Broadcast technicians
SOC Code: 27-4012
Broadcast technicians carries a 50% AI exposure score (High automation risk), with a median annual wage of $53,920 and -2.8% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 24,800 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 50% AI exposure, Broadcast technicians sits 13 points above the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 87% of them. Most of its core tasks still require human judgment.
Career outlook score
26/100
Broadcast technicians, weighted across 3 of 3 tracked dimensions
A weighted composite of median wage, projected growth, and AI-automation security (inverted exposure), each benchmarked against every other tracked occupation. It describes this occupation's standing across those three dimensions, not a guarantee of future outcomes.
- Median wage D $53,920
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth F -2.8%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) F 50% exposure
Lower O*NET task-automability scores lower risk; this dimension scores security, not exposure
Home health and personal care aides is #1 of 832 occupations by employment (4.3M, AI exposure rank #392 at 35%) vs. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks #1 by AI task exposure (95%, employment rank #17 at 1.6M).
Automation-risk inventory
Exclusive cut of 832 occupations by PlainWorkforce automation-risk band. Orthogonal to the continuous AI-exposure distribution chart below and to this occupation's single risk badge, this is the corpus band mix, with Broadcast technicians in the High band.
Credential × growth standing
Associate / award entry with a named growth shelf
Entry credential Associate / award covers 99 of 832 occupations; BLS places this one in Slow growth (245/832). Mid-credential standing - thicker than graduate shelves, thinner than HS-dominated mass.
Where Broadcast technicians sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Broadcast technicians sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
50% Higher than most higher than 87% of 832 occupations
Occupations, banded by AI-exposure score
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor) · BLS 2024–2034
Source: O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor); AI-exposure scores are PlainWorkforce's analysis. As of BLS 2024–2034.
Broadcast technicians vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Broadcast technicians is marked in rose; the top-left corner is the most future-proof.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 (growth) and O*NET (AI-exposure analysis by PlainWorkforce).
Employment Projections
Where This Score Comes From
Broadcast technicians's High automation-risk tier is computed from O*NET Database 30.0 task-level analysis, where each documented task the occupation performs is evaluated against current generative AI, robotic process automation, and machine-learning capabilities. A score in the 40–70% range indicates meaningful automation pressure on specific task categories, but the role as a whole still requires human judgment for coordination, exception handling, or client interaction.
The employment, wage, and education figures above come from a second, separate federal source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034, matched to the O*NET task data by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC 27-4012) code, with the wage figure cross-validated against the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 survey. BLS figures are presented exactly as published, with no adjustment on our part; the SOC-code match is what lets Broadcast technicians be compared directly against every other tracked occupation on the same basis, not just roles that happen to share a job title.
For career planners, this profile should be read alongside the task, skill, and knowledge breakdowns below and the list of employers whose workforce composition includes Broadcast technicians. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Report equipment problems, ensure that repairs are made, and make emergency repairs to equipment when necessary and possible.
- 2. Monitor and log transmitter readings.
- 3. Maintain programming logs as required by station management and the Federal Communications Commission.
- 4. Monitor strength, clarity, and reliability of incoming and outgoing signals, and adjust equipment as necessary to maintain quality broadcasts.
- 5. Observe monitors and converse with station personnel to determine audio and video levels and to ascertain that programs are airing.
- 6. Preview scheduled programs to ensure that signals are functioning and programs are ready for transmission.
- 7. Play and record broadcast programs, using automation systems.
- 8. Set up, operate, and maintain broadcast station computers and networks.
- 9. Record sound onto tape or film for radio or television, checking its quality and making adjustments where necessary.
- 10. Schedule programming or read television programming logs to determine which programs are to be recorded or aired.
Key Skills Required
- Critical Thinking
- Active Listening
- Monitoring
- Operations Monitoring
- Writing
- Complex Problem Solving
- Reading Comprehension
- Speaking
- Active Learning
- Equipment Maintenance
Knowledge Areas
- Computers and Electronics
- Telecommunications
- Engineering and Technology
- Communications and Media
- English Language
- Design
- Mathematics
- Education and Training
- Mechanical
- Customer and Personal Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Broadcast technicians?
Broadcast technicians has an AI exposure score of 50%, indicating a high level of automation risk. Some tasks in this role can be augmented or partially automated by AI, but core responsibilities require human judgment.
What is the job outlook for Broadcast technicians?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Broadcast technicians is projected to decline by 2.8% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 24,800 workers.
What skills are needed for Broadcast technicians?
Key skills for Broadcast technicians include Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Monitoring, and others. Typical entry-level education is Associate's degree.
How much do Broadcast technicians earn?
The median annual wage for Broadcast technicians is $53,920, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024). Actual earnings vary by location, experience, industry, and employer. The BLS publishes detailed wage percentiles by region in its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.
What education is required for Broadcast technicians?
The typical entry-level education for Broadcast technicians is Associate's degree. Employers generally expect None of related work experience. On-the-job training typically involves Short-term on-the-job training. Requirements can vary by employer and specialization.
Which companies employ Broadcast technicians?
Broadcast technicians roles exist across many industries and employers. Workforce composition is estimated from BLS industry-occupation employment distributions matched to SEC-registered public companies.
AI Exposure Rating
High automation risk based on 10 analyzed tasks. A moderate share of tasks may be augmented by AI tools.
Nationwide occupations with similar workforce profiles
Two data-derived peer sets for Broadcast technicians: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (50% here).
- Commercial pilots · AI exposure 50%
- Engineers, all other · AI exposure 50%
- Veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers · AI exposure 50%
- Cartographers and photogrammetrists · AI exposure 49%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (-2.8% here).
- First-line supervisors of correctional officers · growth -2.8%
- Maintenance workers, machinery · growth -2.8%
- Petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers · growth -2.8%
- School bus monitors · growth -2.7%
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on published BLS + O*NET metrics among occupations with ≥10,000 workers in 2024; corpus ranks above sort the full tracked set.
Related Occupations
Showing 6 of 12 occupations with a comparable automation-risk profile.
What to do with this
Use Broadcast technicians' numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Broadcast technicians side by side against another occupation on wage, growth, and AI exposure. Workforce comparison tool
- Understand how the AI exposure score above is actually calculated before treating it as a verdict. Reading AI exposure scores
- See the full ranked list of occupations with the lowest automation exposure nationwide. Safest occupations from AI
AI exposure scores estimate task automatability from O*NET data; they are not a certainty of job loss, and BLS growth projections are estimates, not guarantees.
Data sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2024–2034 and O*NET Database 30.0. Employment figures are rounded. Wage data from BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (OES).