When newly graduated journalists start getting those first job offers, they’re often at a loss as to how much they can expect to be paid. The annual RTDNA Salary Survey is one of the best places to start, and this year’s graduates are getting some good news for a change.
According to researcher Bob Papper, “The latest RTDNA/Hofstra University Annual Survey found that local television news salaries rose by 4.8% in 2015. That’s more than double last year’s 1.9% increase.”
For those just starting the job hunt, it’s particularly important to look at median salaries by market size as indicated in the graphic below. If you’re a reporter about to be hired in a very small market (151+), an offer in the $26,000 range would not be out of whack, for example.
Courtesy: RTDNA
No surprise that the salary showing the biggest increase was for digital content managers — up 25% year-to-year. What does seem strange is that news producer salaries continue to be relatively low compared to news reporter positions. For as much as news directors moan and groan about the lack of quality producer candidates, they might want to take a look at how much they’re paying for this key newsroom position.
