US Radio Set For Slow But Steady Recovery, Says RAB

The Bureau says that national advertising – harder hit than local in the downturn – appears to have finally bottomed out, down 19% for the month. Combined local and national numbers for November, compared to the same month last year, were off 10%.

On a year-to-date basis, local revenue dipped 5% while national numbers fell 19%; the combined total was down 8%.

To put the intermediate and long-term growth of the US radio industry into proper perspective, the RAB has introduced an index that equates base year 1998 to 100. On this measurement, the local sales index for November is 119.7, national is 102.1 and the combined total is 115.5. The year-to-date index is 125.6 for local, 112.8 for national and 123.8 combined total.

November 2001 Year On Year Ad Growth (%)
	All markets (%)	Sales index
Local revenue	-7.0	119.7
National revenue	-19.0	102.1
Local and national revenue	-10.0	115.5
Source: RAB, 14/01/02

Year To November 2001 Ad Growth (%)
	All markets (%)	Sales index
Local revenue	-5.0	125.6
National revenue	-19.0	112.8
Local and national revenue	-8.0	123.8
Source: RAB, 14/01/02

“Local Radio has steadily withstood the onslaught of this year’s sliding economy,” says Gary Fries, president and CEO of the RAB. “We can now see that local ad sales have stabilised and national has finally bottomed out positioning radio for a slow, but steady recovery starting in early 2002.”