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Radio’s Social Media Mix: Facebook Rebounds, X Continues To Fall

U.S. radio stations are continuing to fine-tune their social media strategies, with Facebook showing a modest rebound and activity on X (formerly Twitter) still on the decline, according to a recent RTDNA/Newhouse School at Syracuse University Survey.

Following a steep decline in X engagement last year, this year’s findings indicate fewer stations are reporting consistent use of the platform. By contrast, Facebook activity increased by 1.6 percentage points overall, driven largely by big-market broadcasters, which rose 8.2 percentage points over 2024.

Commercial stations also showed renewed investment in Facebook, up 4.5% after a 5% decline a year ago, while non-commercial stations dipped 2.8%. Nearly every station still maintains a Facebook presence, though small-market outlets registered a minor pullback.

Platform preferences continue to vary widely by market size. Major-market stations are far more likely to utilize YouTube, while mid-market outlets split their attention between TikTok and Threads. Small-market broadcasters showed the most enthusiasm for Snapchat.

Non-commercial stations remain more active than commercial ones across nearly every platform except Snapchat. They were also more likely to use BlueSky, in line with 2024’s public media guidance advising stations to move away from X.

The RTDNA/Newhouse Survey, conducted in the fourth quarter of 2024, included responses from 1,918 television stations and a random sample of 4,763 radio stations nationwide.

First published by InsideRadio. Read original here