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On-air personality vs radio announcer

The differences between on-air personalities and radio announcers 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 personality and a radio announcer. Additionally, a radio announcer has an average salary of $45,608, 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 radio announcer are radio commercials, public service announcements, and FM.

On-air personality vs radio announcer overview

On-Air PersonalityRadio Announcer
Yearly salary$42,380$45,608
Hourly rate$20.38$21.93
Growth rate-4%-4%
Number of jobs1,5072,870
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Average age5050
Years of experience44

On-air personality vs radio announcer salary

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

On-Air PersonalityRadio Announcer
Average salary$42,380$45,608
Salary rangeBetween $23,000 And $76,000Between $21,000 And $98,000
Highest paying City-Boston, MA
Highest paying state-Nevada
Best paying company-WGBH
Best paying industry-Internet

Differences between on-air personality and radio announcer education

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

On-Air PersonalityRadio Announcer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Most common majorCommunicationCommunication
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityNorthwestern University

On-air personality vs radio announcer demographics

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

On-Air PersonalityRadio Announcer
Average age5050
Gender ratioMale, 64.4% Female, 35.6%Male, 65.2% Female, 34.8%
Race ratioBlack 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, 5.1% Unknown, 3.5% Hispanic or Latino, 11.6% Asian, 4.5% White, 74.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage10%10%

Differences between on-air personality and radio announcer duties and responsibilities

On-air personality example responsibilities.

  • Record daily news cast on state topics, prepare promos, program and automate playlists, archive local public affairs shows.
  • Interact with listeners at local promotional events and through the station's Facebook page.
  • Air liners, jingles, and sweepers.
  • Copy writing, production, and remotes.100.9 FM (KPNC )
  • Work nights on FM AC/News station, both live and voice-tracked.
  • Cover NBA, NFL, and NCAA topics in a professional studio.
  • Show more

Radio announcer example responsibilities.

  • Manage local and network programming, system monitoring, ensure broadcast operations, FCC license
  • Manage and develop music playlists and setting up contests, promotions, and other marketing-relate projects.
  • Design locations for cell sites to achieve maximum handover efficiency.
  • Follow and enforce FCC regulations and station and company policies.
  • Arrange music playlists on-air, interview guests, and provide interpretation.
  • Radio announcer DJ broadcasting music, news, radio shows and weather.
  • Show more

On-air personality vs radio announcer skills

Common on-air personality skills
  • Facebook, 9%
  • FCC, 8%
  • Twitter, 8%
  • Live Events, 7%
  • Wide Orbit, 7%
  • Control Board, 6%
Common radio announcer skills
  • Radio Commercials, 17%
  • Public Service Announcements, 8%
  • FM, 7%
  • Audio Equipment, 5%
  • Program Content, 4%
  • Radio Program, 4%

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