Radio board operator vs talk show host

The differences between radio board operators and talk show hosts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a radio board operator and a talk show host. Additionally, a talk show host has an average salary of $49,582, which is higher than the $49,329 average annual salary of a radio board operator.

The top three skills for a radio board operator include phone calls, audio board and radio station. The most important skills for a talk show host are radio station, hot topics, and FCC.

Radio board operator vs talk show host overview

	Radio Board Operator	Talk Show Host
Yearly salary	$49,329	$49,582
Hourly rate	$23.72	$23.84
Growth rate	-4%	-4%
Number of jobs	28,352	10,048
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Average age	50	50
Years of experience	4	4

Radio board operator vs talk show host salary

Radio board operators and talk show hosts have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Radio Board Operator	Talk Show Host
Average salary	$49,329	$49,582
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $104,000	Between $24,000 And $100,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between radio board operator and talk show host education

There are a few differences between a radio board operator and a talk show host in terms of educational background:

	Radio Board Operator	Talk Show Host
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Most common major	Communication	Communication
Most common college	Northwestern University	Northwestern University

Radio board operator vs talk show host demographics

Here are the differences between radio board operators' and talk show hosts' demographics:

	Radio Board Operator	Talk Show Host
Average age	50	50
Gender ratio	Male, 76.6% Female, 23.4%	Male, 68.3% Female, 31.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 3.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.4% Asian, 3.9% White, 75.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 5.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 9.9% Asian, 4.0% White, 76.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between radio board operator and talk show host duties and responsibilities

Radio board operator example responsibilities.

Manage and update show's Facebook page and website with strategically tailor content aim at growing audience base.
Notify management, maintenance, engineering and other auxiliary personnel regarding equipment malfunctions and troubleshoot process issues as needed.
Conduct routine operating inspections of the unit, troubleshoot operational problems and respond to area emergencies or to changing operational situations.
Organize promotions and prize giveaways.
Work as on-air talent both in news department and as a disc jockey, as well as a part-time ad salesperson.

Talk show host example responsibilities.

Feature as DJ of the month every year for KSDB.
Host a weekly radio show and curate weekly song playlists.
Help in maintaining social media outlets for the station like Facebook.
Produce and appear in daily videos on line and on facebook.
Brainstorm and plan promotions for concert ticket giveaways and pre-concert parties in parking lots of venues
Provide a play-by-play narrative of games with analysis, statistics, stories, rules and sports history.

Radio board operator vs talk show host skills

Common radio board operator skills

Phone Calls, 22%
Audio Board, 11%
Radio Station, 9%
FCC, 7%
Adobe Audition, 6%
Control Board, 6%

Common talk show host skills

Radio Station, 11%
Hot Topics, 11%
FCC, 9%
FM, 6%
Adobe Audition, 6%
On-Air Content, 5%

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Radio Board Operator
Radio Board Operator vs Talk Show Host

Updated January 8, 2025

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