Burnout is a feeling many in the news radio industry are feeling in 2024. But a new RTDNA study shows just how prevalent that feeling is.
The new study shows that 41.4% of news directors and general managers say there is more evidence of burnout this year. That number grows to 58.5% of major markets. The figure gets even larger when portioned out to include just the largest newsrooms in the country, with 62.9% of leaders responding similarly with a larger staff.
57.8% of news radio leaders, however, say they’ve countered burnout with a variety of options. Nearly 38% said offering flex-time and encouraging employees to use their paid time off has combated the feelings of reports and digital producers.
The study also examined the radio staff size of news departments in 2023, with major market stations employing an average of 10.9 full-time employees. However, a sharp decline happens in large markets, as the number drops to 3.9, 2.8 for medium markets, and 1.6 for small markets.
The average full-time news radio staff at commercial stations now rests at 2.7 people, while the non-commercial side features 6.7 full-time employees.
Looking ahead to those numbers in 2024, 14.4% of respondents said they planned to increase their newsroom staffs during the calendar year. Only 1.4% said plans were underway to decrease their employee base.
