Commercial Radio News' "Slow Walk" Compared To Competing Media

Lawrence Stessin Distinguished Professor of Journalism and chair of the Department of Journalism, Media Studies, and Public Relations at Hofstra University, Bob Papper's annual TV and Radio News Staffing and Profitability Survey for 2012 reports that radio continues to make strides in the use of social media (click to download his pdf report), but we remain well behind television.

Papper:  "A year ago, radio soared in the use of social media; this time around growth was more like a slow walk.  All the categories rose, but, overall, the gains were mostly from stations already engaged in some social media doing more."

Overall, the use of Facebook in radio news rose another 10% in the last year (following last year's 10% increase).  Large and major market stations were much more likely to have Facebook pages than stations in small and medium markets.  Non-commercial stations led commercial ones.

Similarly, use of Twitter rose 9% from a year ago (which was up 12% from the year before).  But all of that increase came among "periodic" users of Twitter.  Both "constant" and "daily" use remained essentially unchanged.

Thanks, Bob.  We need your annual "wake up call."