How much money does the average person make in the radio industry to start off?

Question

I might consider a career in radio. Help appreciated.

Answer 1

It depends on what area of radio you want to go into and in what market. If you want to be on the air you should realize now that you will HAVE to start out in a small market station. And as small market stations are in small towns usually, your salary will be reflective of the economy of that town and what the average cost of living is there. Most jobs in radio will start out in smaller towns unless you are VERY lucky AND very good at what you do. The only job you will usually land in a medium to major market right out of radio school is as a part time board operator. But that can often be a stepping stone to other positions. Minimum to just above minimum wage to start. Let me know what you are thinking of doing in radio and I can give you a better idea of what to expect. I have been working in Toronto radio for about 20 years now.

Answer 2

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 3

well if you want to start off like how everyone starts off by getting your foot in the door and working an entry level postition at a radio station, expect to start off making minimum wage or a little more. Radio is the poor mans job. If you could survive being poor for years until you get your big break you can do radio. Radio takes a lot of hard work and dedication to get the dream job and the job that actually pays well. It may take years to make a decent wage to millions of dollars. for radio you have to really want it and be willing to sacrfice and do whatever it takes to make it. with out the strong passion and desire you will not last