Post job

On-air host vs radio personality

The differences between on-air hosts and radio personalities 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 personality. Additionally, a radio personality has an average salary of $48,193, 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 personality are radio station, FM, and audio production.

On-air host vs radio personality overview

On-Air HostRadio Personality
Yearly salary$45,873$48,193
Hourly rate$22.05$23.17
Growth rate-4%-4%
Number of jobs10,6742,363
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 76%Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Average age5050
Years of experience44

On-air host vs radio personality salary

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

On-Air HostRadio Personality
Average salary$45,873$48,193
Salary rangeBetween $24,000 And $84,000Between $24,000 And $95,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between on-air host and radio personality education

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

On-Air HostRadio Personality
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 76%Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common majorCommunicationCommunication
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityNorthwestern University

On-air host vs radio personality demographics

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

On-Air HostRadio Personality
Average age5050
Gender ratioMale, 63.5% Female, 36.5%Male, 58.1% Female, 41.9%
Race ratioBlack 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, 6.8% Unknown, 3.1% Hispanic or Latino, 10.7% Asian, 4.4% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage10%10%

Differences between on-air host and radio personality 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.
  • Show more

Radio personality example responsibilities.

  • Design locations for cell sites to achieve maximum handover efficiency.
  • Radio DJ on Saturdays and Sundays
  • Increase Facebook, WKQA web, and Instagram fans on the websites.
  • Operate board and entertain a weekly online audience via internet radio and Facebook live.
  • Perform network optimization, design of regional network as well as sanity check on antenna configuration.
  • Work with copywriting team to produce several Addy award winning commercials.

On-air host vs radio personality skills

Common on-air host skills
  • Adobe Audition, 16%
  • Phone Calls, 8%
  • FCC, 7%
  • FM, 7%
  • Air Host, 6%
  • Twitter, 6%
Common radio personality skills
  • Radio Station, 9%
  • FM, 7%
  • Audio Production, 6%
  • Disc, 5%
  • Public Service Announcements, 5%
  • Air Personality, 5%

Browse arts, entertainment, sports, and media jobs