Announcers

Wages & Outlook

Wages

Wages for announcers vary by type of work. The wages for two types of announcers are given below.

Wages vary by area of the country. The size of the market and the popularity of the announcer also affect wages. Announcers often earn additional money by taking on extra assignments or doing voice-overs for ads.

Announcers who work full time usually receive benefits. Typical benefits include sick leave, paid vacation, and health insurance. Some employers also provide a retirement plan. Announcers who are self-employed must provide their own insurance and retirement plan.

View the Regional Wage Comparison Chart for:

Employment

In Minnesota, about 1,354 announcers work in this small occupation.

About 35 percent of announcers are self-employed.

About half of all announcers work for radio or television companies. The rest of the workers in this occupation are announcers for general events.

Announcers work in all areas of the country. However, a large number of radio and television announcer jobs are in major cities. The cities with the highest number of radio and television announcers are New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, and Philadelphia.

Major employers:

Radio and television stations

Outlook

Demand for announcers will be limited due to several factors. The number of television and radio stations is decreasing as stations merge. When stations merge, they are more likely to use programming from other sources. Thus, fewer announcers will be needed for local programming. Second, digital technology will increase the productivity of announcers. They will spend less time on off-air technical and production work.

Growth may occur in the future due to hybrid digital (HD) radio. HD radio offers more channels and could result in higher demand for announcers. There will always be some demand for this occupation. This is because the public continues to desire local radio and television broadcasting.

Despite the decline, job openings will occur as current announcers leave this occupation. Competition for these positions will be strong. This is because there are many more job seekers than jobs.

Employment Outlook for Radio and Television Announcers
	Employment		Employment Change
	2010	2020	Number	Percent
U S	50,200	53,600	3,500	7%
Minnesota	914	932	18	2%
	2010	2020	Number	Percent
Central Minnesota	111	105	-6	-5.4%
Northeast Minnesota	32	32	0	0%
Northwest Minnesota	163	159	-4	-2.5%
Southeast Minnesota	96	102	6	6.3%
Southwest Minnesota	151	141	-10	-6.6%
Seven County Mpls-St Paul, MN	287	300	13	4.5%