CCollegeMatcher

Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys

US occupation · SOC 27-3011

Job titles people report: Anchor, Announcer, DJ (Disc Jockey), Host, Morning Show Host, On-Air Host, On-Air Personality, Radio Announcer, Sports Anchor, Television News Anchor (TV News Anchor)

Pay and outlook

Median annual wage, May 2025
$47,340
Half earn more, half earn less
Middle half earn
$35,360 – $75,480
25th to 75th percentile
People employed, May 2025
21,240
Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)
Projected change, 2025–35
-7.6%
Shrinking (below 0%)
Openings a year (projected)
2,000
New jobs plus replacing people who leave
Typical education to enter
Bachelor's degree
BLS
  • All figures are for the United States as a whole. Pay varies a lot by state and city.
  • Wages are for everyone working in the occupation in May 2025, at every career stage. They are not starting salaries or figures for new graduates.
  • Growth and openings are BLS projections for 2025–35. They are estimates, not promises. Openings include jobs that open up when people retire or change occupation, not just new jobs.

What the work involves

Speak or read from scripted materials, such as news reports or commercial messages, on radio, television, or other communications media. May play and queue music, announce artist or title of performance, identify station, or interview guests.

Main tasks

  • Read news flashes to inform audiences of important events.
  • Announce musical selections, station breaks, commercials, or public service information, and accept requests from listening audience.
  • Operate control consoles.
  • Identify stations, and introduce or close shows, ad-libbing or using memorized or read scripts.
  • Study background information to prepare for programs or interviews.
  • Prepare and deliver news, sports, or weather reports, gathering and rewriting material so that it will convey required information and fit specific time slots.
  • Record commercials for later broadcast.
  • Keep daily program logs to provide information on all elements aired during broadcast, such as musical selections and station promotions.

Description and tasks from the O*NET® 31.0 Database.

Getting in

Typical education to enter (BLS)
Bachelor's degree
O*NET Job Zone 4
Considerable preparation
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

Interests it suits

The strongest of the six O*NET interest types for this occupation, highest first. The short glosses are ours.

  • Artistic: creating, designing and self-expression
  • Enterprising: leading, persuading and making business decisions
  • Social: helping, teaching and caring for people

Fields of study that lead here

From the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, which links 5 programmes to this occupation. A link means the programme prepares people for this kind of work. It doesn't mean the programme is required, or that it's the only route.

Communications & Media

  • Communication, General
  • Speech Communication and Rhetoric
  • Broadcast Journalism
  • Radio and Television
  • Sports Communication

Find colleges that fit you with our matcher: choose Communications & Media at the Major step.

Where many students take communications & media

Ordered by the field's share of degrees awarded times undergraduate enrolment (College Scorecard), among colleges with at least 1,000 undergraduates. Online universities are included. It's a rough measure of how big the programme is. It says nothing about quality. The share counts every programme in the field, not only the ones linked to this career.

Related careers

Related occupations from the O*NET database, in its order.

← All careers

Sources

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. CollegeMatcher has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET 31.0 Database · CC BY 4.0

Changes: we show the core tasks in the O*NET database with the highest importance ratings (up to eight, in that order), the top three O*NET interest types by score, and shortened Job Zone names. Titles, descriptions and task text are unchanged.

Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Projections, typical entry education and training: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35. Fields of study: NCES and BLS CIP 2020–SOC 2018 Crosswalk. All public domain. OEWS · Employment Projections · CIP–SOC crosswalk