Advertising revenue for metropolitan commercial radio stations plunged by 10.2 percent to $181.432 million in the September quarter of 2019, from $202.109 million a year ago, according to data compiled by Deloitte and released today by CRA.
 
Ad revenue fell in all capital cities, with the largest market, Melbourne, down 8.68% to $59.371 million and Sydney down 11.44% to $55.043 million compared to the same period a year ago.
 
Brisbane was 6.70% lower at $28.938 million, Perth declined by 15.87% to $22.247 million and Adelaide dipped 9.39% to $15.832 million.
 
CRA chief executive officer, Joan Warner, says, “The results were not unexpected given the challenging overarching economic influences and broader market conditions.
 
“In response to this challenging environment the industry pro-actively launched a marketing initiative in August, alongside major radio advertisers including ALDI, Qantas and Coles Liquor to remind businesses of the effectiveness of advertising and the benefits of maintaining investment in marketing to grow brand awareness and revenues.
 
“The December quarter leading into Christmas is usually the busiest, and we hope to see the market stabilise before returning to growth.”
 
The Deloitte figures report actual revenue received by metropolitan commercial radio stations and include all agency and direct revenue.