Local television news employment fell for a second straight year in 2025, dropping 2.2% to 26,458 full-time workers, according to the latest RTDNA/Newhouse School at Syracuse University Survey.
The decline was smaller than 2024’s 2.9% drop but came as fewer stations produced original local news — 689, down from a record-low 695 a year earlier. Consolidation among major station groups added pressure, including Nexstar’s acquisition of Tegna, Sinclair’s move on Scripps, and Gray Media’s purchase of stations from Allen Media Group.
Full-time staffing fell in nearly every category. Commercial stations outside the largest ownership groups were the only notable exception, a gain survey authors said was likely a statistical anomaly tied to lower response rates. Part-time employment also slipped modestly.
Stations reported an average of two unfilled jobs, with vacancies heaviest in the largest markets and lightest in markets 100-150. Hiring grew slightly easier: 76.1% of news directors said they could fill open positions, up from 73.9% a year earlier. Multimedia journalists and producers remained the most sought-after roles.Salary was the top reason employees left newsroom jobs (61.8%), followed by work-life balance (50%) and burnout (38.2%).
Staffing still tracked closely with market and newsroom size. The biggest markets and largest newsrooms had the most resources, including on the digital side, though digital staffing declined broadly. Use of multimedia journalists rose after two years of decline; nearly two-thirds of stations now rely on MMJs as their primary reporting model.
New-hire volume remained historically low. Replacement hiring — led by producers and MMJs — far outpaced hiring for newly created jobs.
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.