US radio revenue rebounded in January according to the latest totals released by the Radio Advertising Bureau. National sales were up 2% when compared with January 2001 and local revenue increased by 1% year on year. The combined total for local and national spending also grew by 1% in year on year comparison.
The announcement was made by Gary Fries, president and CEO of the RAB. IN February Fries predicted that Radio would experience positive growth in January.
In order to put the growth of the industry into perspective, the RAB has developed a sales index which equates base year 1998 to 100, working in a similar way to the consumer price index.
The local sales index for January 2002 is 135.7, the national index is 127.4 and the combined total is 133.5.
| US Radio Revenue Jan 2002 v Jan 2001 |
| Local Revenue |
| All Markets |
1% |
| Local Sales Index |
135.7 |
| National Revenue |
| All Markets |
2% |
| National Sales Index |
127.4 |
| Local & National Revenue |
| All Markets |
1% |
| Combined Sales Index |
133.5 |
| Source: RAB USA, 14.03.02 |
“The Radio industry has withstood economic turbulence in the past and it has done so again,” Fries commented. “Radio is a resilient, effective medium that delivers for its advertisers during down times as well as good. Looking ahead, I think we will see a slight glitch in February, brought on by the absence of traditional television sweeps advertising due to the Olympics. Following that, all indicators point to on-going sustained growth as the year progresses.”
