Mirroring the economic climate, radio revenue results for full-year and fourth-quarter 2007 across various sectors were mixed, with Off-Air and Network growing but Local and National shrinking, according to the Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB).
Off-Air (previously referred to as Non-Spot) continued its double-digit growth streak, up 10% for the year and 12% in Q4, cmpared with the year-earlier periods; Network was up just 1% in Q4 but up 4% for the year, RAB reported.
Below, additional findings issued.
- Local and National, accounting for the vast bulk of revenue, both shrunk:
- Major spending increases by key advertisers in the Communications/Cellular/Public Utilities category resulted in its becoming the No. 2 category and growing 16% in 2007 from 2006 levels:
- Health Care spending increased the most, growing 21% year over year.
- Added spending by advertisers in a group of mid-tier spending categories such as Insurance Companies (No. 7), Concerts/Theaters/Movies (No. 8), Health Care (#12), Casinos/Lotteries (No. 13), and Professional Services (No. 14), in part helped offset pullbacks in the largest category: Automotive? – down 7.3% for the year.
- Some of Radio’s major Automotive partners, however, significantly upped their spending during the year:
