Rural public radio stations' study says they are sometimes the only source of trusted information in news deserts

Despite operational and staffing challenges, public radio stations serving rural areas continue to serve their audiences, reports a first-of-its-kind study from the Alliance of Rural Public Media, comprising rural public radio stations across the U.S. According to the study, which is based on a survey of over 100 public radio stations in May 2022, public radio stations are increasingly becoming one of the few sources of trusted information in expanding news deserts. 

About 20% of rural radio stations operate in communities with only one or two sources of daily news, and 40% serve in areas where there are one or two weekly news sources. Some respondents in Alaska, Minnesota, North Dakota and Texas said they were the only source of weekly or daily news in their communities, the study finds. The majority of rural radio stations said they air five hours or less of locally produced content each week, be it music, news or educational content. Additionally, nearly 63% of rural public radio stations said there were natural disasters in their areas in the past 18 months, making them key sources of information during emergencies. 

Building and maintaining broadcast infrastructure can be costly to stations operating in tough terrain over large expanses. A third of surveyed stations say they spend 20 to 30% on infrastructure costs annually while nearly one in ten spending more than 50%. Like many rural outlets, the radio stations also have trouble recruiting local journalists to the area and some remote locations work only with part-time journalists. KISU in Pocatello, Idaho, told the survey that they have "three local news employees, all of which hold a degree in journalism but have full-time careers in other fields. These employees average 10 hours per week, 30 hours collectively."