Radio broadcasters often must start at low-paying jobs.
Spinning tunes as a disc jockey or authoritatively reporting the daily news over the radio waves might seem like a glamorous jobs, but employees in radio broadcasting usually must climb their way up from low-paying, jack-of-all-trade jobs to earn a decent salary. To make matter worse, they are competing in a constantly contracting industry. Those who succeed, however, can ultimately reach a healthy salary.
Types
Radio broadcasting offers a variety of different jobs, including news reporters and gatherers, announcers who read prepared news items, disc jockeys and technical operators such as engineers. Higher-level jobs include managerial positions, such as news and program producers and station managers, who often must handle accounting and routine office work. In smaller radio stations, employees often must handle multiple jobs, as about 38 percent of broadcasting employers have fewer than five total employees, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Size
As of May 2008, the median wages of radio broadcasters was $12.76 per hour, according to the BLS. Technicians are paid slightly better, at $14.49 per hour Reporters earn a median wage of $18.18 per hour, and producers and directors earn a median $28.05 per hour wage. Station managers receive the highest wages in the industry: median wages of $46.94 per hour. Broadcasting employees work an average of 35.8 hours per week, and full-time employees generally receive benefits such as health insurance, vacation and pension plans.
Career Path
Employees in radio broadcasting generally must work their way up from small stations, where they usually will receive wages well below the median. According to PayScale as of Noember 2010, entry-level production assistant jobs, for example, can pay little more than $20,000 per year. Beginning radio announcers can expect to earn between $18,500 and $28,000 per year. New operators can earn as little as $16,500 per year at these smaller stations. Cost of living, of course, is much smaller in these smaller markets, compared with urban areas.
Potential
While beginning salaries are often paltry, radio broadcasting employees who climb the ladder can rise to salaries above the national median, as metropolitan areas generally pay better than small, rural stations. The highest 10 percent of broadcast technicians, for example, earn more than $62,850 per year. Program directors with several years of experience can earn more than $80,000 per year. Experienced radio hosts can earn six-figure salaries, as can station managers.
Outlook
Between 2008 and 2018, the BLS projects broadcasting job opportunities will increase by seven percent, below the 11 percent average increase for all industries, but it also projects that employment in radio broadcasting specifically will decline. Radio stations are consolidating into large networks, which means employees at a central location often can handle duties across several stations. Job-seekers should watch the progression of high-definition radio stations, however; if these become successful, they could result in job growth.
Tags: more than, more than year, often must, radio broadcasting, than year, earn median, earn more
