How To Become A Broadcast Journalist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a broadcast journalist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted expert

Assistant Amy Eisman

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a broadcast journalist. For example, did you know that they make an average of $34.41 an hour? That's $71,579 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -10% and produce -5,100 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a broadcast journalist?

Assistant Amy Eisman

Assistant Professor, American University

One skill is easy: be flexible. The technology is changing at lightning speed. At the moment, it helps to be strong at data journalism and understanding emergent technology, such as AI. Topic areas of interest include climate coverage, health and education. It also helps to be a great team player; the speed of news means you rarely work alone. Overall, make sure you embrace the basics in the field: accuracy, fairness, transparency, independence and accountability. Be a solid writer and an even better editor and producer. No one can predict what is next for technology. Employers therefore will look for people who uphold the values of the past, are enthusiastic about the present and are curious about the future.

ScoreBroadcast JournalistUS Average

Salary

5.6

Avg. Salary $71,579

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.9

Growth rate -10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.29%

Asian 9.61%

Black or African American 6.31%

Hispanic or Latino 12.46%

Unknown 4.37%

White 66.96%

Gender

female 42.69%

male 57.31%

Age - 38

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 38

Stress level

7.9

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.8

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

3.9

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a broadcast journalist

Explore broadcast journalist education requirements

Most common broadcast journalist degrees

Bachelor's

70.0 %

Master's

11.1 %

Associate

10.5 %

Start to develop specific broadcast journalist skills

Skills	Percentages
Public Affairs	14.82%
Photography	6.46%
Facebook	5.94%
Feature Stories	5.43%
Conduct Interviews	5.43%

Complete relevant broadcast journalist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New broadcast journalists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a broadcast journalist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real broadcast journalist resumes.

Research broadcast journalist duties and responsibilities

Manage and maintain the department social media through Facebook
Finish show are posted on YouTube channel.
Work making headlines and selecting photos for the print edition of Primera Hora.
Plan the set up, equipment needs, and training manual for a mobile photography studio

Prepare your broadcast journalist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your broadcast journalist resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a broadcast journalist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable broadcast journalist resume templates

Build a professional broadcast journalist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your broadcast journalist resume.