Check radio advertising vendor due diligence before you sign

What to take away

Treat vendor due diligence as a gate, not a formalityno signature until the checks below are documented.
Confirm the seller's regulatory position, data protection terms and measurement claims in writing.
Match every claim to evidence you can storecertificates, contracts, audit rights and named contacts.
Build a review date into the contract so diligence is repeated, not filed once and forgotten.

Who you are actually buying from

Confirm the legal entity and its status

Start with Companies House. Check the registered name, company number, filing history and any charges against it. A trading name on a media pack proves nothing. If the entity is new or has dormant accounts, ask who guarantees delivery and get that in writing.

Vendor entity checks

Registered name and company number
Filing history and charges
Dormant accounts or new entity
Who guarantees delivery in writing
Authorisation and inventory contract holder

For any vendor selling or brokering advertising space, check whether it is authorised and by whom. Ofcom licenses radio services, not ad-sales intermediaries. Obtain written evidence of the vendor's appointment and verify it with the named broadcaster or platform; where inventory is resold, ask which party holds the contract.

Map each part of the supply chain before shortlisting: the radio service, inventory owner, sales house, agency and any technology provider. Record which party contracts with you, supplies audience data and handles advertising clearance; do not treat a claimed partnership as proof of appointment.

Check regulatory and licensing touchpoints

Radio and digital audio advertising sits under rules that vary by nation and service type. Ofcom licenses UK radio services, and the advertising codes set content standards. Ask which licence covers the inventory a vendor sells and how complaints are handled.

Policy also moves. The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 gives regulators stronger powers over digital markets and unfair commercial practices, so ask how the vendor tracks its obligations.

Data, contracts and measurement

Test the data protection story

Any vendor handling audience data, targeting lists or campaign reporting must show how it complies with UK GDPR and PECR. The ICO's direct marketing and privacy and electronic communications guidance sets out the consent, soft opt-in and opt-out duties you can test the vendor against. Check the ICO register of fee payers and ask for its registration details or evidence of exemption where applicable; fee status alone does not prove compliance.

Ask for a data processing agreement, a retention schedule and the name of the accountable person. A vague answer is a finding, not a gap to fix later.

Interrogate measurement and reporting claims

Request a redacted sample report from a live campaign. Check what is measured, by whom, and whether the figures come from a panel, a platform or the vendor's own model. If RAJAR (Radio Joint Audience Research) reach is cited, ask which service, period and audience definition it covers, and whether it represents station listening or campaign reach. For digital audio, ask how listen-through is defined, including its source and denominator; labels differ between vendors. Treat anything unverifiable as an assumption you carry.

Pin down the commercial terms

Read the contract for termination rights, notice periods, make-goods, pre-emption rules and who bears the cost of a cancelled campaign. A supplier that resists audit or reporting rights is telling you something useful before you spend.

Run the diligence as a process

A numbered sequence to follow

Gather the vendor's legal name, company number and trading addresses.
Pull Companies House filings; note charges, overdue accounts or recent director changes.
Ask for regulatory authorisation, licence references and complaints handling; verify the relevant Ofcom licence record and sales appointment with the broadcaster or platform.
Request the data processing agreement, retention schedule and privacy contact; check ICO fee status where applicable.
Obtain a sample campaign report and identify the measurement source, including whether any RAJAR reach claim is station-level or campaign-level.
Review audit rights, termination and make-good terms in the contract.
Record every answer, gap and assumption in one file with dates and owners.
Set a review date before renewal, or at twelve months, whichever comes first.

Keep oversight alive after signature

Assign an owner, diarise a review and re-check filings, authorisation and data terms at least annually. A change of ownership or sub-processor is a trigger for a fresh check.

Once a supplier passes, the next risk sits in setup, so plan around radio advertising tool implementation in England.

For policy context, distinguish the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), which leads on digital policy, from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), responsible for culture, media and sport. Departmental policy is background; it does not replace checking the specific Ofcom licence, advertising code or contract that applies.

Common questions

How long should vendor due diligence take?

Allow two to four weeks for a standard radio or audio vendor, longer if the entity is new or handles large volumes of audience data. Hold the signature until the deadline is met.

What if the vendor refuses an audit clause?

Treat refusal as a material risk. Negotiate reporting and audit rights, or reduce exposure with a small test campaign and clear exit terms.

Do I need to repeat these checks every year?

Yes, at least annually and whenever ownership, sub-processors or authorisation change. A dated review log shows regulators and internal auditors that oversight was active.