New York - Aug 20, 2010 - The Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB) reports that radio ended the first half of 2010 with an overall revenue gain of 6 percent, powered by back-to-back quarters posting increases at that same level. As noted in the RAB's Q1 report, this performance represents the best in nearly a decade (since Q3 2000, +8 percent).

More than half of radio's top 16 categories showed increased spending, collectively adding 15 percent for a half year gain of more than $500M; within these key categories, growth came from perennial radio advertisers as well as accounts new to radio's airwaves.

The east and southwest regions equally outpaced the second quarter national gain at +7 percent across local and national's leading categories, followed by the central region +5 percent, west +3 percent and south +2 percent. The east and southwest represented 26 percent and 14 percent of total spending within the participating Miller Kaplan markets.

*Local, national, digital and off-air revenues are based on a pool of more than 100 markets as reported by the accounting firm of Miller, Kaplan, Arase and Co. and extrapolated to the entire U.S. Digital Revenue is comprised from activity generated by websites, Internet/web streaming and HD Radio including HD2 and HD3 stations. Network revenue includes the top five radio network companies. Non-spot data has been collected and verified since January of 2002, and reported since September of 2004.

Read the full RAB report.