Monthly ranking · our own data
The most searched radio stations in the UKSeptember 2026
Current edition. Updated on 2026-10-13.
Based on 854 visits from search engines to 141 of the 580 stations in the catalogue, between 1 September to 30 September 2026. Bing accounts for 82% of those visits. It measures search interest on this site, not radio audiences — those are measured by RAJAR.
The podium
The three most searched stations of the period.
From 4th to 50th place
The most searched in each region
Open any of them to see its top five.
1National755 · 104 stations▾
- 1.Capital DanceDAB+
- 2.BBC Radio 2FM 88-91
- 3.CapitalFM / DAB
- 4.Heart FMFM / DAB
- 5.Capital AnthemsDAB
2England93 · 33 stations▾
- 1.Planet RockDAB
- 2.Capital ChillDAB
- 3.TMM 1DAB+
- 4.80s ZoomOnline
- 5.KISS XtraDAB
3Scotland5 · 3 stations▾
- 1.CrystalFM 107.4
- 2.Radio ENRGOnline
- 3.Go Radio GlasgowOnline
4Wales1 · 1 stations▾
- 1.Nation Radio WalesOnline
The most searched genres
A station can count in more than one genre, so the percentages add up to more than a hundred.
1Pop23% · 29 stations▾
- 1.BBC Radio 2FM 88-91
- 2.CapitalFM / DAB
- 3.Heart FMFM / DAB
- 4.Capital AnthemsDAB
- 5.Heart DanceDAB
2Hits18% · 27 stations▾
- 1.BBC Radio 2FM 88-91
- 2.CapitalFM / DAB
- 3.Heart FMFM / DAB
- 4.Capital AnthemsDAB
- 5.Magic Radio UKDAB+
3Throwback16% · 31 stations▾
- 1.BBC Radio 2FM 88-91
- 2.Capital AnthemsDAB
- 3.Heart 80sDAB+
- 4.Magic Radio UKDAB+
- 5.Heart 90sDAB+
4Dance12% · 32 stations▾
- 1.Capital DanceDAB+
- 2.Heart DanceDAB
- 3.KISSDAB+
- 4.KisstoryDAB+
- 5.BBC Radio OneFM 97-99
5Talk6% · 16 stations▾
- 1.talkSPORTMW 1053 / 1089
- 2.BBC Radio 4FM 92-95
- 3.BBC Radio 5 LiveMW 693 / 909
- 4.sky news UKOnline
- 5.BritCom 1FM
6Rock5% · 17 stations▾
- 1.Virgin Radio UKDAB+
- 2.Planet RockDAB
- 3.BBC Radio 6 MusicDAB
- 4.TMM 1DAB+
- 5.80s ZoomOnline
7News4% · 11 stations▾
- 1.BBC Radio 4FM 92-95
- 2.BBC Radio 5 LiveMW 693 / 909
- 3.BBC News (720P)Online
- 4.sky news UKOnline
- 5.Times RadioDAB
8Soul / R&B3% · 16 stations▾
- 1.KISSDAB+
- 2.KisstoryDAB+
- 3.KISS XtraDAB
- 4.Kisstory R&BOnline
- 5.Kool FMFM
9Chill3% · 11 stations▾
- 1.Smooth ChillDAB+
- 2.Smooth RelaxDAB
- 3.Capital ChillDAB
- 4.Chillout Ibiza FMFM
- 5.Easy RadioOnline
10Sport2% · 3 stations▾
- 1.talkSPORTMW 1053 / 1089
- 2.BBC Radio 5 LiveMW 693 / 909
- 3.Radio ENRGOnline
11Indie / Alternative2% · 10 stations▾
- 1.BBC Radio 6 MusicDAB
- 2.TMM 1DAB+
- 3.SabotageOnline
- 4.BBC 6 Indie ForeverOnline
- 5.Radio ENRGOnline
12Varied2% · 14 stations▾
- 1.Coffee MorningOnline
- 2.Capital Xtra ReloadedOnline
- 3.Brap.FMFM
- 4.Capital Xtra ReloadedOnline
- 5.Wynne Evans ShowOnline
13Classical1% · 6 stations▾
- 1.BBC Radio 3FM 90-93
- 2.Classic FM CalmFM
- 3.Classic FMFM 99.9-101.9
- 4.Classic FM MoviesDAB+
- 5.Hospital Radio NorwichOnline
14Jazz / Blues1% · 12 stations▾
- 1.BBC Radio 3FM 90-93
- 2.1940s Radio HS - Pumpkin FMFM
- 3.BSJ.FM Best Smooth JazzFM
- 4.Foundation FMFM
- 5.Jazz London radioOnline
15Urban1% · 10 stations▾
- 1.KISS XtraDAB
- 2.Rinse UKOnline
- 3.Beatfarm Radio TrapOnline
- 4.Deep PurpleOnline
- 5.Different DrumzOnline
16Folk0% · 2 stations▾
- 1.CrystalFM 107.4
- 2.Gen X RadioOnline
17Religious0% · 2 stations▾
- 1.Feelings | NTSOnline
- 2.Power of Worship RadioOnline
18Student / Community0% · 1 stations▾
- 1.Fantasy Radio (Devizes)Online
19Country0% · 1 stations▾
- 1.Hospital Radio NorwichOnline
What the ranking shows
The podium is Capital Dance, BBC Radio 2 and Capital. The first takes 86 visits, 6% more than the second. Between them, the three hold 26% of every search visit in the period.
By genre, pop takes 23% of the visits, ahead of hits and throwback. Across the 19 genres with searches, the top three hold 57% of the total.
Geographically, National and England lead with 99% of the visits between them. The tail is long: there are searches for stations across 4 regions, which says local radio is still looked up online even where stations have little web presence.
Questions about this ranking
How is this ranking calculated?+
We count the visits each station page received from a search engine between 1 September to 30 September 2026, measured with Google Analytics. Direct traffic, visits from AI assistants and anything generated by our own working tools are excluded. It ranks search interest, not listening figures.
Does it measure real radio audiences in the UK?+
No, and that matters. It measures which stations people look up and open on this site. A local station with little web presence can have a large audience on air and still rank low here. Real audience figures are measured by RAJAR, which surveys listeners directly.
Why do most visits come from Bing?+
In this edition Bing accounts for 82% of search visits. The reason is simple: the site has more pages in that index than in the others. Yahoo and DuckDuckGo also draw on the Bing index, so the ranking reflects the people who search through those routes above all.
How often is it updated?+
Once a month, with the previous period's data. There is 1 edition published so far, covering 1 September to 30 September 2026.
Can I quote or republish this data?+
Yes. The data is free to use as long as you credit UK Radios Live as the source and link to this page. If you run a station and want to use your position in your own communications, go ahead.
This ranking is published by UK Radios Live from our own navigation data and updated every month. If you run a station and want to quote your position, link to this page.


















































