Radio: Off-air only growth segment in 2007

Off-air operations, which are largely made up of online executions, grew 10% to $1.68 billion during 2007, up from $1.52 billion the previous year, reports Mediaweek. In comparison, network radio revenue for 2007 totaled just $1.2 billion.

However, radio stations could grab more of the local advertising market if they could be more flexible with regard to ad testing and be able to better react to consumer response in terms of creative and offers. Improved metrics are going some way towards persuading marketers to put their budgets into online radio, but more needs to be done.

A recent report from Borrell implies that radio stations could grab a much larger share of local online advertising by employing dedicated digital sales staff and improving their online presence, saying "This is a sophisticated form of advertising. Radio stations for the most part are just piddling around, thinking they can put up a Web site, put some interesting content on it, promote it and sell banners. They'll make a little bit of money, but they're going to leave a huge opportunity on the table."

Tags: digital radio, local online advertising, off-air operations