Radio Revenue Drops in April Comps

April 2001 radio revenue is off when compared to last year’s historic high. The RAB says local dollars declined 5 %, while national dollars were down 20 % for the month. Combined local and national sales dropped 9 %.
But the RAB points out that last year’s numbers, when April’s combined local and national sales were up 22 % from the same month the year before, masks that radio revenues have increased significantly since 1998. Local dollars have increased more than 31 %, national 18 % and combined radio revenue has increased almost 31 % since 1998, according to the RAB.
RAB President/CEO Gary Fries said the industry still must face the worse month of all: May 2000, when the dot-com dollars peaked.
“While we still have May ahead of us with the biggest and toughest comparison, we are seeing a resurgence in specific categories and the outlook for the second half of 2001 remains positive.”
RAB’s monthly revenue reports are based on a 100-market survey conducted by the accounting firms Miller, Kaplan, Arase & Co and Aldrin, Nichols and Carter.