How to source radio advertising cost data

What to take away

Anchor every figure to a named source and a date, or label it clearly as an illustrative example. The most common mistake is building a cost guide from rate-card anecdotes and one station quote, then calling the result a market range. Finance teams reject it on sight.
Use official price indices to restate older costs in current money, and cite HMRC guidance for how the spend is treated.
Show one worked example with labelled pound figures instead of a table of invented averages.
Link the guide to wider budget planning so readers see how one line item fits the campaign.

Why anecdotes fail as evidence

A guide that says "radio costs about £X" without a source is a liability. Station rate cards vary by daypart, audience size and contract length. A quote given to one advertiser is not a market rate.

The ONS reported that UK consumer price inflation was 2.6% in the 12 months to November 2024 (Consumer price inflation, UK: November 2024, published 18 December 2024). Use that dated figure when you restate an older radio quote.

Rate card vs market rate

Rate card

What it is: Published price per spot
Daypart: Listed by daypart
Commission: Before agency commission
Discounts: Before volume discounts
Use in guide: Starting point

Market rate

What it is: What advertisers actually pay
Daypart: Varies by audience size
Commission: After commission
Discounts: After volume discounts
Use in guide: Needs named source

Rate cards list a published price per spot, often by daypart, before agency commission and volume discounts. Station groups such as Global and Bauer publish rate cards through their sales houses. Two stations chasing the same audience can publish very different prices.

If you cannot verify a figure, leave it out or label it as an illustrative example. For example, a team paying £400 a month for a local spot package tells a reader nothing about a national campaign. What it does show is how to structure a line item.

Our costs and budget guide sets out how one airtime line sits beside production, talent and compliance costs. For production, PPL and PRS for Music license recorded music and compositions. For clearance, Radiocentre's RACC clearance service pre-clears commercials under the BCAP code.

The Office for National Statistics publishes the Consumer price inflation, UK: November 2024 dataset in its inflation and price index data collection, which lets you restate older cost figures in current prices. Use it when comparing a 2024 quote with a 2026 budget.

Which figures need a source

Any number claiming to be a market average, a typical rate or a benchmark needs a named source and a date. Numbers that show how a calculation works can be labelled illustrative.

Does this figure need a source?

Is the number a market average, typical rate or benchmark?

Yes

Name the source and date it

Label it as an illustrative example

A date matters as much as a name. A 2023 figure quoted in a 2026 guide is a historical number unless you restate it in current prices.

Tax treatment is separate. HMRC's Business Income Manual BIM42550 on tax and expense treatment for advertising and marketing spend helps you explain whether airtime and production costs are allowable business expenses. That matters when a reader weighs radio against other channels.

When you compare radio with digital alternatives, use the LinkedIn advertising costs and pricing page as a display reference, and add a named digital audio source such as Global's DAX for streaming and podcast rates. Keep radio and online audio spend on separate lines.

Structure the worked example

A worked example should show the arithmetic, not assert a total. Use round numbers and label each one.

Item	Amount	Basis
Airtime, 30-second spot, 20 slots	£2,000	Hypothetical example for a local commercial station
Production, single voice	£500	Hypothetical example for a local commercial station
Scheduling and trafficking	£250	Hypothetical example for a local commercial station
Total campaign cost	£2,750	Sum of above

State clearly that these are hypothetical figures for a local commercial station, not a market average. A reader can substitute their own quote and follow the same structure.

Add a cost per thousand impressions line once you know the audience figure. In the UK, RAJAR is the audience measurement body; cite the survey period and report when you quote reach or hours. It lets a reader place radio spend beside other channels on the same basis.

Present ranges not averages

Where you have several verified quotes, show the range and the source. "Quotes from three stations ranged from £X to £Y in [month, year]" is defensible. "The average radio spot costs £Z" is not, unless a named body published it.

Say how many quotes sit behind the range and when you collected them. Two quotes make a weak range. Eight make a stronger one, and naming the count lets the reader weigh it.

Ranges also hold up when rates move. If a reader checks the source and finds a different number, the range still stands.

Tie cost to return

A cost guide that stops at spend invites the question of what it returned. Add a short section linking to our return on investment guide, where measurement methods are set out. Cost without return is a budget line, not a business case.

Common questions

These are the questions readers ask most often when they audit a cost guide.

Can I use station rate cards as a source?

Yes, if you name the station and the date the rate card was published. Discounts are common.

How do I label a figure I cannot verify?

Write "illustrative example" next to the number. Do not present it as a typical rate, because a reader cannot trace it.

Should I include VAT in the figures?

Be consistent. Most rate cards exclude VAT, and the standard UK VAT rate is 20%. Show costs excluding VAT and add a line explaining that VAT may apply.

How often should I update the guide?

Review it whenever a source changes or the ONS publishes a new price index. A guide with undated figures loses credibility quickly.