News ReleasesSurvey: Women and Minorities in Local Broadcast NewsJuly 20, 2007 WASHINGTON -- The percentage of minorities working in local television news slid by less than a percentage point in 2006, although the percentage of African Americans in the newsroom is on the rise, according to a survey released today by the Radio-Television News Directors Association.
The 2007 RTNDA/Ball State University Annual Survey shows that minorities comprised 21.5 percent of local television news staffs in 2006, compared to 22.2 percent in 2005. Asian Americans, Native Americans and Hispanic journalists decreased by a fraction of a percentage point, while African Americans increased from 9.5 percent to 10.1 percent of the workforce.
At non-Hispanic stations, the minority workforce was 19.4 percent, a decrease of 1 percent from the previous year.
In local radio, the minority workforce was 6.2 percent, down from 6.4 percent in 2005. The percentage of African Americans rose from 2.5 percent to 3.3 percent, and the percentage of Native Americans climbed from 0.2 percent to 1.1 percent.
The number of minority television news directors also fell, from 13.2 percent to 10.9 percent. The percentage of minority radio news directors registered 12 percent, nearly three times as many as the previous year. Measurement of minority news directors in radio fluctuates each year based on which stations complete the survey.
Women in Local News
There was no significant change in the percentage of women in the television news workforce in 2006; that number has hovered around 40 percent for much of the past decade, and is 39.9 percent this year. Likewise, the number of women in radio news was also largely unchanged in 2006, sliding from 24.8 percent to 24.4 percent.
However, the number of women news directors in both television and radio is on the rise. In television, 26.3 percent of news directors are women (which is the second-highest number ever recorded, slightly below the 26.5 percent recorded in 2003). In radio, 23.5 percent are women, up from 20.4 percent the year before.
"Newsrooms can better serve their communities when their staffs and their coverage reflect their communities," said Barbara Cochran, RTNDA president. "RTNDA provides resources and shares best practices to expand diversity in newsroom staffing and coverage."
RTNDA published the survey in the July/August issue of Communicator, RTNDA’s monthly magazine. Survey results cover local radio and television stations, not networks.
Resources
Methodology
The RTNDA/Ball State University Survey was conducted in the fourth quarter of 2006 among all 1,596 operating, non-satellite television stations and 11,942 radio stations for which we could gather complete data. Valid responses came from 974 television stations (50.9 percent) and 225 radio news directors and general managers representing 740 radio stations. Data for women TV news directors is a complete census and is not projected from a smaller sample.
About RTNDA
RTNDA is the world’s largest professional organization devoted exclusively to electronic journalism. RTNDA represents local and network journalists in broadcasting, cable and other electronic media in more than 30 countries. Along with the Radio and Television News Directors Foundation, RTNDA sponsors scholarships, fellowships, training seminars, mentoring programs and more as part of its diversity efforts.
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