Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between on-air personalities and media technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become an on-air personality, becoming a media technician takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a media technician has an average salary of $45,576, which is higher than the $42,380 average annual salary of an on-air personality.
The top three skills for an on-air personality include facebook, FCC and twitter. The most important skills for a media technician are video production, troubleshoot, and technical support.
| On-Air Personality | Media Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $42,380 | $45,576 |
| Hourly rate | $20.38 | $21.91 |
| Growth rate | -4% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 1,507 | 38,422 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 50 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
On-Air personalities are celebrities with a platform on broadcast media. They are usually radio hosts hosting a talk show, a podcast, or even a music program. On-Air Personalities are influential people whose opinions are revered by their loyal followers. They recommend fashion items, music, places, or events, mostly depending on their advertising partners. On-Air personalities usually invite guests to their program. They would talk about different topics related to a theme or the main genre of the program. They should be engaging, good communicators, and confident.
Media technicians are professionals who are responsible for setting up and operating audio-visual and computer media equipment and materials. To enhance meetings, lectures, seminars, these technicians are required to schedule and assist the usage of equipment in academic or business settings. They must identify and perform troubleshooting with technical difficulties with online streaming and must effectively communicate with the staff from the information technology (IT) department. Media technicians must also identify sound or multimedia requirements for a given task and perform appropriate actions to produce this sound or media.
On-air personalities and media technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| On-Air Personality | Media Technician | |
| Average salary | $42,380 | $45,576 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $76,000 | Between $29,000 And $70,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Stamford, CT |
| Highest paying state | - | Delaware |
| Best paying company | - | Zoetis |
| Best paying industry | - | Professional |
There are a few differences between an on-air personality and a media technician in terms of educational background:
| On-Air Personality | Media Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Communication | Communication |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Johns Hopkins University |
Here are the differences between on-air personalities' and media technicians' demographics:
| On-Air Personality | Media Technician | |
| Average age | 50 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 64.4% Female, 35.6% | Male, 69.7% Female, 30.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.4% Unknown, 3.2% Hispanic or Latino, 11.5% Asian, 4.2% White, 75.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 6.5% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 5.1% White, 62.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 8% |