Radio news content surges in most metrics
July 23, 2025 — The latest RTDNA/Newhouse School at Syracuse University Survey found that 70.5% of radio stations now run local news, including 74.9% of AM and 74.5% of FM stations. FM saw the biggest year-over-year increase, contributing to a 6.3% overall rise — the second straight year of growth.
Commercial stations jumped to 75.3%, up 10.3%, while non-commercial stations dipped slightly to 60%. Locally owned stations continued to lead in news production, with 71.4% airing local news compared to 66.7% of non-locally owned stations.
While the median weekday news time held at 40 minutes, average minutes climbed, mainly due to a 119-minute spike in major markets. Looking ahead, only 15% of stations plan to increase news in 2025, with growth expectations strongest among non-commercial and larger-market stations.
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About the Authors
Bob Papper is Research Professor of Broadcast and Digital Journalism at Syracuse University and has worked extensively in radio and TV news.
Keren Henderson is Associate Professor of Broadcast and Digital Journalism at Syracuse University and has worked as a news producer and video editor.
Tim Mirabito is Assistant Professor of Broadcast and Digital Journalism at Syracuse University and worked in television, radio, print and online media.
This research was supported by the S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and the Radio Television Digital News Association.
About the Survey
The RTDNA/Newhouse School at Syracuse University Survey was conducted in the fourth quarter of 2024 among 1,918 operating, non-satellite television stations and a random sample of 4,763 radio stations. The television response rate is different for every question, but valid responses came from as many as 1,406 television stations (73.3%) and 599 radio news directors and general managers representing 1,632 radio stations. Some data sets (e.g. the number of TV stations originating local news, getting news from others and women TV news directors) are based on a complete census and are not projected from a smaller sample.