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On-air personality vs radio host

The differences between on-air personalities and radio hosts 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 host. Additionally, a radio host has an average salary of $46,944, 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 host are audio board, FM, and twitter.

On-air personality vs radio host overview

On-Air PersonalityRadio Host
Yearly salary$42,380$46,944
Hourly rate$20.38$22.57
Growth rate-4%-4%
Number of jobs1,50712,568
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age5050
Years of experience44

On-air personality vs radio host salary

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

On-Air PersonalityRadio Host
Average salary$42,380$46,944
Salary rangeBetween $23,000 And $76,000Between $25,000 And $87,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between on-air personality and radio host education

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

On-Air PersonalityRadio Host
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common majorCommunicationCommunication
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityNorthwestern University

On-air personality vs radio host demographics

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

On-Air PersonalityRadio Host
Average age5050
Gender ratioMale, 64.4% Female, 35.6%Male, 60.7% Female, 39.3%
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, 5.7% Unknown, 3.3% Hispanic or Latino, 13.6% Asian, 4.3% White, 72.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage10%10%

Differences between on-air personality and radio host 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 host example responsibilities.

  • Founded, host and manage one of the main radio programmes for Kairi Fm, a leading radio station in Dominica.
  • Learned FCC regulations, how to use live radio equipment, create show content, review albums for radio hosts
  • Broadcast live over FM radio and online.
  • Air timed commercial breaks and appropriate PSAs and promos.
  • Utilize a radio control panel as an on-air disc jockey.
  • Arrange ticket giveaways, merchandise promotions and personal appearances by the artists.
  • Show more

On-air personality vs radio host skills

Common on-air personality skills
  • Facebook, 9%
  • FCC, 8%
  • Twitter, 8%
  • Live Events, 7%
  • Wide Orbit, 7%
  • Control Board, 6%
Common radio host skills
  • Audio Board, 9%
  • FM, 8%
  • Twitter, 6%
  • Adobe Audition, 6%
  • DJ, 6%
  • Instagram, 4%

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