According to research conducted by the Radio Television Digital News Association and Lawrence Herbert School of Communication at Hofstra University, in radio newsrooms the local workforce of color is the highest it has been in more than 20 years – the third-highest level ever. Additionally, the percentage of radio news directors of color is at the highest level in five years. However, these numbers still show an industry well behind an ever-increasing population of people of color in the U.S.
“This research is both a cause for celebration and a call to action for our industry to do even better in its efforts to ensure newsroom staffs represent the diversity of the communities they serve,” said Dan Shelley, RTDNA Executive Director. “It’s gratifying to see improvement in the radio news sector, but clearly there is more to be done to ensure radio newsrooms contain a diverse workforce.”
The report also assesses gender diversity in newsrooms. According to the report, women also made significant gains in local radio news, making up 44.4% of the workforce, compared to last year’s 34.3%. Furthermore, local radio management is the most diverse in the last five years, with the percentage of women in management positions up significantly.
“It’s clear from this research that America’s broadcast companies and high-level executives are taking diversity seriously and making significant progress,” added Shelley. “Yes, there’s more to be accomplished, but our industry has reason to be proud of the achievements it has made thus far.”
The RTDNA/Lawrence Herbert School of Communication at Hofstra University survey was conducted among a random sample of 3,481 radio stations.
The Newsroom Diversity Report is the final in the series of 2019 research reports. Additional reports on local news salary and local news numbers were released earlier this year. All of the 2019 reports, as well as those from previous years, can be found by visiting https://rtdna.org/research.
