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Disc Jockeys


Overview

Disc Jockeys

Introduction

Disc jockeys (DJs) play recorded music for broadcast, satellite, and Internet radio stations or for parties, dances, and special events. On the radio, they intersperse music with a variety of advertising material and informal commentary. They may also perform such public services as announcing the time, the weather forecast, travel times, or important news. Interviewing guests and making public service announcements may also be part of the DJ's work. Approximately 20,300 radio announcers, including disc jockeys, are employe...

Quick Facts


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Median Salary

$49,480

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Employment Prospects

Poor

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Minimum Education Level

High School Diploma
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Experience

Experience at high school, college, or community radio stations h
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Skills

Interpersonal
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Personality Traits

Creative
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Earnings

The salary range for radio and television announcers is extremely broad, with the lowest 10 percent earning less than $9.19 an hour, or $19,120 a year in May 2018, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The mean annual salary was $49,480. The top 10 percent earned $94,450 or more in the same year. Popular personalities such as Howard Stern can earn more than $1,000,000 a year.

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Work Environment

Work in radio stations is usually very pleasant. Almost all stations are housed in modern facilities. Temperature and dust control are important factors in the proper maintenance of technical electronic equipment, and people who work around such machinery benefit from the precautions taken to preserve it.

The work can be demanding. It requires that every activity or comment on the air be...

Outlook

According to Nielsen, radio reached 93 percent of all Americans age 18 and over every week in 2017. Despite radio's popularity, the Occupational Outlook Handbook projects that employment of announcers will decline by 7 percent from 2018 to 2028. As a result, competition for jobs will be great in an already competitive field (especially in top radio markets such as New York and Chicago)...