Local TV news employment continues to decline
By Tim Mirabito, Keren Henderson and Akshaya Chandrasekaran
Local television news employment fell for a second consecutive year in 2025, dropping 2.2% to 26,458 full-time employees, according to the latest RTDNA/Newhouse School at Syracuse University Survey.
The decline, while smaller than 2024's 2.9% drop, reflects a shrinking number of stations producing original local news — now at 689, down from a record-low 695 the year before — alongside a wave of mergers and consolidation among major station groups, including Nexstar's acquisition of Tegna, Sinclair's move on Scripps and Gray Media's purchase of stations from Allen Media Group.
Full-time employment fell in nearly every category measured, with commercial stations outside the largest ownership groups showing the only notable gain, likely a statistical anomaly tied to lower survey response. Part-time staffing also slipped modestly.
Stations reported an average of two unfilled positions, concentrated most heavily in the largest markets and least in markets 100-150. News directors said hiring grew slightly easier this year, with 76.1% able to fill open positions, up from 73.9% a year ago. MMJs and producers remained the most in-demand roles. Salary was the top reason employees cited for leaving a newsroom job (61.8%), followed by work-life balance (50%) and burnout (38.2%).
Staffing patterns continue to track closely with market and newsroom size, with the biggest markets and largest newsrooms commanding the most resources, including on the digital side, where staffing nonetheless declined broadly. MMJ use ticked up after two years of decline, with nearly two-thirds of stations now relying on MMJs as their primary reporting model. The survey also found new-hire volume remains historically low, with replacement hiring — led by producers and MMJs — far outpacing hiring for newly created positions.
This annual survey, conducted in the fourth quarter of 2025, drew responses from more than 1,100 television stations and nearly 600 radio stations, and is supported by the S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and the Radio Television Digital News Association.