Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, news radio salaries have seen a steady decline according to new data from the RTDNA.
According to the findings, salaries of the more than 600 news radio employees representing more than 1,900 stations dropped 0.5% in 2021, 6.6% in 2022, 1.9% in 2023, and 2.5% in 2024, totaling 11.5% in that period.
While the salaries have dropped around the industry, there are some bright spots. For News Directors, the median salary stayed flat during the four-year timeframe, but the average salary rose 6.7%. Meanwhile, the average salary for a news reporter dropped by less than 1%, but the median compensation rose by 12.5%. Producers also saw the median salary advance by a 10.4% increase, with the average salary rising 5%.
However, the roles of news anchor, sports anchor, and sports reporter all saw both their average and median salaries drop since 2021.
The new data posits that the drops in salary coincide with cost-cutting measures made by non-commercial stations, with salaries from that sector falling by 8%.
“Now we see more clearly what’s happening in radio salaries. Historically, non-commercial radio salaries have been substantially higher than commercial radio salaries. This year, that’s not the case,” the report co-authored for the RTDNA by Bob Papper and Keren Henderson said.
“When we look at large and major markets, all the average commercial salaries are higher than non-commercial salaries, and median salaries are fairly close.”
