Gender Study: Program Positions Remain A Challenge For Women

Mentoring and Inspiring Women in Radio, Inc. (MIW), a 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to the advancement of female leadership in radio broadcasting, annually compiles and analyzes the number of women in the industry who are rising to the ranks of management.

Data gathered for their annual MIW Gender Analysis Study specifically tracks the progress of female professionals holding General Manager, Sales Manager and Program Director/Brand Manager positions.

The MIW Gender Analysis Study has been consistently released utilizing the same methodology since the organization’s start in 2000. The figures and percentages shown below represent the calendar year 2021 and are reflective of 11,087 AM and FM radio stations across America, as accounted for by PrecisionTrak as of December 31, 2021.*

General Managers: 20.79% (2,234 stations) had women holding the General Manager position in 2021. This is an increase of almost a full percentage point from 2020, which was 19.9%. Notably, this number continues to show consistent growth from 2004, when the percentage of female General Managers was only 14.9%.

In the Top 100 markets, the number of women serving as General Managers continues to run higher than the national average and, most importantly, shows strong growth year-over-year. In 2021, 23.71% (802 stations) in these larger markets were managed by women, which compares to 21.9% in 2020.

Sales Managers: Overall, the best management opportunities for women in radio continue to be in sales management. 33.59% (3,464 stations) had a woman Sales Manager in 2021, and that number is basically flat from 33% in 2020.

In the Top 100 markets, although the numbers run slightly higher than the national average, the story is very similar. 34.99% (1,138 stations) had women serving as Sales Managers in 2021, which is just slightly higher from 34.4% in 2020.

Program Directors/Brand Managers: The greatest challenge for women in radio management continues to be in the area of Program Directors/Brand Managers. Women currently program 12.09% (1,255 stations) versus 12.2% in 2020, remaining basically flat from last year.

In the Top 100 markets, the news improves as female programmers represent 14.1% of the total number of Program Directors/Brand Managers, consistent with the numbers from 2021.

MIW Board President Ruth Presslaff said, “If the glass is half full we should celebrate any upward movement, even if it’s incremental, as jobs continue to be eliminated in the continuing pandemic. However, it’s disappointing that the glass isn’t filling faster for those in programming and MIW is paying close attention to this issue. We encourage you to register at radiomiw.com to learn about our multiple opportunities for mentoring and career development!”

*All information provided by PrecisionTrak is subject to limitations of data provided by radio companies. The analysis is dependent upon the accuracy and completeness of PrecisionTrak (Precisiontrak.com) data as of December 31, 2021.