Programming continues to see a need for more female leadership, especially in the Top 100 markets, according to the Mentoring and Inspiring Women in Radio‘s annual Gender Analysis Study. However, consistent growth continues in the General Manager role.
The MIW study provides insights into the advancement of women within key management roles across US commercial radio stations, including General Manager, Sales Manager, and Program Director/Brand Manager positions.
The 2023 analysis, drawing from PrecisionTrak data across 11,215 AM and FM stations, reveals a mixed progress report for female professionals in radio broadcasting. Female representation among General Managers has seen an encouraging uptick to 22.17%, marking a steady increase from 14.9% in 2004.
This growth is even more pronounced in the top 100 markets, where women manage 23.96% of stations.
Sales management roles continue to offer the most opportunities for women in radio, with 34.37% of stations having a woman in this position in 2023. However, this figure has remained nearly unchanged from the previous year and has actually decreased in the top 100 markets from 38.05% in 2022 to 35.16% in 2023.
The area of Program Directors/Brand Managers remains the most challenging for female advancement, with women holding only 11.50% of these positions nationwide. The representation of women in these roles within the top 100 markets has declined, now standing at just 10.14%.
MIW Board President Ruth Presslaff commented, “Navigating today’s landscape poses unique challenges for both the industry at large and women in particular. Our commitment to fostering change remains unwavering. Through MIW’s array of mentoring initiatives, we not only recognize but also amplify the voices of women. We are beyond grateful to the companies and individuals who champion our mission. As we press forward, we eagerly anticipate seizing new opportunities to empower even more women in the year ahead.”
