Broadcast Technicians

Pay and outlook

Median annual wage, May 2025

$59,570

Half earn more, half earn less

Middle half earn

$40,320 – $83,520

25th to 75th percentile

People employed, May 2025

21,110

Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)

Projected change, 2025–35

-3.1%

Shrinking (below 0%)

Openings a year (projected)

1,600

New jobs plus replacing people who leave

Typical education to enter

Associate'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

Set up, operate, and maintain the electronic equipment used to acquire, edit, and transmit audio and video for radio or television programs. Control and adjust incoming and outgoing broadcast signals to regulate sound volume, signal strength, and signal clarity. Operate satellite, microwave, or other transmitter equipment to broadcast radio or television programs.

Main tasks

• Play and record broadcast programs, using automation systems.
• Report equipment problems, ensure that repairs are made, and make emergency repairs to equipment when necessary and possible.
• Set up, operate, and maintain broadcast station computers and networks.
• Observe monitors and converse with station personnel to determine audio and video levels and to ascertain that programs are airing.
• Monitor strength, clarity, and reliability of incoming and outgoing signals, and adjust equipment as necessary to maintain quality broadcasts.
• Control audio equipment to regulate volume and sound quality during radio and television broadcasts.
• Monitor and log transmitter readings.
• Regulate the fidelity, brightness, and contrast of video transmissions, using video console control panels.

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

Getting in

Typical education to enter (BLS)

Associate's degree

Training once hired: short-term on-the-job training

O*NET Job Zone 3

Medium preparation

Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Fields of study that lead here

From the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, which links 3 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.

Related careers

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

• Audio and Video Technicians

  $58,100 median · +3.9% projected

• Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians

  $78,190 median · +2.4% projected

• Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment

  $74,090 median · +0.3% projected

• Calibration Technologists and Technicians

  $67,820 median · +4.8% projected

• Sound Engineering Technicians

  $73,130 median · -3.1% projected

• Audiovisual Equipment Installers and Repairers

  $52,600 median · +4.8% projected