Tens of thousands of new listeners have joined kmfm over the last three months – making the station bigger than BBC Radio Kent.

The station, which broadcasts exclusively from Kent to Kent, now has a weekly audience of 198,100, according to official figures from industry measuring body Rajar.

People are listening for longer too, with an increase of 165,000 hours over the last quarter.

Rob Wills, head of programming at kmfm and host of our Drive show, said: “We are delighted to have welcomed so many new listeners – it shows how much people really value a truly local station.

“Listeners are staying with us for longer too, from Breakfast with Garry and Chelsea right through to the end of the day.”

Meanwhile BBC Radio Kent has seen its audience slide to 174,100 in the same period.

The BBC is pushing through controversial plans to reduce the amount of local content on its radio stations even further and spend the money on more online news instead.

Ian Carter, editorial director of kmfm’s parent company Iliffe Media Group, said: “It’s really important for us to be a completely Kent and Medway-focused station.

“We broadcast from studios in the heart of Medway, and have reporters based in offices across the county contributing to our news bulletins. That helps build brilliant relationships with our readers and advertisers.”

As well as broadcasting on FM across the county, you can listen to kmfm online at kmfm.co.uk/radioplayer

You can also watch selected shows on KMTV, which is broadcast on Freeview channel 7 and Virgin Media channel 159 or at kmtv.co.uk

There are plenty of extra reasons to listen to kmfm over the coming weeks and we bring you the best in entertainment.

From Monday, you can win a Valentine’s night out by tuning into Breakfast with Garry and Chelsea. Find out more here.

Just answer your phone with the Valentine's phrase and a romantic prize could be yours.