Revenue summaries for Canada’s private commercial radio stations recently released by the CRTC show an increase of just over 5% from 2007 figures. It’s being attributed to higher ad revenues for Canada’s commercial radio industry: between 2007 and 2008, local advertising revs increased from $1.09 billion to $1.14 billion and revs from national ad sales increased from $379 million to $406 million.

The report, which provides information on the sector’s revenues and expenditures for the broadcast year from Sept. 1, 2007 to Aug. 31, 2008, found that Canada’s AM and FM radio stations generated $1.58 billion in revenues, representing an increase of $78 million above 2007 numbers. It also found that, over the last five years, total revs for Canada’s radio stations have increased by an annual average of 6.5%.

The same report found that Canada’s 474 FM radio stations generated over $1.25 billion in total revenues, and that the past five years have seen an average FM revenue increase by about 8%. English-language FM station revs were in excess of $1 billion, while French-language stations were at $219 million. Ethnic FM stations also increased their revenues by $16.8 million – over 4%.

The AM dial wasn’t as strong with a decrease of 0.2% in total revenues and 18 fewer AM stations last year. Canada’s 172 AM radio stations generated $329.6 million in 2007, while 154 AM stations generated $329 million in 2008.

While the 136 English-language AM radio stations in Canada have continued to climb with an average 3.3% growth in total revenues, totalling $295 million in 2008, the nine French-language AM stations went from $16.2 million in 2007 to $12.4 million in 2008 – a 24% decrease from the previous year.

Canada’s nine ethnic AM stations experienced a decline of 1.85% in total revs, from $21.8 million in 2007 to $21.4 million in 2008.

CRTC Statistical and Financial Summaries 2004-2008 for Commercial Private Radio can be viewed in full here.