Broadcast Technician or Sound Engineering Technician: Career Information

Job Description: Broadcast and sound engineering technicians install, test, repair, set up, and operate the electronic equipment used to record and transmit radio and television programs, cable programs, and motion pictures. Some broadcast and sound engineering technicians produce movie soundtracks in motion picture production studios, control the sound of live events, such as concerts, or record music in a recording studio.

Employment Facts: Broadcast technicians held 34,000 jobs in 2004 while sound engineering technicians held 13,000 jobs.

Education: The best way to prepare for a broadcast and sound engineering technician job is to obtain technical school, community college, or college training in broadcast technology or in engineering or electronics. This is particularly true for those who hope to advance to supervisory positions or jobs at large stations or the networks. A college degree in engineering is needed to become chief engineer at a large TV station.

Other Requirements: Broadcast and sound engineering technicians must have manual dexterity and an aptitude for working with electrical, electronic, and mechanical systems and equipment.

Certification by the Society of Broadcast Engineers is issued to experienced technicians who pass an examination.

Advancement: Beginners learn skills on the job from experienced technicians and supervisors. They often begin their careers in small stations and, with experience, move on to larger ones. Large stations usually only hire technicians with experience. Experienced technicians can become supervisory technicians or chief engineers.

Job Outlook: The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts the employment of broadcast technicians and sound engineering technicians will grow about as fast as the average for all occupations through 2014. Competition for entry-level jobs is strong in large metropolitan areas. Prospects for entry-level positions generally are better in small cities and towns.

Earnings: Median annual earnings of broadcast technicians were $28,010 in 2004^*. Median annual earnings of sound engineering technicians in 2004^* were $38,110. Television stations usually pay higher salaries than radio stations; jobs in commercial broadcasting usually pay more than those in public broadcasting; and stations in large markets pay more than those in small ones.

Use the Salary Wizard at Salary.com to find out how much broadcast and sound engineer technicians currently earn in your city.

A Day in a Broadcast Technician's or a Sound Engineering Technician's Life: On a typical day a broadcast technician or a sound engineering technician might perform some of the following duties:

• operate equipment that regulates the signal strength, clarity, and range of sounds and colors of recordings or broadcasts;
• operate control panels to select the source of the material;
• switch from one camera or studio to another, from film to live programming, or from network to local programming;
• give technical directions to other studio personnel;

*This is the most recent year for which this information is available.

Information courtesy of Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2006-07 Edition, Broadcast and Sound Engineering Technicians and Radio Operators, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos109.htm (visited October 27, 2006).