It hasn’t been the smoothest of transitions from Chris Moyles to Nick Grimshaw for Radio 1 - the Breakfast Show host Nick has lost more than half a million listeners in the past three months, from a  weekly reach of 5.78 million listeners between December 30 2013 and March 30 this year, to 510,000 listeners from the previous quarter’s figure of 6.29 million This, according to the latest RAJAR figures.

Nick GrimshawNick Grimshaw shuns an older audience in favour of a younger one

Meanwhile, over on BBC Radio 2, Chris Evans has set a new record with his breakfast show audience by pulling in a whopping 9.83 million, which is nearly four million more than his Radio 1 rival. BBC Radio's Helen Boaden said Radio 2 "never fails to surprise and amaze with the diversity of its output". Ken Bruce, Graham Norton and Steve Wright also achieved record audience numbers. Is Radio 1’s heyday officially over?

Well perhaps not. Those numbers are a bit naked. While Grimshaw’s overall figures are dropping at a seemingly alarming rate, he has gained 130,000 of Radio 1's desired under-24 audience. And with networks and stations keen to get the right kind of audience – not just a massive audience – Grimshaw’s ability to attract quality not quantity stands him in good stead. 

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Radio 1 and 1Xtra controller Ben Cooper said: “I was asked to build a younger audience for Radio 1 and regenerate the brand, and these figures show we’re doing exactly that. Grimmy and the Breakfast Show continue to gain young listeners putting on 130,000 under-24s whilst losing 526,000 over-25s, which is the challenge I set him.”

Perhaps hanging out with people like Harry Styles and David Beckham isn't based on friendship, but a cynical marketing ploy to attract impressionable youngsters to the show?