25-55 Age Pop/General Range/Oldies Stations
Here we are then, the stations that play a cross section of pop music from across the years, targeting the 25-55/60 market, some with an element of current songs, (eg Ofcom FORCES BBC Radio 2 to play 20% "new music" in daytime hours) and some without any current songs at all. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the big groups are all in on the action in this genre with at least two offerings from each of Global and Bauer is this sector, (and each also with back up "decade" and other variations on the main brand, as you'll find out on other pages). Once again the BBC's Radio 2 is streets ahead with over 4000 different songs played, almost 3 times the next nearest commercial rival, but you may notice R2 doesn't start off playing as many songs as the commercial stations (due to the Ofcom rule already mentioned), however after just a few days keeps it's new plays going, where the commercial rivals with their far smaller playlists, quickly run out of "new song" steam.
Union Jack, playing just British artists, was a national DAB station opening in 2016, but it closed suddenly in early 2022. Even though no longer broadcasting, it's data is still currently included in this list for interest. Virgin 80's plus is the newest in this arena, it was launched on 1st Sept 2022. Off the back of the success of Bauer's Greatest HIts, is Gold Radio looking forward to a revamp and relaunch by Global? Answers on a Postcard!
Analysis: 25 days, up to 01-07-2026
NUMBER OF PLAYS IDENTIFIED: 6749
Number of DIFFERENT Songs Played: 3972
Variety factor for this station is : 58.8%
50% OF PLAYS is 919 Songs (23.1% of the total)
A THIRD OF PLAYS represents:
The 388 MOST played songs (9.7% of the total)
or 2250 LEAST played songs (56.6% of the total)
Most played airs on average every: 9h 31m
10th most played song airs every: 18h 45m
388th most played song airs every: 8d 8h
919th most played song airs every: 12d 12h
No. of songs with 5 or less plays: 3908 (98.3%)
Lowest Number of NEW SONGS on any day:
85 after 22 DAYS
Top 10 Most Played:
1 [63 plays] Taylor Swift - I Knew It, I Knew You
2 [53 plays] Appleton - Ready To Begin
3 [50 plays] Ariana Grande - hate that i made you love me
4= [45 plays] each for...
+ Kylie Minogue - Light Up
+ Script - Man In The Arena
6 [43 plays] ROLE MODEL - High Hopes 3000
7= [41 plays] each for...
+ Alex Warren - PASSENGER
+ Backstreet Boys - Bottle Up
9 [37 plays] Myles Smith - Hold Me In The Dark
10 [32 plays] Chaka Khan and Snoop Dogg - Boogie's In My Soul
Analysis: 26 days, up to 01-07-2026
NUMBER OF PLAYS IDENTIFIED: 10721
Number of DIFFERENT Songs Played: 1823
Variety factor for this station is : 17%
50% OF PLAYS is 164 Songs (8.9% of the total)
A THIRD OF PLAYS represents:
The 93 MOST played songs (5.1% of the total)
or 1564 LEAST played songs (85.7% of the total)
Most played airs on average every: 5h 4m
10th most played song airs every: 16h 51m
93rd most played song airs every: 22h 17m
164th most played song airs every: 1d 3h 7m
No. of songs with 5 or less plays: 1455 (79.8%)
Lowest Number of NEW SONGS on any day:
14 after 25 DAYS
Top 15 Most Played:
1= [123 plays] each for...
+ Bruno Mars - I Just Might
+ Taylor Swift - I Knew It, I Knew You
3 [122 plays] Taylor Swift - Opalite
4= [119 plays] each for...
+ Alex Warren - Fever Dream
+ Myles Smith - Stay (If You Wanna Dance)
6 [114 plays] Alex Warren - Ordinary
7 [110 plays] Post Malone feat. Morgan Wallen - I Had Some Help
8= [38 plays] each for...
+ Calvin Harris Feat. Rag 'N' Bone Man - Giant
+ Sweet Female Attitude - Flowers
10= [37 plays] each for...
+ Avicii - Hey Brother
+ Benson Boone - Beautiful Things
+ David Guetta feat. Sia - Titanium
+ Hozier - Too Sweet
+ Leann Rimes - Can't Fight The Moonlight
+ Shaboozey - A Bar Song (Tipsy)
Analysis: 23 days, up to 01-07-2026
NUMBER OF PLAYS IDENTIFIED: 5886
Number of DIFFERENT Songs Played: 1935
Variety factor for this station is : 32.8%
50% OF PLAYS is 397 Songs (20.5% of the total)
A THIRD OF PLAYS represents:
The 227 MOST played songs (11.7% of the total)
or 1319 LEAST played songs (68.1% of the total)
Most played airs on average every: 1d 15h 25m
10th most played song airs every: 1d 22h
227th most played song airs every: 3d 6h 51m
397th most played song airs every: 4d 14h 24m
No. of songs with 5 or less plays: 1586 (81.9%)
Lowest Number of NEW SONGS on any day:
27 after 17 DAYS
Top 16 Most Played:
1 [14 plays] Candi Staton - Young Hearts Run Free
2= [13 plays] each for...
+ Baccara - Yes Sir I Can Boogie
+ Fleetwood Mac - Don't Stop
4= [12 plays] each for...
+ Amii Stewart - Knock On Wood
+ Billy Joel - My Life
+ Billy Ocean - Red Light Spells Danger
+ Boston - More Than A Feeling
+ Chaka Khan - I'm Every Woman
+ Donna Summer - Hot Stuff
+ Donna Summer - I Feel Love
+ Lynyrd Skynyrd - Sweet Home Alabama
+ Mcfadden and Whitehead - Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now
+ Stevie Wonder - Superstition
+ T-Rex - Get It On
+ Trammps - Disco Inferno
+ Yvonne Elliman - If I Can't Have You
Analysis: 23 days, up to 01-07-2026
NUMBER OF PLAYS IDENTIFIED: 8895
Number of DIFFERENT Songs Played: 993
Variety factor for this station is : 11.1%
50% OF PLAYS is 260 Songs (26.1% of the total)
A THIRD OF PLAYS represents:
The 164 MOST played songs (16.5% of the total)
or 623 LEAST played songs (62.7% of the total)
Most played airs on average every: 22h 4m
10th most played song airs every: 1d 2h 17m
164th most played song airs every: 1d 10h 30m
260th most played song airs every: 1d 12h 48m
No. of songs with 5 or less plays: 382 (38.4%)
Lowest Number of NEW SONGS on any day:
2 after 21 DAYS
Top 15 Most Played:
1 [25 plays] Blondie - Heart Of Glass
2 [23 plays] Kate Bush - Wuthering Heights
3= [22 plays] each for...
+ Andrew Gold - Lonely Boy
+ Barry Manilow - Copacabana
+ Thunderclap Newman - Something In The Air
6= [21 plays] each for...
+ Animals - House Of The Rising Sun
+ Aretha Franklin - I Say A Little Prayer
+ Edison Lighthouse - Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)
+ Gerry Rafferty - Baker Street
+ Kinks - Waterloo Sunset
+ Love Affair - Rainbow Valley
+ Mary Wells - My Guy
+ Nick Lowe - Cruel To Be Kind
+ Petula Clark - Downtown
+ Rod Stewart - Maggie May
Analysis: 24 days, up to 01-07-2026
NUMBER OF PLAYS IDENTIFIED: 7069
Number of DIFFERENT Songs Played: 795
Variety factor for this station is : 11.2%
50% OF PLAYS is 176 Songs (22.1% of the total)
A THIRD OF PLAYS represents:
The 100 MOST played songs (12.5% of the total)
or 516 LEAST played songs (64.9% of the total)
Most played airs on average every: 10h 6m
10th most played song airs every: 20h 34m
100th most played song airs every: 1d 9h 52m
176th most played song airs every: 1d 17h 8m
No. of songs with 5 or less plays: 332 (41.7%)
Lowest Number of NEW SONGS on any day:
ZERO after 23 DAYS
Top 10 Most Played:
1 [57 plays] Olivia Dean - Man I Need
2 [56 plays] Taylor Swift - The Fate Of Ophelia
3= [55 plays] each for...
+ Alex Warren - Carry You Home
+ Alex Warren - Ordinary
5= [54 plays] each for...
+ Myles Smith - Nice To Meet You
+ Raye - Where Is My Husband
7 [50 plays] Olivia Dean - So Easy
8 [31 plays] Billy Joel - Uptown Girl
9 [29 plays] Crowded House - Weather With You
10 [28 plays] Boy Meets Girl - Waiting For A Star To Fall
Analysis: 25 days, up to 01-07-2026
NUMBER OF PLAYS IDENTIFIED: 11094
Number of DIFFERENT Songs Played: 2085
Variety factor for this station is : 18.7%
50% OF PLAYS is 286 Songs (13.7% of the total)
A THIRD OF PLAYS represents:
The 158 MOST played songs (7.5% of the total)
or 1607 LEAST played songs (77% of the total)
Most played airs on average every: 12h 14m
10th most played song airs every: 18h 10m
158th most played song airs every: 1d 11h 17m
286th most played song airs every: 2d 2h
No. of songs with 5 or less plays: 1498 (71.8%)
Lowest Number of NEW SONGS on any day:
29 after 22 DAYS
Top 13 Most Played:
1 [49 plays] Roxette - It Must Have Been Love
2 [40 plays] John Waite - Missing You
3 [39 plays] Maria McKee - Show Me Heaven
4 [36 plays] Tina Turner - What's Love Got To Do With It
5 [35 plays] Berlin - Take My Breath Away
6 [34 plays] Candi Staton - Young Hearts Run Free
7= [33 plays] each for...
+ Christopher Cross - Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)
+ Crusaders - Street Life
+ Dusty Springfield - Son Of A Preacher Man
+ Eric Carmen - Hungry Eyes
+ Gladys Knight and The Pips - Midnight Train To Georgia
+ Savage Garden - Truly Madly Deeply
+ Spandau Ballet - True
Analysis: 23 days, up to 01-07-2026
NUMBER OF PLAYS IDENTIFIED: 7986
Number of DIFFERENT Songs Played: 5830
Variety factor for this station is : 73%
50% OF PLAYS is 1838 Songs (31.5% of the total)
A THIRD OF PLAYS represents:
The 1059 MOST played songs (18.1% of the total)
or 2661 LEAST played songs (45.6% of the total)
Most played airs on average every: 1d 12h 48m
10th most played song airs every: 3d 6h 51m
1059th most played song airs every: 11d 12h
1838th most played song only played once
No. of songs with 5 or less plays: 5813 (99.7%)
Lowest Number of NEW SONGS on any day:
146 after 22 DAYS
Top 14 Most Played:
1 [15 plays] Keith Urban Feat. Michael Mcdonald - We Go Back
2= [10 plays] each for...
+ Elles Bailey - Cant Take My Story Away
+ Shires - Watching You Watching Me
4 [9 plays] Fizz - A Crazy Shot In The Dark
5= [8 plays] each for...
+ Autoleisureland - Almost Light
+ Christians - When Saturday Comes
+ Riva Taylor - Maestro
+ Tim Ambler - Tonight Is The Night
9= [7 plays] each for...
+ Coral - Let The Music Play
+ Liam Price - Two Horse Town
+ Mari Wilson - Good News
+ Motel Sundown - Why
+ Paul Mccartney - Ripples On A Pond
+ Paul Mccartney And Ringo Starr Feat. Chrissie Hynde - Home To Us
Analysis: 27 days, up to 01-07-2026
NUMBER OF PLAYS IDENTIFIED: 8304
Number of DIFFERENT Songs Played: 1941
Variety factor for this station is : 23.3%
50% OF PLAYS is 399 Songs (20.5% of the total)
A THIRD OF PLAYS represents:
The 211 MOST played songs (10.8% of the total)
or 1318 LEAST played songs (67.9% of the total)
Most played airs on average every: 10h 27m
10th most played song airs every: 11h 10m
211th most played song airs every: 3d 9h
399th most played song airs every: 3d 20h 34m
No. of songs with 5 or less plays: 1290 (66.4%)
Lowest Number of NEW SONGS on any day:
11 after 24 DAYS
Top 10 Most Played:
1 [62 plays] Ella Langley - Choosin Texas
2= [61 plays] each for...
+ Olivia Rodrigo - Drop Dead
+ Raye - Where Is My Husband!
+ Sombr - Homewrecker
5= [60 plays] each for...
+ Gracie Abrams - That's So True
+ Taylor Swift - The Fate of Ophelia
7 [59 plays] Script - Man In The Arena
8= [58 plays] each for...
+ Lola Young - Messy
+ Olivia Dean - Man I Need
+ Teddy Swims - Mr Know It All
This station was closed on 29th June 2026, with voicetrack jocks moving to & frequencies becoming the pre-exisiting Nation 60s. Here's the Analysis from the last month of operation!
28 days, up to 28-06-2026
NUMBER OF PLAYS IDENTIFIED: 10850
Number of DIFFERENT Songs Played: 1297
Variety factor for this station is : 11.9%
50% OF PLAYS is 243 Songs (18.7% of the total)
A THIRD OF PLAYS represents:
The 131 MOST played songs (10.1% of the total)
or 893 LEAST played songs (68.8% of the total)
Most played airs on average every: 17h 13m
10th most played song airs every: 19h 12m
131st most played song airs every: 1d 9h 36m
243rd most played song airs every: 2d 0h
No. of songs with 5 or less plays: 633 (48.8%)
Lowest Number of NEW SONGS on any day:
1 after 22 DAYS
Top 10 Most Played:
1 [39 plays] O'jays - Love Train
2= [37 plays] each for...
+ Pilot - Magic
+ Pink Floyd - Another Brick In The Wall
+ Yvonne Elliman - If I Can't Have You
5= [36 plays] each for...
+ Ace - How Long
+ Bellamy Brothers - Let Your Love Flow
+ Maxine Nightingale - Right Back Where We Started From
+ Tom Robinson Band - 2-4-6-8 Motorway
9= [35 plays] each for...
+ Elton John - Part Time Love
+ Wild Cherry - Play That Funky Music
** No longer broadcasting !! **
Historic Analysis: 24 days, up to March 2022
NUMBER OF PLAYS IDENTIFIED: 7948
Number of DIFFERENT Songs Played: 788
Variety factor for this station is : 9.9%
50% OF PLAYS is 136 Songs (17.2% of the total)
A THIRD OF PLAYS represents:
The 83 MOST played songs (10.5% of the total)
or 568 LEAST played songs (72% of the total)
Most played airs on average every: 6h 32m
10th most played song airs every: 16h 56m
83rd most played song airs every: 21h 20m
136th most played song airs every: 1d 2h 10m
No. of songs with 5 or less plays: 386 (48.9%)
Lowest Number of NEW SONGS on any day:
ZERO after 18 DAYS
Different songs played in 1 month: 1004
..in 3 months: 1334, in 6 months: 1560
..in 9 months: 1664, in 12 months: 1928
Top 10 Most Played:
1 [88 plays] George Ezra - Blame It On Me
2 [71 plays] James Bay - Hold Back The River
3 [65 plays] Freya Ridings - Castles
4 [64 plays] Ed Sheeran - Thinking Out Loud
5 [58 plays] Sam Smith - I'm Not The Only One
6= [57 plays] each for...
+ Freya Ridings - Lost Without You
+ Sam Smith - Money On My Mind
8 [53 plays] Florence And The Machine - Shake It Out
9= [34 plays] each for...
+ Coldplay - Viva La Vida
+ Kt Tunstall - Suddenly I See
We're monitoring all the most important UK radio stations 24-7, so if you'd like the full "chapter and verse" on what they've all been playing, and the full month most played songs lists, then we can provide them - We've even got some data going back to 2008!! Our charges start at just £12 (exc VAT) for one station, so that's a FULL LISTING of every song or classical piece a station has played, with dates and times, plus a stats package with the full "most played" chart for the month listing EVERY song they've played and how many times, ranked from most played to least... so if they've played 3174 different songs, that'll be a 1 to 3174 chart!
Subscriptions (minimum term 1 year, exc VAT)
£12 / month for a monthly 1 station subscription
£60 / month for monthly 5 *different* station subscription, building up a 60 station snapshot across the year ** Our most popular enthusiast package **
£120 / month for a monthly 12 stations subscription
£240 / month for a monthly 30 station subscription ** Our most popular corporate package! **
£420 / month for a monthly 60+ station subscription ** includes bonus FREE Christmas Station breakdowns! **
One off's
£25 (exc VAT) per station per month, but discounts can apply for larger orders depending how much work is involved getting the data you want, so there are certainly bulk discounts to be had for multiple stations and the same data for each... Get in touch with us for more information, and let us know the sort of thing you're after - there's no commitment and we'll try to reply within 24 hours!
If you want an idea of how we can work with your business, don't forget to tell us what you're aiming to achieve - For Radio Monitoring, which genres or which particular stations do you want data on? We can provide full lists of songs played and how many times per week or per month etc, they aired.
Don't forget we can also provide hand picked music libraries for any genre you want for a radio or background music station using our software -
We offer both PC Based or streaming delivery solutions - a radio style service, just music, or with promotional messages too?