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Radio commentator vs on-air personality

The differences between radio commentators and on-air personalities 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 commentator and an on-air personality. Additionally, a radio commentator has an average salary of $56,226, which is higher than the $42,380 average annual salary of an on-air personality.

Radio commentator vs on-air personality overview

Radio CommentatorOn-Air Personality
Yearly salary$56,226$42,380
Hourly rate$27.03$20.38
Growth rate-4%-4%
Number of jobs2,1741,507
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age5050
Years of experience44

Radio commentator vs on-air personality salary

Radio commentators and on-air personalities have different pay scales, as shown below.

Radio CommentatorOn-Air Personality
Average salary$56,226$42,380
Salary rangeBetween $34,000 And $92,000Between $23,000 And $76,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between radio commentator and on-air personality education

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

Radio CommentatorOn-Air Personality
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common majorPolitical ScienceCommunication
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityNorthwestern University

Radio commentator vs on-air personality demographics

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

Radio CommentatorOn-Air Personality
Average age5050
Gender ratioMale, 71.0% Female, 29.0%Male, 64.4% Female, 35.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 5.3% Unknown, 3.0% Hispanic or Latino, 8.0% Asian, 3.3% White, 80.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black 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%
LGBT Percentage10%10%

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

Radio commentator example responsibilities.

  • Design locations for cell sites to achieve maximum handover efficiency.
  • Perform network optimization, design of regional network as well as sanity check on antenna configuration.
  • Interview personalities, run promotional contests, record advertisements and appear at fundraisers.

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

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