Local Radio Staffing Sees Small Increase

Radio newsrooms posted modest staffing gains in 2025, with the typical full-time news staff returning to two employees after a dip the prior year, according to the latest RTDNA/Newhouse School at Syracuse University survey. 

The average newsroom grew to 3.8 full-time employees while part-time staffing held steady at 1.7. Non-commercial stations again lifted the overall median, reporting three full-time staffers versus one at commercial stations. Gains appeared across most market sizes; large markets saw the biggest increase, adding 2.7 employees on average, and no market segment reported a decline.

Hiring rebounded. Both replacement and new hires averaged 0.9 positions each, and the median hire count reached one for the first time in nine years. Reporters were by far the most commonly replaced and newly hired role, followed by sales and promotional positions.

The share of stations that added staff dropped by more than half to 8.6%, while those reporting no change rose nearly 8 points to 77.6%. Non-commercial stations were more likely than commercial ones both to add and to cut staff, consistent with their larger newsrooms. Centralized, multi-station newsrooms slipped slightly to 71.6% of stations, remaining in the low-to-mid 70s after routinely exceeding 80% before the pandemic.

Digital staffing dipped slightly for a second year, driven mainly by pullbacks in major markets, though part-time digital staffing rose modestly overall. Ongoing cuts at iHeartRadio, PBS and NPR stations could produce further effects in coming survey cycles; the full impact is not yet clear.

The annual survey, conducted in the fourth quarter of 2025, received responses from more than 1,100 television stations and nearly 600 radio stations. It is supported by the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and the Radio Television Digital News Association.