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Radio producer: Salary and conditions

• Conditions vary widely depending on whether you are on a staff contract with the BBC, which offers well-defined and protected conditions, or part of a small community radio team.
• Salaries are extremely variable, but a graduate with some relevant experience might hope to earn up to £16,000. Non-graduate entry positions could command around £12,500 (salary data collected Aug 09).
• Range of typical salaries at senior level/with experience (e.g. after 10-15 years in the role): £30,000 - £45,000 for senior positions (salary data collected Aug 09).
• Freelance salaries vary from £150 to £300 a day, depending on experience (salary data collected Aug 09).
• Radio employs around 22,500 people in the UK, about a quarter of whom work as freelancers or on short-term contracts.
• Working hours may be long and unpredictable, typically include unsocial hours.
• Producers are office or studio based but regularly travel to conduct interviews or work on live events. Two thirds of radio personnel report that they sometimes have to stay away from home overnight.
• As the media becomes increasingly inter-disciplinary, radio producers may also be involved in generating content for online and other platforms.
• Around 50% of people working in radio work in London, but even so, radio is less London-centric than other media and has staff based throughout the UK. The BBC still produces local radio output across the country and is Radio 5 Live is also moving to Salford in 2011.
• Around a half of radio producers are women.
• The age profile in radio is older than in other media.
• Across the media, organisations are addressing diversity issues in an attempt to increase the proportion of under-represented groups in the workforce. The advent of digital radio and expansion of community radio is also increasing representation as ethnic groups set up their own stations.
• Working to tight deadlines and on live programmes can be pressurised but many people find compensation in the 'buzz' of a working environment where people are excited about what they do.
• Limited financial resources, particularly in non-commercial radio stations, may give rise to creative and production challenges.
• This is a very sociable and fairly informal working environment where your status is assessed by your programme output.

AGCAS

Written by Anna Lomas, University of Manchester

Last updated:

August 2009

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