WASHINGTON – Television newsroom salaries made gains in the past year, while radio newsroom salaries slipped, according to the Radio Television Digital News Association. RTDNA’s annual salary survey indicated that TV salaries were up an average 1.9 percent, and radio salaries were down an average of 4.1 percent.
News directors fared best in the TV newsroom, averaging $102,400 annually. Assistant news directors averaged $76,800, while managing editors averaged $66,300; executive producers averaged $56,600, while news anchors rounded out the top five at $83,000 on average. At the low end, tape editors averaged $30,100, followed by graphics specialists at $34,400, digital content mangers at $47,200, social media producer/editors at $42,300 and holding down the bottom, Web/mobile writer/producers, averaging $36,700.
The survey also showed a growing gap between reporters averaging $44,500, and multimedia journalists at $34,300, with MMJs being paid significantly less than reporters in all market sizes.
Market size typically correlated with salaries. E.g., sports reporters averaged $60,000 in markets No. 1-25 and $24,000 in markets 151 and above.
Overall, RTDNA said salaries have been pacing at or above inflation for most positions, but news producers and Web-related positions have not. Starting pay for entry-level employees in radio and television rose slightly in the past year, with MMJs and news producers being the most frequent new hires in television; reporters and web personnel were the most common new hires in radio.
The number of newsroom employees under contract with non-complete agreements held steady from the previous year. The survey of 1,688 TV stations and 3,704 radio stations was conducted in the fourth quarter of 2014. Further details of the annual salary survey are available at the RTDNA website.
