Art & Commerce

Sound Waves Radio advertising grew by 9 percent in the first quarter compared to a year ago, and sales cranked up by 12 percent in the month of March alone, the 67th consecutive monthly uptick. The gains are broad-based, spread across the five regions monitored by the Radio Advertising Bureau. The radio industry has undergone a major consolidation, with fewer companies owning more stations than five years ago. This change has helped the industry get tougher when negotiating prices with advertisers, and there has been some squawking over the significant increase in rates.