Radio newsrooms saw a major setback in 2025 as minority representation fell from 21.5% in 2024 to 16.6%, wiping out progress made since 2023, according to the Radio Television Digital News Association and Syracuse University’s Newhouse School. The decline affected all minority groups, reversing what had been the industry’s highest diversity levels on record.
Commercial radio experienced the steepest losses, with journalists of color making up just 8.9% of the workforce, a sharp fall from 19.4% the year before. Non-commercial radio remained steadier, holding at 23.8%, nearly identical to 2024.
Gender gaps also widened. Men comprised 59.2% of the radio news workforce in 2025, up 1.8 percentage points, while women fell to 40.8%, down 2.2 points. The share of newsrooms with any minority representation dropped to 11.9%. Large markets showed higher diversity at 25.4%, with one-third of major market stations employing journalists of color. In small markets, only 2.2% of staff were minorities, and just 3.3% of stations under 50,000 listeners reported any minority presence.
Leadership diversity also declined. Minority general managers dropped to 6.1% from 8.1%. African American representation fell to 1.9%, and Asian American GMs nearly disappeared, sliding from 1.3% to 0.3%. Hispanic/Latino representation remained flat at 3.1%.
One area of improvement was female leadership. Women now hold 29.0% of general manager roles, up five points, with gains concentrated in larger markets and non-commercial stations, which continue to outpace commercial outlets.
RTDNA’s data reflects broader industry patterns. The FCC’s biennial ownership report shows radio ownership remains overwhelmingly white and male, with only minimal gains for women and minorities between 2021 and 2023.
While minorities account for 41.6% of the US population in 2025, their share in radio newsrooms stands at just 16.6%, underscoring the gap between the industry and the audiences it serves.
Word count: 343