The Radio Advertising Bureau just released Q4 2009 advertising results for the industry, confirming that the encouraging signs seen in Q2 and Q3 for 2009 were still in place during the last quarter of the year.

“The green shoots that we saw earlier have fully taken root,” states Jeff Haley, President and CEO of the Radio Advertising Bureau, in the announcement. “In 2009, Radio went from [a 25 percent drop] in May to flat in December – a tremendous lead-in to 2010.”

Automotive, Grocery and Financial Services advertisers increased their radio ad spend inQ409, with automotive clearly out ahead, with $341 million spent for the quarter. Grocery, convenience and liquor store, the second largest category, saw the greatest growth overall, with a 12 percent jump over Q309, and a total spend of $261.4 million.

Read a PDF of the complete report.