President Trump was found guilty on all charges last week. This week President Biden’s son, Hunter, is on trial for a weapons charge. If he is convicted, President Biden’s actions will be under a severe media microscope. As news outlets continue to “feed the political beast” one thing is certain across all newsrooms, people are tired.
If you don’t want to use tired try perpetual exhaustion, chronically fatigue, or just plain burnt out. Especially in this current news cycle, the cracks of frustration are settling in for even some of the most seasoned journalists.
RTDNA found 41.4% of radio news directors and general managers say there is more evidence of burnout this year. If you look at just major markets, the number jumps to 58.5%. It does not help that a lot of radio stations are getting smaller. Alpha Media just cut more jobs, including on-air talent. WGBH is another radio titan whose staffing is growing smaller. Not to mention our very own Andy Bloom’s column which showed how revenue has declined for radio stations.
Radio is not alone in this trend. RTDNA asked local TV news outlets a similar question and found 62.9% of news directors found staff burnout to be a growing problem. Across all market sizes burnout is over 50%. Markets 26 to 100 are surpassing 70% burnout. Yes, employment is up from a year ago but it is still shy of the record high of 28,000 in 2021.
The one formula some executives need to learn in order to survive: Less staff+less money+more work= burnt out employees = not a good product = fewer listeners/viewers. Richard Branson said it best, “If you look after your staff, they’ll look after your customers (in our case it’s the audience). It’s that simple.”
It’s not just us in the media. A recent Pew Institute Research poll found that about 62% of US adults already say they are worn out by so much coverage of the campaign and candidates. Election coverage makes us all bleary-eyed. Yet the media does it to an extreme, with 24-hour news networks constantly having the left-right battle of whits. No wonder CNN’s ratings are down people are tired of the country’s first 24/7 TV station.
The solution to our well-worn out dilemma? Less media (and I’m not just talking about major mergers, which I foresee in the future). Being constantly on, plugged in, and posting to X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, (or whatever other social media you use) is exhausting. Plus ceaseless emails, to make sure you don’t miss the latest breaking news, which happens at all hours of the day. It is arduous.
People are literally getting hundreds if not thousands of emails a day. Mail is also the most used app on an iPhone, people constantly check it and yet we still miss things! From newsletters and alerts composed by their favorite news sites to your favorite shopping places (and even the websites that aren’t your favorite, like that place you bought one gift from seven years ago) humanity is inundated with constant communication. So much so, it’s not really a surprise if a few things might fall through the cracks. Like a BNN or an email for an interview request.
Sometimes in our industry, it feels like the only way to keep up with the news is to have news be the only thing in your life. That’s just not sustainable. When you are constantly communicating there is no time to live life outside of the filter bubble we have created for ourselves. If you are one of those who feel scrolling through social media on your commute helps you decompress from the day, it does not it just keeps you inside your very own bubble.
Putting away our media (and devices) might seem crazy! When you walk away (even for just a little bit) it makes doing our job in the industry easier and can help you be more creative than those who chose to constantly plug in.
It’s ok to not know everything. It’s ok to miss a story from Instagram. Yeah, you can make it to the top by working really hard. In fact, our culture perpetuates working hard and making money as success. (I am in no way saying this is a bad thing, I’ve working since I was 14 work is good and important.)
However, if you don’t take a break, you will be pretty burnt out by the time you get there and chances are, you’re already feeling that way. Work smarter. Not harder.
Krystina Alarcon Carroll is a news media columnist and features writer for Barrett Media. She has experience in almost every facet of the industry including: digital and print news; live, streamed, and syndicated TV; documentary and film productions. Her prior employers have included NY1 and Fox News Digital and the Law & Crime Network. You can find Krystina on X (formerly twitter) @KrystinaAlaCarr.
