They point to a marked increase in listeners for commercial radio's national stations, and success for its digital-only stations such as Oneword, Smash Hits and Virgin Radio Xtreme.
There were small triumphs for Emap, which saw Magic go to number one; GCap, which had successes with Planet Rock, Classic and Capital; and UTV, which enjoyed a 13% increase in reach year on year.
Victoria Sangster, head of radio at Mediaedge:cia, said: "There are some success stories. While listening on the Gold networks is declining, digital listening is coming through and increasing its reach."
She also observed positive results for stations that have hired celebrity DJs, such as Classic FM, TalkSport and Magic.
Commercial radio still dominates digital listening, with overall listening up 5% and with 19.5% of the UK population now living in a home with a DAB radio.
But while almost all of commercial radio's national digital stations increased in reach over the year and the quarter, Amanda Barrett, radio engagement specialist at Universal McCann, believes commercial radio needs to integrate better with new media and move away from the traditional radio models that "no longer have any weight in today's market".
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