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Despite the unceasing onslaught Web-based technology and predictions of being "subsumed" by new media, Canadian radio refuses to sign-off and die.

Instead, local radio advertisers turned up the dial recently to announce that radio ad sales for the third quarter of 2008 grew by an estimated 8.7 per cent compared to Q3 of the previous year.

"National radio has now posted eight consecutive quarters of positive growth -that's the longest stretch since Q1 of 2002," according to Patrick Grierson, president of Canadian Broadcast Sales (CBS). The CBS is a Toronto-based country-wide sales firm representing more that 60 per cent of all Canadian radio stations.

The normal quarterly churn of ad sales in the industry is approximately 40 per cent. "However, during this year's Q3 only 33 per cent of revenue from 2007 did not repeat," said Grier.

CBS was able to increase sales from new sources by 41 per cent to compensate for the turnover and now, Grier expects the positive pace to continue and ring up a 9 per cent annual growth.

Technology analysts note that consumer eyeballs are increasingly turning to online media but for now radio -- which has been on air since the early 1900s -- still holds a sizeable share of the airwaves.

"There is a shift in consumer behaviour and marketing expenditures but the existing media is not yet ready to go the way of the Dodo bird," said Lawrence Surtees, vice-president of communications research for IDC Canada, and a former journalist.

For instance, he said, Canadian news consumers largely rely on traditional media for their current events fix because of its long held reputation for trustworthiness, the professionalism of its practitioners and quality of content.

A survey titled The National Media Choice and Trust Poll conducted last year by the IDC Canada indicated that 65 per cent of Canadian households have high speed Internet access. More than 42 per cent of access some form of online media for general new and another 21 per cent of consumers turn to online sources for breaking news.

However, 95 per cent of Canadians still rely on traditional media such as newspapers, radio and TV, for general new and an estimated 82 per cent use the same distribution channels to receive breaking news.

The CBS did not release and any dollar figures but reported that for Q3 of 2008, ads from restaurants were up 62.1 per cent; alcoholic beverages ads rose 27.3 per cent; financial services and insurance ads was up 22. 7 per cent; retail, 18.6 per cent and automotive ads rose by 12.2 per cent.

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