Birmingham-based Kerrang! 105.2 is celebrating its double whammy of overtaking BRMB for the first time locally, as well as making it into the top 10 UK stations for its nationwide DAB broadcast.

However, 100.7 Heart FM still reigns as the most-listened to commercial station in the West Midlands with a increase in weekly reach bringing the station to its highest listening figures since 2006, according to numbers released by radio body Rajar for the final quarter of 2008.

Alternative music station Kerrang! 105.2 added 8,000 listeners to reach 368,000 weekly listeners according to the quarterly figures.

Its fate contrasts with that of 96.4 BRMB, which shed 16,000 listeners in the quarter to December 14 2008, lowering its weekly reach to 365,000.

Kerrang! also made it to tenth in the list of stations on a national level, measured in terms of listening hours.

Kerrang! Radio programme director Gordon Davidson said: “Generally, this has been a fantastic card for commercial radio as a whole in the West Midlands. From Kerrang! Radio’s point of view, to see Radio 1’s hours crash and ours grow is a brilliant achievement for twelve months of hard work.”

The station recently said the Kerrang! brand could eventually be dropped as it seeks to broaden its appeal. Over the past 12 months, Kerrang! has been changing the music it plays to appeal to a wider audience, as well as bringing in more mainstream presenters such as Kate Lawler.

Global Radio-owned Galaxy 102.2, sister station of 100.7 Heart FM, also added listeners - up by 14,000 in the last quarter to 403,000, the second-highest figure the station has seen.

Global Radio West Midlands station director Anita Wright said: “I am absolutely thrilled to see this latest set of audience figures for Heart and Galaxy.

“In a difficult economic climate, we need to shout about the good news as much as we can and this is just that.

“Global Radio West Midlands now has 1.2 million listeners and 9.5 million hours in this marketplace each week, which is an impressive and consistent proposition for our clients and stakeholders.”

Heart Breakfast with Ed James and Rachel New continues to be the No 1 commercial radio programme at breakfast time, with 408,000 tuning in each weekday morning from 6am - 9am.

Smooth Radio is also celebrating an increase in the number of listeners tuning into the station each week. A total of 409,000 adults now listen each week – an increase on both the previous quarter and the year.

Smooth Radio station director Jane Davies said: “Smooth Radio is constantly striving to better itself and these results are testament to the commitment of everyone who works at the radio station”.

BBC WM shed 19,000 listeners to bring in a weekly reach of 274,000.

On a national level, Chris Moyles’s figures have gone up despite some controversy over near-the-knuckle remarks he has made on his Radio 1 show.

Rajar’s figures also showed that Radio 2’s Sir Terry Wogan remains the breakfast king, with 7.96 million listeners tuning in each week, up from 7.74 million in the previous quarter and 7.73 million the previous year.

The Chris Moyles Show has 7.3 million listeners - up from 7.02 million in the previous quarter and a slight drop from 7.31 million the previous year.

Earlier this month, the BBC expressed regret over jokes by Moyles about Auschwitz concentration camp and singer Will Young while Moyles apologised for seeming to suggest on his Radio 1 show in December that Polish people make good prostitutes.

Radio 4 has added half-a-million listeners and recorded its highest listener share, buoyed by a strong performance from the Today programme as listeners tuned in for the latest economic news

The station now has 9.81 million listeners, up from 9.29 million last year and 9.45 million last quarter.

It recorded its highest listener reach since the start of 2003.

During the end of 2008, it posted a “record” share of 12.4 per cent - up from 11.8 per cent the previous year and 11.5 per cent the previous quarter.