• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, February 19, 2010

An overview of fourth-quarter radio advertising numbers from the Radio Advertising Bureau shows total ad revenues dropping a mere 8% in the fourth quarter of 2009 compared to the same period in 2008 -- a negative result, but less alarming than preceding quarters.

Together with relatively modest declines at newspaper and magazine publishers, the fourth-quarter radio revenue results hold out hope that traditional media has hit the bottom of a long ad-spending decline.

According to the RAB, total fourth-quarter advertising revenue came to about $4.3 billion, while ad revenues for the full-year 2009 topped $16 billion -- representing an 18% decline from 2008. The full-year revenue results clearly reflect the much larger shortfalls experienced by the radio business in the first three quarters of 2009, when the medium posted consecutive quarterly year-over-year declines of 24%, 22% and 16%, respectively.

No one is likely to argue that 2009 was anything less than a disaster for radio -- and traditional media in general -- but at least the fourth quarter ended the year on a somewhat more positive note. The fourth quarter saw noticeable easing in network radio sales, down just 5% to $283 million, while local and national both fell 10% for combined revenues of $3.5 billion.

The less-harsh fourth-quarter figures from the RAB would seem to corroborate some other pieces of good news from radio broadcasters in recent months. According to Katz Media Group, national spot radio sales will probably be up 19% in the first quarter of 2010 compared to the same period in 2009, with Katz's consolidated radio revenues up 26% in January, and pacing up 11% in February and 13% in March.

Clear Channel Radio, which owns Katz, revealed that it sold out both Web and mobile ad inventory for its iHeartRadio digital music emporium in January before the middle of that month.