Abstract
The RTDNA/Hofstra University Annual Survey (Radio Television Digital News Association) found that 2009 meant another year of television news doing more with less. All told, 400 people in local TV news lost their jobs—1.5% of the local TV workforce. A bad year, but not nearly as bad as the year before, when 1,200 people lost jobs in TV news (4.3% of the workforce). Even as staffing fell, the amount of news on the average station rose—again—to a record high 5 hours per weekday.
The one bright spot in the survey may be hidden in the answer to the question about planned staff changes in 2010. In a dramatic turnaround from the previous year, over 60% of TV news directors said they expect staffing levels to stay the same in 2010 as in 2009. That is up nearly 20 points from the year before. The number expecting a decrease in staffing dropped 77% from the previous year, and the percentage expecting an increase in staff went up by 145%.
The overall average amount of weekday news per station went up another 24 min from the year before to an even 5 hours. That is, for the second year in a row, the highest average amount ever. Saturday remained the same at 1.7 hours while Sunday slipped 6 min to 1.6 hours. Radio news and staffing remained largely unchanged.
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