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 12-02-2026
NUMBER OF PLAYS IDENTIFIED: 6494
Number of DIFFERENT Songs Played: 3781
Variety factor for this station is : 58.2%
50% OF PLAYS is 863 Songs (22.8% of the total)
A THIRD OF PLAYS represents:
The 369 MOST played songs (9.7% of the total)
or 2165 LEAST played songs (57.2% of the total)
Most played airs on average every: 9h 50m
10th most played song airs every: 20h
369th most played song airs every: 8d 8h
863rd most played song airs every: 12d 12h
No. of songs with 5 or less plays: 3719 (98.3%)
Lowest Number of NEW SONGS on any day:
82 after 24 DAYS
Different songs played in 1 month: 4361
..in 3 months: 9252, in 6 months: 14062
..in 9 months: 18076, in 12 months: 21303
Top 10 Most Played:
1 [61 plays] Bruno Mars – I Just Might
2 [60 plays] Jack Savoretti – We Will Always Be The Way We Were
3 [56 plays] Harry Styles – Aperture
4= [52 plays] each for…
+ Ella Langley – Choosin’ Texas
+ James – Hallelujah Anyhow
+ Taylor Swift – Opalite
7 [49 plays] Mumford and Sons – The Banjo Song
8 [48 plays] Robbie Williams – All My Life
9 [39 plays] Sabrina Carpenter – Such A Funny Way
10 [30 plays] Jessie Ware – I Could Get Used To This
Analysis: 24 days, up to 12-02-2026
NUMBER OF PLAYS IDENTIFIED: 9763
Number of DIFFERENT Songs Played: 1779
Variety factor for this station is : 18.2%
50% OF PLAYS is 146 Songs (8.2% of the total)
A THIRD OF PLAYS represents:
The 77 MOST played songs (4.3% of the total)
or 1527 LEAST played songs (85.8% of the total)
Most played airs on average every: 4h 45m
10th most played song airs every: 5h 29m
77th most played song airs every: 22h 9m
146th most played song airs every: 1d 3h 25m
No. of songs with 5 or less plays: 1447 (81.3%)
Lowest Number of NEW SONGS on any day:
23 after 19 DAYS
Different songs played in 1 month: 1947
..in 3 months: 2606, in 6 months: 2833
..in 9 months: 3021, in 12 months: 3149
Top 10 Most Played:
1 [121 plays] Alex Warren – Carry You Home
2= [120 plays] each for…
+ Bruno Mars – I Just Might
+ Lola Young – Messy
4 [119 plays] Taylor Swift – Opalite
5 [118 plays] RAYE – Where Is My Husband!
6 [117 plays] Alex Warren – Ordinary
7= [116 plays] each for…
+ Lewis Capaldi – Survive
+ Myles Smith – Nice To Meet You
9 [113 plays] Post Malone feat. Morgan Wallen – I Had Some Help
10 [105 plays] KPop Demon Hunters Cast – Golden
Analysis: 26 days, up to 12-02-2026
NUMBER OF PLAYS IDENTIFIED: 6517
Number of DIFFERENT Songs Played: 2091
Variety factor for this station is : 32%
50% OF PLAYS is 387 Songs (18.5% of the total)
A THIRD OF PLAYS represents:
The 224 MOST played songs (10.7% of the total)
or 1481 LEAST played songs (70.8% of the total)
Most played airs on average every: 1d 12h 42m
10th most played song airs every: 1d 20h 34m
224th most played song airs every: 3d 6h
387th most played song airs every: 4d 8h
No. of songs with 5 or less plays: 1671 (79.9%)
Lowest Number of NEW SONGS on any day:
27 after 23 DAYS
Different songs played in 1 month: 2199
..in 3 months: 3630, in 6 months: 4888
..in 9 months: 5692, in 12 months: 6251
Top 12 Most Played:
1 [17 plays] Curtis Mayfield – Move On Up
2= [15 plays] each for…
+ Billy Ocean – Love Really Hurts Without You
+ Candi Staton – Young Hearts Run Free
+ Sylvester – You Make Me Feel
5= [14 plays] each for…
+ Bachman-Turner Overdrive – You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet
+ Bryan Ferry – Let’s Stick Together
+ John Paul Young – Love Is In The Air
+ Mcfadden and Whitehead – Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now
+ Pink Floyd – Another Brick In The Wall
+ Sister Sledge – He’s The Greatest Dancer
+ Stealers Wheel – Stuck In the Middle With You
+ Thin Lizzy – The Boys Are Back In Town
Analysis: 24 days, up to 12-02-2026
NUMBER OF PLAYS IDENTIFIED: 9435
Number of DIFFERENT Songs Played: 895
Variety factor for this station is : 9.4%
50% OF PLAYS is 234 Songs (26.1% of the total)
A THIRD OF PLAYS represents:
The 147 MOST played songs (16.4% of the total)
or 561 LEAST played songs (62.6% of the total)
Most played airs on average every: 21h 20m
10th most played song airs every: 23h 2m
147th most played song airs every: 1d 6h 18m
234th most played song airs every: 1d 9h 52m
No. of songs with 5 or less plays: 322 (35.9%)
Lowest Number of NEW SONGS on any day:
ZERO after 23 DAYS
Different songs played in 1 month: 927
..in 3 months: 1081, in 6 months: 1192
..in 9 months: 1308, in 12 months: 1355
Top 11 Most Played:
1= [27 plays] each for…
+ Blondie – Heart Of Glass
+ Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel – Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)
3= [26 plays] each for…
+ Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes – (I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life
+ Candi Staton – Young Hearts Run Free
+ Eurythmics – There Must Be An Angel
+ Police – Every Breath You Take
+ Tears For Fears – Everybody Wants To Rule The World
8= [25 plays] each for…
+ Andrew Gold – Lonely Boy
+ Bruce Channel – Hey! Baby
+ Moody Blues – Go Now!
+ Sutherland Brothers and Quiver – Arms Of Mary
Analysis: 23 days, up to 12-02-2026
NUMBER OF PLAYS IDENTIFIED: 6673
Number of DIFFERENT Songs Played: 726
Variety factor for this station is : 10.8%
50% OF PLAYS is 166 Songs (22.8% of the total)
A THIRD OF PLAYS represents:
The 94 MOST played songs (12.9% of the total)
or 464 LEAST played songs (63.9% of the total)
Most played airs on average every: 9h 51m
10th most played song airs every: 20h 26m
94th most played song airs every: 1d 8h 28m
166th most played song airs every: 1d 18h 27m
No. of songs with 5 or less plays: 287 (39.5%)
Lowest Number of NEW SONGS on any day:
2 after 14 DAYS
Different songs played in 1 month: 745
..in 3 months: 946, in 6 months: 1102
..in 9 months: 1181, in 12 months: 1231
Top 11 Most Played:
1 [56 plays] Taylor Swift – The Fate Of Ophelia
2= [54 plays] each for…
+ Benson Boone – Beautiful Things
+ Myles Smith – Nice To Meet You
4 [52 plays] Ed Sheeran – Sapphire
5= [51 plays] each for…
+ Alex Warren – Carry You Home
+ Bruno Mars – I Just Might
+ Olivia Dean – Man I Need
8 [50 plays] Alex Warren – Ordinary
9 [28 plays] Rembrandts – I’ll Be There For You
10= [27 plays] each for…
+ Deep Blue Something – Breakfast At Tiffany’s
+ Sixpence None The Richer – Kiss Me
Analysis: 26 days, up to 12-02-2026
NUMBER OF PLAYS IDENTIFIED: 11167
Number of DIFFERENT Songs Played: 1906
Variety factor for this station is : 17%
50% OF PLAYS is 274 Songs (14.3% of the total)
A THIRD OF PLAYS represents:
The 160 MOST played songs (8.3% of the total)
or 1469 LEAST played songs (77% of the total)
Most played airs on average every: 15h 13m
10th most played song airs every: 19h 30m
160th most played song airs every: 1d 10h 40m
274th most played song airs every: 1d 20h 34m
No. of songs with 5 or less plays: 1304 (68.4%)
Lowest Number of NEW SONGS on any day:
25 after 19 DAYS
Different songs played in 1 month: 2019
..in 3 months: 2631, in 6 months: 2924
..in 9 months: 3104, in 12 months: 3204
Top 13 Most Played:
1 [41 plays] Berlin – Take My Breath Away
2 [38 plays] John Waite – Missing You
3 [37 plays] Prince – The Most Beautiful Girl In The World
4 [36 plays] Gladys Knight and The Pips – Midnight Train To Georgia
5= [35 plays] each for…
+ Maria McKee – Show Me Heaven
+ Roxette – It Must Have Been Love
7 [34 plays] Cyndi Lauper – Time After Time
8 [33 plays] Spice Girls – 2 Become 1
9= [32 plays] each for…
+ Aretha Franklin – I Say A Little Prayer
+ Dirty Dancing – She’s Like The Wind
+ Savage Garden – Truly Madly Deeply
+ Spandau Ballet – True
+ Tina Turner – What’s Love Got To Do With It
Analysis: 24 days, up to 12-02-2026
NUMBER OF PLAYS IDENTIFIED: 7974
Number of DIFFERENT Songs Played: 5863
Variety factor for this station is : 73.5%
50% OF PLAYS is 1877 Songs (32% of the total)
A THIRD OF PLAYS represents:
The 1068 MOST played songs (18.2% of the total)
or 2657 LEAST played songs (45.3% of the total)
Most played airs on average every: 1d 17h 8m
10th most played song airs every: 2d 16h
1068th most played song airs every: 12d 0h
1877th most played song only played once
No. of songs with 5 or less plays: 5848 (99.7%)
Lowest Number of NEW SONGS on any day:
149 after 21 DAYS
Different songs played in 1 month: 6573
..in 3 months: 10147, in 6 months: 12178
..in 9 months: 13307, in 12 months: 14127
Top 11 Most Played:
1 [14 plays] Ruby Turner – Love Down The Line
2 [13 plays] Autoleisureland – All The World Over
3= [12 plays] each for…
+ Dolly Parton Feat. Lainey Wllson , Miley Cyrus, Reba Mcentire And Queen Latifah – Light Of A Clear Blue Morning
+ Squeeze – You Get The Feeling
5= [11 plays] each for…
+ Gleeman Feat. David Grant – Gotta Get On
+ Mumford And Sons – The Banjo Song
7= [10 plays] each for…
+ Jack Savoretti – We Will Always Be The Way We Were
+ Korgis – Coffee In New York
9= [9 plays] each for…
+ Bywater Call – Only
+ Katherine Priddy – Hurricane
+ Vintage Explosion – Thinkin’ Of You
Analysis: 27 days, up to 12-02-2026
NUMBER OF PLAYS IDENTIFIED: 8319
Number of DIFFERENT Songs Played: 1991
Variety factor for this station is : 23.9%
50% OF PLAYS is 392 Songs (19.6% of the total)
A THIRD OF PLAYS represents:
The 206 MOST played songs (10.3% of the total)
or 1377 LEAST played songs (69.1% of the total)
Most played airs on average every: 10h 58m
10th most played song airs every: 12h
206th most played song airs every: 3d 9h
392nd most played song airs every: 3d 20h 34m
No. of songs with 5 or less plays: 1357 (68.1%)
Lowest Number of NEW SONGS on any day:
16 after 17 DAYS
Different songs played in 1 month: 2044
..in 3 months: 3064, in 6 months: 3765
..in 9 months: 4179, in 12 months: 4545
Top 13 Most Played:
1 [59 plays] Olivia Dean – Man I Need
2= [57 plays] each for…
+ Bruno Mars – I Just Might
+ Raye – Where Is My Husband!
4= [56 plays] each for…
+ Benson Boone – Mr Electric Blue
+ Lola Young – Messy
+ Myles Smith – Stay (If You Wanna Dance)
7= [55 plays] each for…
+ Alex Warren – Ordinary
+ Lewis Capaldi – Survive
+ Taylor Swift – The Fate of Ophelia
10= [54 plays] each for…
+ David Guetta feat. Teddy Swims and Tones And I – Gone Gone Gone
+ KPop Demon Hunters – Golden
+ Post Malone feat. Morgan Wallen – I Had Some Help
+ Taylor Swift – Opalite
Analysis: 24 days, up to 12-02-2026
NUMBER OF PLAYS IDENTIFIED: 9496
Number of DIFFERENT Songs Played: 1155
Variety factor for this station is : 12.1%
50% OF PLAYS is 259 Songs (22.4% of the total)
A THIRD OF PLAYS represents:
The 138 MOST played songs (11.9% of the total)
or 739 LEAST played songs (63.9% of the total)
Most played airs on average every: 15h 9m
10th most played song airs every: 16h 56m
138th most played song airs every: 1d 17h 8m
259th most played song airs every: 2d 0h
No. of songs with 5 or less plays: 472 (40.8%)
Lowest Number of NEW SONGS on any day:
1 after 19 DAYS
Different songs played in 1 month: 1210
..in 3 months: 1299, in 6 months: 1382
..in 9 months: 1898, in 12 months: 2177
Top 13 Most Played:
1 [38 plays] Andy Kim – Rock Me Gently
2= [37 plays] each for…
+ Derek And The Dominoes – Layla
+ R Dean Taylor – There’s A Ghost In My House
4= [35 plays] each for…
+ Freda Payne – Band Of Gold
+ Hues Corporation – Rock The Boat
+ Paul Simon – Me / Julio Down By The Schoolyard
+ Pilot – Magic
8= [34 plays] each for…
+ Bachman Turner Overdrive – You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet
+ Chairmen Of The Board – (You’ve Got Me) Dangling On A String
+ Detroit Emeralds – Feel The Need In Me
+ Neil Young – Heart Of Gold
+ New York City – I’m Doing Fine Now
+ Smokey Robinson / Miracles – The Tears Of A Clown
** 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?