Boston, MA ( May 30, 2013): According to the latest MIW Gender Analysis Study released by the Mentoring and Inspiring Women in Radio Group (MIWs), out of 11,253 AM and FM radio station, accounted for by MStreet Publications as of December 31, 2012, 1936 or 17.7% have women holding the GM position in 2012. This is positive news for women as that number is up over a full percentage point from 2011 which was 16.6% and shows continued growth from 2004, eight years ago when the percentage was only 14.9%. The annual study is compiled, analyzed and released by the MIWS from information provided by *MStreet Publications.
The disappointing news in the top 100 markets is it is showing some downward movement. In 2012 16.8% of stations in these markets were managed by women, compared to 17.4% in 2011. Overall the best management opportunities for women continue to be in Sales Management although there's been essentially only a minor change for the last eight years. In 2012 31% of all stations had women SMs, up a half a percentage point from last year. And in the top 100 markets 30.3% of the stations had women SMs, down slightly from last year.
The greatest challenge for women in radio management continues to be as programmers. Women currently only program 11.3% of all stations which compares to 10.7% seven years ago. In the top 100 markets women have made some real improvement, programming 11.8% of all stations which compares to only 9.6% in 2011.
The MIWs have been analyzing and publishing these gender numbers for the past thirteen years commented Heidi Raphael, spokesperson on behalf of the MIW Radio Group. "While we are happy to have made strides in some areas, our ultimate goal is to see the numbers increase at a faster pace across the board, especially in the area of programming."
The MIW Radio Group of top level radio women across the country is committed to using their influence and resources to support women in radio to develop strong management and leadership skills. The MIWs are equally committed to advocating the advancement of women to senior positions in radio companies and corporations. Contact for MIWs, support tips, articles and mentoring tips may also be found at www.radiomiw.com, the MIW website.
*All information provided by MStreet Publications is subject to the limitations of data provided by radio companies. The analysis is dependent upon the accuracy and completeness of the MStreet data as of December 2012.