Announcer Salary
Most generally consider there to be about three different types of announcers, the TV announcer, who works on a televisions program or for a station, the radio announcer, who does the same only for a radio station, and the event or sports announcer, who works calling games or announcing different events. Each of these are involved in the realm of broadcasting. Radio and television broadcasters will typically either announce shows or commercials, read from a prepared script, or help to move the generalized programming along. Many who get a job in television or radio broadcasting are aiming to be a recognized personality in the listening range. The most coveted of the announcers is the sports announcer. This is the person who calls the play by play at a major sporting event, often being heard on TV and radio while calling the live event. Many people will try to get this position, but many will not make it to this level. It takes a certain personality and charm to announce things to a large crowd without a script, or even with a script. This is a highly competitive field, and needs to be treated as such when looking for employment.
Any type of announcer will require a combination of experience and education. Many go for a technical degree which provides training on the broadcast equipment used, while others go for a journalism or broadcast degree that trains them on the writing and performance aspects of the profession. While both degrees will work well (many colleges group these two degrees together into the same college or track of classes), experience is key. Many will work for free in volunteer positions for years, taking DJ and announcer positions at the college radio or TV stations, working on Internet stations, or calling small scale sporting events, like little league baseball and high school football (which is still hard to get into). If you are looking to be a sports announcer, your should also consider acting and speech classes. These can help you to think quicker on your feet, since creating your own dialogue live is far more difficult than working off of a script.
The announcer salary can be very difficult to calculate, since those who are doing very well can make well over $100,000 a year,and many more talents individuals can be working for free. Due to the massive amount of interest in the field and the high rate of applicants, that average salary for an announcer is only around $12 an hour. Work experience is key in this field, and keeping an up-to-date portfolio of sound clips or video sample it almost as important as your degree.
The announcer field is very competitive, and many looking to break into it will never make it far. If you are truly interested in this, the announcer salary should not be your primary motivation. Many become an announcer because they love what they are doing, not for the money.
