The fortunes of Sara Cox, the "ladette" presenter who was seen as the saviour of the BBC Radio 1 breakfast show, have taken a turn for the worse with the loss of almost a million listeners in a year.
As figures for Radio 2 continue to soar, Radio 1 is in general decline. The slump, blamed on the World Cup, is a blow for its controller, Andy Parfitt, who had been tipped as the next head of Radio 2.
According to audience figures released yesterday, Cox's figures among listeners aged 15 and over fell from 6.4 million a week to 5.7 million.
Cox's audience had been growing since she replaced Zoe Ball at the start of last year. Listeners warmed to her racy humour - figures this time last year were a record high. But she caused controversy earlier this year after an interview with the spoof rapper Ali G.
The downturn at breakfast is worrying for Radio 1: the programme is the highest profile on the network and is the key weapon in the ratings battle with the BBC's commercial rivals. The network performed poorly overall: adult listeners fell from 11.25 million to 10.5 million. The drop was more marked when children were included in the figures - down from 13.9 million in the second quarter of last year to 12.8 million this year.
At the same time, Radio 2 continues to expand its popularity with a younger audience. It has maintained its lead as Britain's most popular radio station, with an audience that topped 13 million for the first time, up more than a million in a year. The adult audience for Terry Wogan's Radio 2 breakfast programme has outstripped Cox's, rising from 6.9 million a week to 7.4 million.
In the commercial sector, Classic FM consolidated its position as the most popular independent station, with 6.7 million listeners a week, up more than 360,000.
It is more popular in London than Radios 1 and 2, giving a boost to managing director Roger Lewis, who is tipped as a possible contender for the top job at Radio 2.
