 11.7% |
| WOMEN 35-44 | 1,000 | 2.0% | 0.7 | 11.5% |
| WOMEN 45-54 | 0 | 1.0% | 0.8 | 2.4% |
| WOMEN 55-64 | 1,000 | 1.0% | 0.6 | 5.6% |
| WOMEN 65-74 | — | — | — | — |
| WOMEN 75+ | — | — | — | — |
| By social grade | Reach | % reach | Avg hrs | % of audience |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC1 ADULTS | 4,000 | 1.0% | 1.8 | 35.5% |
| C2DE ADULTS | 7,000 | 2.0% | 1.7 | 64.5% |
| ABC1 MEN | 1,000 | 1.0% | 3.6 | 12.5% |
| ABC1 WOMEN | 2,000 | 1.0% | 0.8 | 23.0% |
| C2DE MEN | 6,000 | 4.0% | 1.9 | 54.6% |
| C2DE WOMEN | 1,000 | 1.0% | 0.8 | 9.9% |
Reach, % reach and average hours per demographic. “% of audience” is the demographic’s share of the station’s total weekly reach.
Source: RAJAR — HITS RADIO (ESSEX) TSA, MAR 2026 (H) · WEEKS 38 2025 - 13 2026 (15th SEPTEMBER '25 - 5th APRIL '26)
Listening by daypart · MAR 2026
| Monday–Friday | Share | Reach |
|---|---|---|
06.00-06.00 | 0.2% | 5,000 |
06.00-09.00 | 0.1% | 1,000 |
06.00-12.00 | 0.2% | 2,000 |
06.00-18.00 | 0.2% | 5,000 |
06.00-24.00 | 0.2% | 5,000 |
09.00-12.00 | 0.2% | 2,000 |
12.00-15.00 | 0.3% | 2,000 |
15.00-18.00 | 0.3% | 4,000 |
18.00-21.00 | 0.1% | 1,000 |
21.00-24.00 | — | — |
24.00-06.00 | — | — |
| Saturday | Share | Reach |
|---|---|---|
06.00-09.00 | 0.0% | 0 |
06.00-12.00 | 0.0% | 0 |
06.00-18.00 | 0.1% | 2,000 |
06.00-24.00 | 0.1% | 2,000 |
06.00-06.00 | 0.1% | 2,000 |
09.00-12.00 | 0.0% | 0 |
12.00-15.00 | 0.2% | 1,000 |
15.00-18.00 | 0.3% | 1,000 |
18.00-21.00 | — | — |
21.00-24.00 | — | — |
24.00-06.00 | — | — |
| Sunday | Share | Reach |
|---|---|---|
06.00-09.00 | — | — |
06.00-12.00 | 0.3% | 3,000 |
06.00-18.00 | 0.2% | 3,000 |
06.00-24.00 | 0.2% | 4,000 |
06.00-06.00 | 0.2% | 4,000 |
09.00-12.00 | 0.4% | 3,000 |
12.00-15.00 | 0.1% | 1,000 |
15.00-18.00 | 0.1% | 1,000 |
18.00-21.00 | 0.1% | 0 |
21.00-24.00 | — | — |
24.00-06.00 | — | — |
Share of listening and weekly reach in each time band, all adults 15+. RAJAR aligns daypart boundaries to each station’s own schedule, so the bands are not comparable between stations.
Source: RAJAR — HITS RADIO (ESSEX) TSA, MAR 2026 (H) · WEEKS 38 2025 - 13 2026 (15th SEPTEMBER '25 - 5th APRIL '26)
Stations in this survey area · MAR 2026
| Station | Reach | % reach | Hours | Avg hrs | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BBC RADIO 2 | 132k | 22.0% | 1.9m | 14.8 | 19.0% |
| BBC RADIO 1 | 82k | 14.0% | 598k | 7.3 | 5.8% |
| BBC RADIO 4 | 70k | 12.0% | 797k | 11.4 | 7.8% |
| GREATEST HITS RADIO (ESSEX) | 59k | 10.0% | 490k | 8.3 | 4.8% |
| * SMOOTH RADIO ESSEX | 39k | 7.0% | 182k | 4.6 | 1.8% |
| BBC RADIO 5 LIVE | 34k | 6.0% | 146k | 4.4 | 1.4% |
| CLASSIC FM | 32k | 5.0% | 408k | 12.7 | 4.0% |
| TALKSPORT | 25k | 4.0% | 370k | 15.0 | 3.6% |
| BBC RADIO 4 EXTRA | 24k | 4.0% | 173k | 7.3 | 1.7% |
| MAGIC | 23k | 4.0% | 148k | 6.3 | 1.4% |
| KISSTORY | 22k | 4.0% | 49k | 2.2 | 0.5% |
| BBC 6 MUSIC | 20k | 3.0% | 159k | 8.0 | 1.6% |
| KISS | 20k | 3.0% | 49k | 2.4 | 0.5% |
| ABSOLUTE RADIO | 17k | 3.0% | 145k | 8.3 | 1.4% |
| HEART 80S | 17k | 3.0% | 175k | 10.1 | 1.7% |
| GOLD RADIO UK | 16k | 3.0% | 73k | 4.6 | 0.7% |
| CAPITAL XTRA (UK) | 14k | 2.0% | 23k | 1.7 | 0.2% |
| HEART DANCE | 14k | 2.0% | 253k | 18.0 | 2.5% |
| ABSOLUTE 80S | 13k | 2.0% | 48k | 3.8 | 0.5% |
| GB NEWS RADIO | 13k | 2.0% | 72k | 5.7 | 0.7% |
| BBC RADIO 3 | 11k | 2.0% | 119k | 10.5 | 1.2% |
| CAPITAL DANCE | 10k | 2.0% | 61k | 6.3 | 0.6% |
| HITS RADIO (ESSEX) this station | 10k | 2.0% | 18k | 1.8 | 0.2% |
| HEART 90S | 9,000 | 2.0% | 12k | 1.3 | 0.1% |
| NATION 80S | 9,000 | 1.0% | 22k | 2.5 | 0.2% |
| SMOOTH CHILL | 9,000 | 1.0% | 58k | 6.7 | 0.6% |
| SMOOTH COUNTRY | 9,000 | 2.0% | 111k | 12.2 | 1.1% |
| VIRGIN RADIO | 9,000 | 2.0% | 36k | 3.8 | 0.4% |
| VIRGIN RADIO CHILLED | 9,000 | 2.0% | 34k | 3.6 | 0.3% |
| ABSOLUTE RADIO COUNTRY | 6,000 | 1.0% | 15k | 2.7 | 0.1% |
| ABSOLUTE CLASSIC ROCK | 5,000 | 1.0% | 38k | 7.2 | 0.4% |
| ABSOLUTE RADIO 70S | 5,000 | 1.0% | 23k | 4.9 | 0.2% |
| ABSOLUTE RADIO 90S | 5,000 | 1.0% | 10k | 2.0 | 0.1% |
| BBC WORLD SERVICE | 5,000 | 1.0% | 54k | 11.9 | 0.5% |
| BOOM RADIO | 5,000 | 1.0% | 170k | 34.9 | 1.7% |
| VIRGIN RADIO LEGENDS (WAS VIRGIN RADIO ANTHEMS) | 5,000 | 1.0% | 6,000 | 1.3 | 0.1% |
| HITS RADIO PRIDE | 4,000 | 1.0% | 3,000 | 0.7 | 0.0% |
| PLANET ROCK | 4,000 | 1.0% | 8,000 | 2.0 | 0.1% |
| ABSOLUTE RADIO 00S | 3,000 | 1.0% | 12k | 3.6 | 0.1% |
| BBC RADIO 5 SPORTS EXTRA | 3,000 | 1.0% | 5,000 | 1.5 | 0.0% |
| MAGIC SOUL | 3,000 | 0.0% | 35k | 13.4 | 0.3% |
| VIRGIN RADIO 80S | 3,000 | 0.0% | 3,000 | 1.1 | 0.0% |
| ABSOLUTE RADIO 10S | 2,000 | 0.0% | 1,000 | 0.8 | 0.0% |
| BBC ASIAN NETWORK UK | 2,000 | 0.0% | 4,000 | 1.8 | 0.0% |
| BBC RADIO 1XTRA | 2,000 | 0.0% | 6,000 | 2.5 | 0.1% |
| KISS XTRA | 2,000 | 0.0% | 10k | 4.5 | 0.1% |
| MELLOW MAGIC | 2,000 | 0.0% | 19k | 8.2 | 0.2% |
| RADIO X CLASSIC ROCK | 2,000 | 0.0% | 2,000 | 0.9 | 0.0% |
| TALK (WAS TALKRADIO) | 2,000 | 0.0% | 12k | 6.4 | 0.1% |
| TIMES RADIO | 2,000 | 0.0% | 2,000 | 1.4 | 0.0% |
| COUNTRYLINE RADIO (WAS CHRIS COUNTRY RADIO) | 1,000 | 0.0% | 5,000 | 5.0 | 0.0% |
| HEART 70S | 1,000 | 0.0% | 2,000 | 1.3 | 0.0% |
| HITS RADIO CHILLED | 1,000 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.6 | 0.0% |
| JAZZ FM | 1,000 | 0.0% | 8,000 | 5.2 | 0.1% |
| KERRANG! | 1,000 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.9 | 0.0% |
| KISSTORY R&B | 1,000 | 0.0% | 1,000 | 0.9 | 0.0% |
| SMOOTH RELAX | 1,000 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.8 | 0.0% |
| TALKSPORT2 | 1,000 | 0.0% | 2,000 | 2.8 | 0.0% |
| BLOOMBERG RADIO | — | — | — | — | — |
| CAPITAL CHILL | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 1.5 | 0.0% |
| CAPITAL XTRA RELOADED | — | — | — | — | — |
| HEAT | 0 | 0.0% | 2,000 | 4.0 | 0.0% |
| MAGIC CLASSICAL | — | — | — | — | — |
* Stations marked with an asterisk do not cover the whole of this Total Survey Area.
Weekly reach, hours and share for every station RAJAR reports within HITS RADIO (ESSEX)’s Total Survey Area (RAJAR Table 7), all adults 15+.
Source: RAJAR — HITS RADIO (ESSEX) TSA, MAR 2026 (H) · WEEKS 38 2025 - 13 2026 (15th SEPTEMBER '25 - 5th APRIL '26)