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Radio and Television Announcers


Overview

Introduction

Radio and television announcers present news and commercial messages from a script. They identify the station, announce station breaks, and introduce and close shows. Interviewing guests, making public service announcements, and conducting panel discussions may also be part of the announcer's work. In small stations, the local announcer may keep the program log, run the transmitter, and cue the changeover to network broadcasting as well as write scripts or rewrite news releases. Approximately 29,230 people are employed as announcers...

Quick Facts


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Median Salary

$34,630

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Employment Prospects

Fair

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Minimum Education Level

High School Diploma
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Experience

Internship
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Skills

Interpersonal
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Personality Traits

Conventional
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Earnings

Salaries for announcers vary widely, but generally they are low. The exceptions are those announcers who work for major networks and stations that serve large metropolitan areas.

The U.S. Department of Labor reports that median hourly earnings for radio and television announcers were $16.65 in May 2019, which is about $34,630 a year. The lowest paid 10 percent made less than $9.29 an hou...

Work Environment

Work in radio and television stations is usually very pleasant. Almost all stations are housed in modern facilities. The maintenance of electronic equipment requires temperature and dust control, and people who work around such equipment benefit from the precautions taken to preserve it.

Announcers' jobs may provide opportunities to meet well-known people. Being at the center of an impor...

Outlook

Employment of radio and television announcers is projected to decline 7 percent through 2028, according to the U.S. Department (DOL). Openings will result mainly from those who leave the industry or the labor force. Industry consolidation, advances in technology that allow fewer announcers to do more work, and the increasing use of voice-tracking, which allows announcers to pre-record content a...