A new study from the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) shows news radio leaders — especially in major markets — are concerned about the safety of their employees.
Authored by Bob Papper and Keren Henderson, the report shows that overall, news directors and GMs reported newsroom employees experienced fewer attacks in 2023, that figure was substantially higher in large market newsrooms. 2.2% of leaders reported attacks in 2023, but that figure was 7% from major markets, and 4% for non-commercial news radio employees.
“While there were more attacks on non-commercial news people, commercial news directors and GMs were more likely to say that 2023 was more dangerous than 2022,” the report shows. “At 21%, major market news directors and general managers are more than twice as likely as any other group to say that 2023 was more dangerous than the year before.”
Some leaders reported listeners coming to the station with baseball bats, a brick being thrown through the station’s window, and verbal abuse and attacks being more common than physical threats.
