According to a new report from the Radio Television Digital News Association, the radio industry is paying increasing attention to podcasts. Among stations surveyed, the average number of podcasts produced is 2.4 shows, while the typical (median) number of podcasts produced per station is one. However, non-commercial stations typically produce twice as many.

“Overwhelmingly, 79.4% of stations report offering the same number of podcasts this year as last year,” the report says. “Non-commercial stations and stations in metropolitan areas are most likely to offer more podcasts.”

According to RTDNA, staff size is the most likely explanation. In large markets – those with a million or more potential listeners – the median number of podcasts produced is 3.7 shows. For comparison: large markets (2.1 podcasts), medium markets (2.6 podcasts) and small markets (2 podcasts). “Podcasts continue to receive much more attention on radio than on television,” the report continues.

Aside from podcasts, the survey of news directors and general managers shows that fewer of them have launched a major digital initiative this year. According to RTDNA, 38% said they have launched something important online, down 3.5% from last year. Managers in large markets (61.3%), at non-commercial stations (56.9%) and those with the largest staff (72%) are most likely to say they have launched something important.

According to the survey conducted by RTDNA and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, radio stations’ primary focus remains content. A majority (56.5%) of managers say they are emphasizing video, podcasts, streaming and sports content. About a third (32.4%) say they are focusing on organization, design and management, which includes creating a new or improved website, focusing more on search engine optimization or sales, or running contests. Another 11.1% are working on apps and newsletters.

The report, by journalism professors Bob Papper and Keren Henderson, also points out that while 100 percent of non-commercial stations surveyed say they have a website, not all radio stations do. The number of stations without a website has actually increased by half a percentage point this year. They are most likely to be found in small markets, where 5.4 percent of stations said they do not have a website, compared to 1.6 percent of stations in large markets and 0.8 percent of stations in medium markets.

According to RTDNA, 79.1% of radio station websites offer local news, with content most likely to be offered in larger markets. “Radio station numbers have fluctuated within a narrow range over the years,” the report says. “Last year they were slightly higher, this year they are lower — but only just. The only subset that reached 100% were the stations with 10 or more radio newspeople.” It also says that traffic to radio station websites was generally higher than it was a year ago.

The RTDNA/Newhouse School survey was conducted in the fourth quarter of 2023 among a random sample of 4,764 radio stations and all 1,876 active non-satellite television stations. Valid responses came from 631 radio news directors and general managers of 1,902 radio stations. Download the report HERE.