How much do radio hosts make?

Question

How much do radio hosts make?

Answer 1

This may be more info than you're looking for, but this question gets asked quite often and I have written this in response (take it for what it's worth ;<)

Anywhere from minimum wage to millions of dollars per year. It depends on the experience, talent, audience you draw, deal you cut, time of day you work, city you work in and a host of other things. There is no average (though I'm sure some websites will say there are).

I can only speak for how it works in the US:

Being a jock is almost a 24/7 job. You are expected to come in early and do commercials or help with promotional planning. You are expected to stay after your shift for the same chores. You give up your weekends to go to station events, some of which are fun - I used to do concert intros, got to go backstage, feel important and stuff, go see my friends in their seats with all my passes strung around my neck then introduce the act. Heady stuff. Sadly only about 1% of the job. And not as customary as it once was.

I once had to announce to 20,000 screaming fans that "Ozzie has a serious throat infection and Black Sabbath will not be able to perform tonight as scheduled," BOOO! "BUT, The Outlaws have kindly consented to do a double set!" YEAH!

They didn't care, only one guy asked for a refund. Though the promoter cited me for helping to keep them in their seats because of the way I handled it, did I get any more money? HA!

They don't use jocks to introduce the bands much anymore. By then the acts all had opening sequences they didn't want messed up by some local kid from the radio station.

Once we finally get home, we are expected to prepare for tomorrow's show, monitor other stations and watch popular TV shows & movies so we can talk about them on the air. We might also have a stack of CDs to listen to for potential new hit records. It's kinda funny watching a 40-year old man get all info-ed up on Hannah Montana ;<)

For that, most jocks are paid an annual salary that is very dependent on your experience level, what city you are in, what time period you are on air and what your off-air title is. Most jocks also carry "Music Director," Production Director," Program Director" etc. So, if you're the MD/Mid-day personality, you'll get more than the night guy who has no off-air title. You are expected to be thrilled about this because your experience is building and your "career" will benefit.

Unless you are at one of the few unionized stations, there’s no overtime, though occasionally you'll get some bartered merchandise, an appearance fee or a discount if you buy something from an advertiser. The manager might set up a bonus structure based on your ratings.

The smaller the station, the more work, including emptying the trash! If you are doing mornings in Philly, it's much different from being the night guy in Des Moines. Except the night guy in Des Moines is always trying to figure a way to get to do mornings in Philly. And the guy in Philly wants to take his show to syndication so he'll have a national audience and get syndication fees.

Excluding big stars like Bob & Tom, Tom Joyner, Opie & Anthony, Howard Stern, etc. annual salaries run from $20k per year (for a beginner overnight jock in a small market) to $200-$300k for the morning guy in Philly who has a cast, sidekick, promotion and appearance money and maybe does all the commercials for the local Ford dealer.

There's an interesting article from the Bureau of Statistics (lost the URL - you can look it up on a search engine) but their numbers are probably not right, because very few announcers are paid hourly and that's what they base their numbers on.

- a guy named duh

Answer 2

It really does matter which market you are working in.  There are smaller market stations where you will be making minimum wage, then on the other side of the spectrum in the large markets it is possible to make some pretty good cash.  It is not unheard of for a Morning Show Personality to make six figures in a large market.

You have to look at radio as a never-ending ladder.  No matter where you are working, there is always room to move up.  As you get higher on the ladder, the money will also grow larger.

Answer 3

This varies greatly based on your level of experience, the market you are in, and what time slots you are doing.  Entry level DJ's are going to get the crappy late night shifts, and depending on the market, will make no more than $25,000 if you are lucky.  Now, when you get big time like Bob & Tom, Mancow, etc, you will get the Morning Drive slot, and they get unknown salaries, plus the income from their various cd's, and other projects.