The audience numbers of the favorite channel reveal a collapse

At the Radio Gala organized on Friday, April 10, radio professionals were celebrated and the best of the industry last year were awarded.

In the public voting, presenter Niko Saarinen and his together with Niko Nousiainen and Mari-Princessa of Ståhlhammar piloted by the Saarinen Shöy program.

The radio presenter of the year award was Saarinen’s fourth in a row. Also Saarinen and Julianna Jokelan NRJ’s Aamu, hosted by NRJ, has won awards in previous years.

However, there has been a significant drop in the number of listeners of the popular NRJ channel.

According to the National Radio Survey conducted by Finnpanel, the channel now reaches an average of 237,000 listeners per week. Iltalehti looked at the channels’ listener numbers in the period between December and February, i.e. at the turn of 2025–2026. This is because in the radio world, the so-called official measure is the three-month average listenership.

In the same period a year earlier, NRJ reached an average of 300,000 listeners per week.

The audience numbers of many other favorite channels have also decreased. For example, Radio Suomipop still reached an average of 755,000 listeners a week at that time a year ago. Now only 580,000. For example, Radio Rock also reached an average of 573,000 listeners a week a year ago, today 511,000.

It is not unusual that the listenership figures have decreased from a year ago. For example, listening to podcasts has increased considerably in the same period, according to the National Radio Survey. Today, there are numerous platforms in Finland that focus on podcast or audiobook content, and there are even more podcasts than ever before.

Podcasts reach an average of 1,123,000 listeners per week, while a year earlier the same figure for a three-month period was 1,061,000.

The biggest loss of listeners has occurred at Radio Suomipop. Comparing the figures of average weekly listeners, the channel has lost almost a quarter of its listeners.

NRJ and Suomiräp have also lost more than a fifth of their listeners in a year.

Only a few radio channels today reach more listeners than a year ago. PopFM, a newcomer to the radio field, had a strong opening and was awarded radio of the year at the recently organized Radiogala. In December-February, PopFM gathered an average of 360,000 listeners per week, and it may have taken listeners from NRJ and Suomipop, because their drop falls in the same period.

Of the channels that were already active last year, the Yle channels Yle Vega and Yle X3M and the commercial channels Iskelmä, Hitmix, Radio City, Radio Pooki, Radio Helsinki and Kasari reached more listeners during the measurement period.

Changes in the mornings

Weekday mornings are known to be prime time for radios, i.e. that’s when the channels reach the most listeners, when people listen to the radio during morning activities or on their way to work. Radio channels and advertisers therefore invest the most in the morning program slot.

Over the years, many radio presenters have also told about their hopes of becoming morning program presenters.

Iltalehti got hold of the data, which shows the average weekly listeners of the channels’ morning programs from December to February. The figures cover the period between 6 and 10 a.m., although the duration and start times of the channels’ morning programs vary somewhat.

For example, Radio Suomipop’s Aamulypsy and NRJ’s Saarinen Shöy stand out in the comparison. Suomipop’s Aamulypsy has lost about a third of its listeners compared to the same time a year ago. NRJ’s morning listenership has fallen by more than a third during the year.

One reason for the drop may be that there were changes in the presenters of NRJ’s morning broadcasts last year, when Julianna Jokela quit as the channel’s morning presenter in the spring. Saarinen Shöy started in August, hosted by Niko Saarinen, Mari-Prinsessa Ståhlhammar and Niko Nousiainen. The start of the new program has been slow, at least in terms of numbers, because in December-February, NRJ was listened to by an average of only 73,000 people per week in the period 06-10, which ranks only 13th even in the morning comparison of commercial channels.

On the other hand, for example, Radio Nova’s Aamu has managed to reach even more listeners. During the measurement period, Radio Nova’s Aamu reached an average of 522,000 listeners per week, while a year earlier it reached an average of 473,000. Aamulypsy and Radio Rock’s Korporaatio, who are fighting for second place, were far away, at least in December-February, as Suomipop’s morning was listened to by an average of 298,000 people per week during the measurement period, and Korporaatio by 255,000. The fall of Aamulypsy Jaajo Linnonmaa and Anni Hautala from the early peak years has been great, because the program hosted by Jaajo was listened to by more than 800,000 Finns a week at its best.

There were also recent changes in Nova’s morning line-up. From February 2, Suvi Hartlin joined Minna Kuuka and Kimmo Vehviläinen as the third morning host.

Yle X3M and Alma Lüttgen, by Emilie Nordström mixed Titus Poutanen hosted by the morning show X3M Morgon.

An exception to December’s listener numbers is Jouluradio, which, as a popular seasonal radio, draws listeners from many channels. However, Finnpanel will soon announce the latest listener figures for January-March, and they will no longer show the effect of Jouluradio. Figures will appear as they appear here.