Radio salaries rise for second consecutive year
By Tim Mirabito, Keren Henderson and Akshaya Chandrasekaran
Radio news salaries rose for a second consecutive year in 2025, according to the latest RTDNA/Newhouse School at Syracuse University Survey, though the pace of growth slowed.
Salaries increased 7.64% this year, well above the 2.9% U.S. inflation rate but a marked step down from last year's 14.5% jump. News reporters, sports anchors and sports reporters saw the largest average salary increases, while news producers posted the steepest decline, with average pay dropping nearly $10,000 to the low $50,000s. News director salaries also dipped on average, driven largely by a sharp drop in the reported maximum salary, even as median pay for the role ticked up slightly.
The long-standing pay gap between commercial and non-commercial stations widened dramatically this year: in the largest markets, non-commercial average salaries jumped to 30.6% above commercial pay, reversing a two-year trend in which commercial salaries had actually edged ahead. Researchers attribute the swing primarily to a steep decline in commercial salaries rather than gains on the non-commercial side.
Salaries by market size showed a mixed picture, with major markets seeing declines in most positions even as they remained the highest-paying overall, while large markets posted the strongest gains. Starting salaries for newcomers with no full-time experience fell back to 2024 levels, with average and median starting pay both down more than 8%, though starting minimums rose nearly 24%.
Contract status also shifted, with more radio newsroom employees under contract overall, while non-compete use declined in most roles except among sports anchors.
Recruitment challenges persist: more than a quarter of news directors and general managers with openings said hiring was harder this year, rising to over a third among commercial stations, and roughly 29% said they simply could not find the right candidates.
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.