An aging A-list, AI anchors and agents struggling to justify superstar paydays: “The trend is to replace them with people they can pay considerably less.”
The latest RTDNA/Newhouse School at Syracuse University Survey found that local television news salaries rose by 4% in 2022. That’s better than last year’s 1.1% (two years ago, salaries rose by 3.5%). But inflation in 2022 hit 6.4% so 2022 was the second straight year of a drop in real (after inflation) wages: down 2.4% this year after last year’s 5.9% shortfall. That brings the two-year cumulative loss to 8.3% in terms of real wages.
The latest RTDNA/Lawrence Herbert School of Communication – Hofstra University Annual Survey found that local television news salaries rose by 3.1% in 2018, just over the U.S. average hourly wage gain of 3% for 2018. With inflation remaining low at 1.9%, real wage growth in local TV news hit 1.2%. TV news wage growth for 2018 was up four-tenths of a point from last year’s 2.7% increase.
TV News Salaries Moved Up 4% In 2016
The latest RTDNA-Hofstra University Annual Survey found that local television news salaries rose by 4% in 2016. That’s a bit less than last year’s 4.8%, but still almost double the level of inflation in 2016: 2.1%. That means TV news salaries gained 1.9% purchasing power this past year… on top of the previous year’s 3.5% net increase. A big improvement over the last few earlier years.
Exclusives
The mean salary for reporters and correspondents rose from $40,090 in May 2003 to $44,360 in May 2013, an increase of 10.7% according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment Statistics. No cheers, though. During the same 10-year period, BLS data shows the mean salary for all occupations rose 28%, from $36,210 in 2003 to $46,440 in 2013.
TV, Radio News Salaries Barely Edge Up
While staffing in TV news soared, salaries did not. The latest RTDNA/Hofstra University Annual Survey found that local television news salaries rose 2.0% during 2011. That thin margin of growth suggests that a lot of the hiring in 2011 took place among relatively young, less expensive staffers.
Sharp Rise In TV, Radio News Salaries
Not only did TV news staffing go up noticeably this past year, so did salaries. The latest RTDNA/Hofstra University Annual Survey found that local television news salaries rose 7.3% during 2010. The numbers are a sharp contrast to the last two years, when salaries actually fell 4.4% two years ago before rising a modest 2.5% last year.
