Operating revenues at private radio stations dipped for the second straight year in 2015, according to the latest StatsCan numbers.

Overall revenues dropped 0.5% or $7.8 million to hit $1.6 billion in 2015.

In 2015, 98.4% of total operating revenues for private radio broadcasting came from ad revenue. Local advertising revenue dropped 1% from 2014 to 2015, but still accounted for 66.7% of total operating revenue. National and network advertising was up 0.9% for the year, totalling 31.7% of the total operating revenue.

A drop in operating expenses led to an overall slight increase in profit margins, which went up 0.4% in 2015, from 18.6% to 19% in 2015.

The Atlantic provinces, along with Saskatchewan, were the only areas of the country to post profit margin growth of 1% or higher in 2015.

In 2015, the profit margin before interest and taxes for the Atlantic provinces was 16.8%, up 1.7% from 2014. Saskatchewan’s profit margin was 10.4%, up 1% from 2014.

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