Information released by the Boston-basedMentoring and Inspiring Women in Radio Group shows that a meager 16.6% of radio stations, 1,807 total, had women in the general manager spot last year. The group surveyed 11,226 AM and FM radio stations that as of Dec. 31, 2011 had been accounted for by MStreet Publications.
MIW said that number is up slightly from 2010, which saw female GMs at 16.1%. The number that has grown steadily since 2004, when women’s share of management was 14.9%. One of the more positive trends for women according to the study is that the top 100 markets especially have shown upward movement in 2011: 17.4% of stations in these markets were managed by women, compared to 16.7% in 2010.
The greatest gap for women continues to be in programming: Women still program only 11.1% of all stations, compared to 10.7% six years ago.
While these numbers are low, Heidi Raphael, spokesperson on behalf of the MIW Radio Group and vice president of corporate communication at Greater Media, said, “It is very encouraging to see the percentages consistently increase. We look forward to seeing those numbers continue to grow on a larger scale in the future.”
