Media / Talk of the Trade: Radio 2 is tops

If you find yourself twiddling the dial and escaping to the emollient tones of Radio 2, you are not alone. Radio Joint Audience Research (Rajar) figures released yesterday show the once-reviled 'naff' housewives' network has become Britain's most popular station, with a 12.9 per cent share, ousting the revamped Radio 1, which has 11.8 per cent.

The credit goes to Frances Line, controller of Radio 2, and her down-to-earth team, who in the past four years have fought off talk of privatisation and the worst excesses of Birtism, injecting a little change into the schedules while sticking with tried and tested formulae such as the annual search for Radio 2's National Big Band, now in its 20th year. At a time when commercial radio is looking for any opening, Radio 1 and Radio 4 might usefully consider Ms Line's strategy of not infuriating loyal listeners - there would never be any question of Gerry Anderson being landed on Radio 2 listeners five days a week.