2015 RTDNA annual newsroom salary survey: some TV positions gain ground, but radio remains flat

posted on 7.20.2015

It’s a question received at the TAB offices several times a year – do you have average salary information for XX position at a station our size?  

Oftentimes the question is about a specific newsroom position, typically on-air, but in recent years TAB has been asked more frequently about off-air news positions. Questions about contracting off-air positions have also been on the rise.

The Radio Television Digital News Association’s annual salary survey is a great resource for these questions and the 2015 annual newsroom salary survey has just been released.

What makes this salary survey so useful is the depth of newsroom positions that are surveyed and the fact that the information is broken down to market categories. There are also data on contracting practices in radio and TV station newsrooms.

Among the key 2015 findings – some TV newsroom salaries are on the rise, but radio newsroom salaries remain flat. 

More positions in radio and TV newsrooms are under contract than ever before.  Non-compete provisions are fairly standard in such agreements despite some states’ uneven track records with courts upholding them.

The study was conducted for RTDNA by Bob Papper, professor emeritus at Hofstra University. 

The data were collected in the fourth quarter of 2014 among more than 1,600 television stations and a random sample of more than 3,700 radio stations. The response rate for TV stations topped 75 percent with valid responses coming from nearly 1,300 stations. On the radio side of the study, 316 radio news directors and general managers representing 868 radio stations provided data.

Questions?  Contact TAB's Michael Schneider or call (512) 322-9944.

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