Commercial Radio Turns In Record Revenue Growth

Commercial radio advertising revenue has hit a record high of £453 million for the year to September 1999, according to new figures released by the Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB) and the Radio Authority (RA). The figure, which represents a 13.3% year on year growth, was boosted by a huge 31.0% increase in radio adspend by national advertisers.

The Q3 RAB figures confirm that radio is set to be the fastest-growing medium, in terms of ad revenue, for the sixth year out of seven, discounting the internet. Revenue for Q3 1999 came in at £118 million, the highest ever Q3 figure and an 18.5% increase on the same period last year.

According to recently-published quarterly figures from the Advertising Association, radio took 5.4% of display advertising in the year to June 1999. The RAB expects this to grow further. Justin Sampson, operations director for the Bureau, says: “We’re confident that radio will achieve a 6% share of display in the next 6-12 months.”

Radio Advertising Bureau: 0171 306 2500