On-air host vs radio broadcaster

The differences between on-air hosts and radio broadcasters can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an on-air host and a radio broadcaster. Additionally, a radio broadcaster has an average salary of $49,452, which is higher than the $45,873 average annual salary of an on-air host.

The top three skills for an on-air host include adobe audition, phone calls and FCC. The most important skills for a radio broadcaster are FM, public service announcements, and DJ.

On-air host vs radio broadcaster overview

	On-Air Host	Radio Broadcaster
Yearly salary	$45,873	$49,452
Hourly rate	$22.05	$23.77
Growth rate	-4%	-4%
Number of jobs	10,674	2,182
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age	50	50
Years of experience	4	4

On-air host vs radio broadcaster salary

On-air hosts and radio broadcasters have different pay scales, as shown below.

	On-Air Host	Radio Broadcaster
Average salary	$45,873	$49,452
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $84,000	Between $16,000 And $144,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between on-air host and radio broadcaster education

There are a few differences between an on-air host and a radio broadcaster in terms of educational background:

	On-Air Host	Radio Broadcaster
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common major	Communication	Communication
Most common college	Northwestern University	Northwestern University

On-air host vs radio broadcaster demographics

Here are the differences between on-air hosts' and radio broadcasters' demographics:

	On-Air Host	Radio Broadcaster
Average age	50	50
Gender ratio	Male, 63.5% Female, 36.5%	Male, 66.7% Female, 33.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.3% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 4.3% White, 75.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 5.0% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 11.9% Asian, 3.9% White, 74.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between on-air host and radio broadcaster duties and responsibilities

On-air host example responsibilities.

Record daily news cast on state topics, prepare promos, program and automate playlists, archive local public affairs shows.
Conduct on-air interviews, screen and connect phone calls, and run audio board.
Create and run promotions prior to the show.
Host and producer of FYI, KLDE FM, weekly public affairs program.
Communicate and correspond with listeners online, via email, Snapchat and Instagram.
Follow FCC regulations, station and company policies, including implementing station's EAS procedures.

Radio broadcaster example responsibilities.

Design locations for cell sites to achieve maximum handover efficiency.
Perform network optimization, design of regional network as well as sanity check on antenna configuration.
Host a show that feature self-created mash-ups and emergent hip-hop with special guest interviews.

On-air host vs radio broadcaster skills

Common on-air host skills

Adobe Audition, 16%
Phone Calls, 8%
FCC, 7%
FM, 7%
Air Host, 6%
Twitter, 6%

Common radio broadcaster skills

FM, 15%
Public Service Announcements, 8%
DJ, 7%
Conduct Interviews, 6%
On-Air Interviews, 6%
RAN, 5%

On-Air Host vs. similar jobs

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On-Air Host
On-Air Host vs Radio Broadcaster

Updated January 8, 2025

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