Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys
What Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys Do
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.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- None
- Self-employed
- Not available
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 4 of 5Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
- Experience
- A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations.
- Education
- Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
- Job training
- Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- Communications and Mediaimportance 4.8/5
- English Languageimportance 4.7/5
- Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.8/5
- Telecommunicationsimportance 3.7/5
- Law and Governmentimportance 2.7/5
- Public Safety and Securityimportance 2.6/5
- Sales and Marketingimportance 2.5/5
- Administration and Managementimportance 2.5/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- E-Mail4.9/5
- Time Pressure4.8/5
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.7/5
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.7/5
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team4.5/5
- Telephone Conversations4.5/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Animal Control Workers97% skill match
- Cooks, Fast Food97% skill match
- Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service96% skill match
- Psychiatric Aides96% skill match
- Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses96% skill match
- Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists95% skill match
- Correctional Officers and Jailers95% skill match
- Insurance Appraisers, Auto Damage95% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.8/5
- Time Managementimportance 3.3/5
- Coordinationimportance 3.0/5
- Service Orientationimportance 3.0/5
- Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.0/5
- Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.0/5
- Persuasionimportance 2.9/5
- Negotiationimportance 2.5/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Hot Technologies
In-Demand Technologies
Other Software Used
- Audion Laboratories VoxPro
- Avid Technology Pro Tools
- Burli Software Burli Newsroom System
- Dalet Digital Media Systems Dalet Media Life
- Database software
- Enterprise application integration EAI software
- Program logging software
- Statistical processing software
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Social Orientation
- Self-Confidence
- Dependability
- Optimism
- Self-Control
- Adaptability
- Stress Tolerance
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- ArtisticHigh
- EnterprisingMedium
- SocialMedium
- ConventionalMedium
- InvestigativeLow
- RealisticLow
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 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.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where broadcast announcers and radio disc jockeys make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Bloomington, IN36.26× national avg
- 2Rapid City, SD4.49× national avg
- 3Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN3.73× national avg
- 4South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI3.42× national avg
- 5Fargo, ND-MN3.27× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- News Analysts, Reporters, and JournalistsLateral Move
- Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment SpecialistsCareer Change
- Child, Family, and School Social WorkersCareer Change
- Insurance Appraisers, Auto DamageCareer Change
See the full career path from Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys →
Related Education Programs
Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.
Communication, General
- California State University-Fullerton (Fullerton, CA)grads earn ~$58,082
- University of California-Santa Barbara (Santa Barbara, CA)grads earn ~$72,976
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Chapel Hill, NC)grads earn ~$70,240
- Ohio State University-Main Campus (Columbus, OH)grads earn ~$62,096
- Arizona State University Digital Immersion (Scottsdale, AZ)grads earn ~$61,193
Public Relations/Image Management
- Southern New Hampshire University (Manchester, NH)grads earn ~$59,801
- The University of Texas at Austin (Austin, TX)grads earn ~$80,221
- Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI)grads earn ~$69,300
- University of Oregon (Eugene, OR)grads earn ~$73,410
- University of Colorado Boulder (Boulder, CO)grads earn ~$74,779
Radio and Television
- New York University (New York, NY)grads earn ~$77,109
- California State University-Northridge (Northridge, CA)grads earn ~$49,359
- Northwestern University (Evanston, IL)grads earn ~$116,019
- Savannah College of Art and Design (Savannah, GA)grads earn ~$64,076
- University of Mississippi (University, MS)grads earn ~$69,082