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Sports reporter vs beat reporter

The differences between sports reporters and beat reporters can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a sports reporter and a beat reporter. Additionally, a sports reporter has an average salary of $96,119, which is higher than the $65,737 average annual salary of a beat reporter.

The top three skills for a sports reporter include twitter, facebook and feature stories. The most important skills for a beat reporter are feature stories, twitter, and hard news stories.

Sports reporter vs beat reporter overview

Sports ReporterBeat Reporter
Yearly salary$96,119$65,737
Hourly rate$46.21$31.60
Growth rate-10%-10%
Number of jobs4,2962,133
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 87%Bachelor's Degree, 86%
Average age4040
Years of experience22

Sports reporter vs beat reporter salary

Sports reporters and beat reporters have different pay scales, as shown below.

Sports ReporterBeat Reporter
Average salary$96,119$65,737
Salary rangeBetween $67,000 And $136,000Between $36,000 And $117,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between sports reporter and beat reporter education

There are a few differences between a sports reporter and a beat reporter in terms of educational background:

Sports ReporterBeat Reporter
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 87%Bachelor's Degree, 86%
Most common majorJournalismJournalism
Most common collegeCalifornia Polytechnic State University-San Luis ObispoMassachusetts Institute of Technology

Sports reporter vs beat reporter demographics

Here are the differences between sports reporters' and beat reporters' demographics:

Sports ReporterBeat Reporter
Average age4040
Gender ratioMale, 79.1% Female, 20.9%Male, 59.3% Female, 40.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 13.3% Asian, 8.5% White, 66.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 9.7% White, 66.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage10%10%

Differences between sports reporter and beat reporter duties and responsibilities

Sports reporter example responsibilities.

  • Manage the day-to-day production of the Olympics section as needed.
  • Assist with play-by-play commentary for local high school sports including: football, soccer, volleyball, baseball, and basketball.
  • Cover games for the men's ice hockey and basketball teams, as well as, the women's soccer team.
  • Earn repeated commendations for excellence in writing, reporting, photojournalism and infographics.
  • Produce yearly 30-minute football shows for state championship teams.
  • Host of Voces del Deporte & Almuerzo Deportivo daily radio programs on ESPN Deportes Miami.
  • Show more

Beat reporter example responsibilities.

  • Develop and write columns and editorials in the sports field as well as managed the blog website.
  • Update newspaper's Facebook account.
  • Cover issues relating back to health, writing print stories, producing broadcast video and photography.
  • Used twitter to monitor trending topics and reach out to points of contact to cover crime and jurisprudence.
  • Interview sources daily; coordinate frequently with editorial and photography departments.
  • Construct and edit web-published multimedia pieces that are featured on the university's athletic programs.
  • Show more

Sports reporter vs beat reporter skills

Common sports reporter skills
  • Twitter, 7%
  • Facebook, 7%
  • Feature Stories, 6%
  • Sports Coverage, 6%
  • Sports Stories, 6%
  • News Stories, 5%
Common beat reporter skills
  • Feature Stories, 17%
  • Twitter, 10%
  • Hard News Stories, 8%
  • Facebook, 6%
  • Photography, 6%
  • Press Conferences, 5%

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