MediaTel

Helen Keable, consultant at Radio Experts, says it's encouraging to see some of commercial radio's strongest brands collectively turning in such a strong book, particularly against a backdrop not only of the notoriously slow summer months but also a tenacious Beeb...

Having taken a bit of a breather from the business over the past few months, today reminded me how much changes at the cutting edge of wireless (and how fickle the beast that is RAJAR can be)!

It's always reassuring to see the market practising what it preaches with Global's marketing investment, particularly on Capital, clearly paying off for them now. The fact that it was impossible to call the line up in London is evidence that the competition is hotting up again, which from an advertiser perspective is good news as nobody can afford to get complacent.

Bauer will be disappointed with the Magic numbers but hopefully celebrating the great results across their Place portfolio, where their stations are top dogs in 20 of their 21 TSAs - a phenomenal achievement given that it's still relatively early days since the re-brand but gives a strong signal that their local strategy is hitting the mark.

It's a shame to see Absolute's flagship station still struggling but unsurprising that their digital 80s spin off has turned in what it is fast becoming a predictably great performance - they should feel rightfully optimistic ahead of the planned 60s launch.

But surely the shining star of today's book has to be Smooth Radio? Delivering record levels of everything must be a great way to celebrate their first birthday as a national station, with a cracking performance in London, which has always been tricky territory for them being the icing on the cake.

It's encouraging to see some of commercial radio's strongest brands collectively turning in such a strong book, particularly against a backdrop not only of the notoriously slow summer months but also a tenacious Beeb.