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On-air personality vs radio disc jockey

The differences between on-air personalities and radio disc jockeys 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 disc jockey. Additionally, a radio disc jockey has an average salary of $48,482, 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 disc jockey are DJ, radio station, and R.

On-air personality vs radio disc jockey overview

On-Air PersonalityRadio Disc Jockey
Yearly salary$42,380$48,482
Hourly rate$20.38$23.31
Growth rate-4%-4%
Number of jobs1,5074,315
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Average age5050
Years of experience44

On-air personality vs radio disc jockey salary

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

On-Air PersonalityRadio Disc Jockey
Average salary$42,380$48,482
Salary rangeBetween $23,000 And $76,000Between $24,000 And $94,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between on-air personality and radio disc jockey education

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

On-Air PersonalityRadio Disc Jockey
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Most common majorCommunicationCommunication
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityNorthwestern University

On-air personality vs radio disc jockey demographics

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

On-Air PersonalityRadio Disc Jockey
Average age5050
Gender ratioMale, 64.4% Female, 35.6%Male, 64.2% Female, 35.8%
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, 4.7% Unknown, 3.3% Hispanic or Latino, 11.4% Asian, 3.9% White, 76.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage10%10%

Differences between on-air personality and radio disc jockey 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 disc jockey example responsibilities.

  • Manage website, Spreaker, Podbean, iTunes, YouTube and other social media accounts.
  • Create custom playlists, play requests, live on-air interviews; giveaways; singer/songwriters.
  • Comply with FCC regulations, train DJ's to use advance equipment, train new DJ's, plan station events
  • Host FM music shows, host internet music and talk shows, provide voice tracking, and make automated playlists.
  • Live on-air telephone interviews with gospel recording artist.
  • Produce a weekly radio program carry over FM airwaves.
  • Show more

On-air personality vs radio disc jockey skills

Common on-air personality skills
  • Facebook, 9%
  • FCC, 8%
  • Twitter, 8%
  • Live Events, 7%
  • Wide Orbit, 7%
  • Control Board, 6%
Common radio disc jockey skills
  • DJ, 19%
  • Radio Station, 13%
  • R, 9%
  • Audio Equipment, 7%
  • FM, 5%
  • Playlists, 4%

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