Study: For Radio Stations, ‘Important’ A Key Digital Buzzword.

Radio stations are busy these days, and what they’re working on is important.

That’s according to the latest RTDNA/Newhouse School at Syracuse University Survey, which finds the percentage of radio news directors and GMs who say they “started something important digitally” inched higher from a year ago. More than two in five (43.7%) said they “started something important online” in 2024. That’s up 5.7% vs. a year ago.

Major markets (57.1%), non-commercial stations (65.3%) and stations with the largest staff (76%) were most likely to start something important digitally. The results continue a trend that’s lasted for several years.

The latest RTDNA/Newhouse survey includes responses from about 100 radio news directors and GMs.

Another key word in this year’s survey: “content,” which the researchers defined as “adding, improving, or supplementing information, often tied to the platforms it appears on, such as podcasts, social media and other digital outlets.”

This year, 65.7% of the responses were in the category of content. Among the tasks that stations say they’re taking on: a podcast of the week’s biggest headlines; putting local sports stories on sports station’s website again; better strategy with Instagram, especially reels and collaborations; distributing on Apple News; increased original reporting; increased social interaction, developing strategy for 2025; placing news on YouTube using StreamYard; pumping up social media content with photo and video coverage; and offering Spanish-language versions of stories on digital.

Technical changes, primarily focused on stations’ websites and digital apps, made up 16.7% of responses. Within that segment, the most frequent digital change was establishing or improving the station’s website. Apps were also mentioned repeatedly (29.1%), up 4% from last year.

At 8.8%, down slightly, came promotion, marketing, sales and advertising. Management, oversight, design, strategy (MODS) and streaming each accounted for 5.9% of the responses, the research found.

More than a decade has passed since every TV station had a website, but radio still hasn’t reached 100%. It is, however, getting closer: the percentage is up 0.7% to 98.4%. Medium markets hit the 100% mark this year. (This calculation only includes radio stations with local news.)

“While all TV stations that run local news post that local news on the web, that also, still, has not been the case with radio,” the report says. “Radio numbers have bounced up and down within a narrow range over the years. Like last year, the number increased less than one percent (+0.8), but a marginal increase. Stations with 10 or more employees reached 100% last year. That same category decreased to 94.1% but was still the highest of the subcategories measured.”

The researchers behind the survey include Bob Papper, Research Professor of Broadcast and Digital Journalism at Syracuse University; Keren Henderson, Associate Professor of Broadcast and Digital Journalism at Syracuse; and Tim Mirabito, Assistant Professor of Broadcast and Digital Journalism at Syracuse.

The research was supported by the S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and the Radio Television Digital News Association. It was conducted in the fourth quarter of 2024.