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Broadcast Operators Job Overview

Broadcast Operators set up, control and maintain the different electronic and electrical equipment that are used in television and radio broadcasts and musical recordings or concerts.

Broadcast Operators Schools and Degrees

Broadcast operators should get training from a community or training college, or a technical school that offers special courses in electronics, engineering and broadcast technology. An associates degree can be of great help in securing a job as a broadcast operator. Courses in electronics, physics and mathematics at the high school level can also come in handy.

Job Requirements

It is not necessary for broadcast operators to have professional licenses. However, certification by the Society of Broadcast Engineers testifies to the amount of expertise and competency a broadcast operator has. To obtain this certification, broadcast operators need to pass an exam and have proof of prior experience.

It is important for broadcast operators to learn the job from those experienced in the profession. Those starting out in this profession often begin work at small stations and then move on to large ones. Broadcast operators need to attend courses and seminars to keep up with the latest technology and trends. These seminars are often sponsored by the employers.

Proficiency with electronic equipment is needed to be in this profession. Experience of working in a college radio or television station is also useful. In addition, one needs to have knowledge in digital recording, broadcasting and editing in order to make it as a successful broadcast operator. Manual skills (dexterity?) and a capacity to work with electrical and electronic equipments are also necessary.

Nature of Work

Broadcast Operators maintain and set up broadcasting equipment and control technical elements like volume, brightness, contrast and sound quality of all the broadcasts. Broadcasting operators also regulate the panels, which choose the origin of the material to be broadcast. They may change from one studio or camera to another, or from a live programming to a recorded one. They also choose between broadcasting a local program and showing a program from the network. This doesn’t seem right – seems like a decision made by someone else. In small broadcasting stations, broadcast operators look after many other activities. Their jobs in big stations may become a little more focused. Also, in large stations their work assignments alter from day to day.

Broadcast operators usually work indoors in comfortable surroundings. At big stations, broadcast operators usually work for about forty hours a week. Many times they have to work overtime to meet deadlines. Since broadcasting activity is usually on for twenty-four hours a day, working on evenings and holidays is quite common. Broadcast operators also have on-call job duties at times.

Broadcast Operators Jobs and Outlook

The job outlook of broadcast operators varies a lot depending on the geographical area. According to research in 2006, there were about 105,000 broadcast operators working in the US. This figure is estimated to increase by 17% in the next ten years. The average annual earnings of broadcast operators is approximately $32,000.

Job Numbers and Growth

About 38,000 TV and radio broadcast operators are employed nationally. Workers can expect a low level of unemployment, if history can be used as a guide. In 2008, 4% of employees could not find jobs.

Area Job Conditions

Popular locations for TV and radio broadcast operators include Tallahassee (Florida), Missoula (Montana), and Little Rock (Arkansas). Fewer are found in Providence (Rhode Island), Oakland (California), and Newark (New Jersey).

Workers looking for high salaries should look at Oakland (California), Trenton (New Jersey), and Lansing (Michigan), and should avoid Brownsville (Texas), Lubbock (Texas), and Joplin (Missouri).

Training and Education

Employees often obtain an associate degree before starting. The percentage of TV and radio broadcast operators with college degrees is 35%. Workers with some college (less than a bachelor's degree) represent about 44% of the total. Some employees, about 21%, had a high-school education. Recommended schools are shown in the column to the right; request information from them to help you decide which if any could help you with this career.

Part-Time Work and Self-Employment

Part-time TV and radio broadcast operators are 13% of all surveyed. Some workers, about 12%, work for themselves.

TV And Radio Broadcast Operators by Metropolitan Area (city and its surroundings)

In the table below, a Job Density near 0% means the area has an average number of people in this occupation, for its population. A higher or lower Job Density (e.g., +22% or -45%) tells you there are that many more or fewer workers of that type there than in the average US metro area. So, the higher the number, the more common the occupation.

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