How To Become A Program Host: What It Is and Career Path

What is a program host and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a program host. For example, did you know that they make an average of $27.32 an hour? That's $56,830 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -4% and produce -1,700 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreProgram HostUS Average

Salary

4.4

Avg. Salary $56,830

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.4

Growth rate -4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.39%

Asian 3.82%

Black or African American 5.18%

Hispanic or Latino 14.13%

Unknown 3.67%

White 72.81%

Gender

female 45.06%

male 54.94%

Age - 49

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 49

Stress level

7.4

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.2

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.1

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a program host

Explore program host education requirements

Most common program host degrees

Bachelor's

71.6 %

Associate

9.2 %

Master's

8.0 %

Start to develop specific program host skills

Skills	Percentages
FCC	31.34%
Classical Music	30.80%
FM	17.37%
Radio Program	7.08%
Community Events	3.01%

Complete relevant program host training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New program hosts learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a program host based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real program host resumes.

Research program host duties and responsibilities

Founded, host and manage one of the main radio programmes for Kairi Fm, a leading radio station in Dominica.
Book bands, DJ's, artists, poets, and fashion designers to appear on the show.
Conduct research for potential stories and topics, generate show topics and stories, and make playlists.
Founded, host and manage one of the main radio programmes for Kairi Fm, a leading radio station in Dominica.

Prepare your program host resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your program host resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a program host resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable program host resume templates

Build a professional program host resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your program host resume.