Sports Broadcaster Salaries

Name: Jerry Massey
Job Title: Sports Broadcaster
Where: Virginia Tech, VA
Employer: ISP Sports
Years of Experience: 10
Education: Bachelor of Science - Media Studies, Radford University
Salary: According to PayScale, sports broadcaster salaries average out to $30,236 for radio and $62,992 for television

Sports Broadcaster Salaries

For those seeking job info for sports broadcaster gigs or requirements for sports broadcasters, this Salary Story is a must-read! Jerry Massey is a sports broadcaster for Virginia Tech and a stringer (freelancer) for national networks. Jerry gave us the play-by-play on factors that affect sports broadcaster salaries, sports broadcaster jobs, the education of a sports broadcaster and, of course, how to become a sports broadcaster. If you dream of announcing sports and attaining a sports broadcaster career profile (see Jerry's at hokiesports.com), or want info on how to earn the highest sports broadcaster salaries, then learn how the game is played!

Sports Broadcaster Job Description:

My preparation begins months in advance. I always look forward to the day that the schedule comes out because then you can start doing a little research on how the upcoming season's opponents performed last season. I generally do no more than glance at their statistics and their roster to see if an opponent is going to be a veteran side or one that is looking to rebuild.

I drop the most current statistics into my chart as game day approaches. I also do monotonous things such as fill out my scorebook and label my Mini Discs ahead of time. The night before a home game or a travel day, I go to the radio station and spend a couple of hours in the production studio. There, I record the game open which airs during my opening billboards. It's generally a minute or so and quickly recaps the last game and previews the upcoming game.

During the broadcast, I go with the flow. I have been taught that an average listener only listens to a radio sports broadcast for around 15 minutes. You have to keep that in the back of your mind when doing the in-game part of the broadcast. I've gotten into a habit of trying to force myself to emulate what I see on television. Generally you'll see a scene setter or a recap at the top or bottom of the hours to remind new viewers what they have missed in case they are joining the broadcast. I've found that this style translates well into radio.

How did you go from college to a sports broadcaster career?

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I've known for a long time that I wanted to be a sports broadcaster. With that in mind, I knew the first thing that I had to do was somehow break into media when I started attending Radford in 1997. I started taking a practicum class which produced a 30-minute weekly news show which aired throughout the region. I got on as an entertainment reporter going around to concerts and events. It was a lot of fun.

Spring of 1998, I knew that I was having fun as an entertainment reporter, but I wanted to get into sports. I was able to call some innings at the Big South Conference Baseball Tournament in the Spring of 1999 and that gave me some more experience. I would then get the call to do color and play-by-play for the few women's basketball games that were broadcast during the 1999-2000 season.

After the 1999-2000 year, I had to get a "real job" so that I could make some money to pay some bills. In 2001 I went to Alaska to do play-by-play for three games for the Radford Men's Basketball Team. I was asked if I wanted to go and do the games and it was a no-brainer. I jumped all over the opportunity and consider it one of the best memories of my life. I continued to broadcast sporadically until 2003.

I finished my degree in December of 2003. I was the voice of the Radford Women's Basketball Team for the '03-'04 and '04-'05 seasons. In August, a friend of mine called me up to inform me that he was leaving his job as the voice of Virginia Tech Women's Basketball to take a radio/TV job for an NBA team. I was out of town and came back, put my demo together and submitted it. A few weeks later, I was hired. I had gone from the Big South to the ACC. That was a huge jump for me. So here I am today, the voice of Virginia Tech Women's Basketball.

I also am the voice of several Olympic sports at Tech which include soccer, volleyball, softball, and lacrosse. I also get to work on my men's basketball broadcasting skills by doing Tech's games on the ACC's website. Because of my ties with Tech, I also have had the opportunity to do some webcasts for the ACC in the last two years. I also string for Fox Sports Radio, Sporting News Radio, and ESPN Radio as I provide live updates for all Virginia Tech home football games. Although it can be crazy at times, doing that is a lot of fun and provides me with some national exposure.

Do you recall any humorous moments from your sports broadcaster jobs?

I remember that in September of 2003, I had to host a three-hour show outdoors in tropical storm force winds. Half of the show was a normal talk show. The other half was the "tailgate" show which served as a 90-minute preview of an upcoming Virginia Tech football game. The rain began a little after 2:00 in the afternoon and was a steady downpour for the entire evening. I was under a tent the entire time, soaking wet from the horizontal rain. My papers were blowing all over the place and I tried not to get electrocuted. But I had an absolute blast and eventually dried up around the third quarter of the Thursday night game inside of the Virginia Tech press box.

Are there any sportscasters that influenced you to pursue a sports broadcaster career?

As far as television sports broadcasters are concerned, Jim Nantz stands out the most. Every time you turn on the television and you see that he's on, you know you're going to get a quality broadcast. Jim is such a conversational broadcaster and ranks at the top of my list. He knows that viewers are tuned in to see a sporting event; he hasn't gone the route of "sports entertainment" in his commentary which has happened to many of the professional sports leagues in the United States, in my opinion.

From a radio side, I would have to say that Warren Swain was my favorite broadcaster. He was the voice of the University of Virginia for several years before he left UVA to become the voice of the University of Nebraska. Warren was fantastic and was almost like a grandfather to those of us that listened. I would turn down the television sound when UVA played on TV and turn the radio up to listen to his broadcasts.

Any advice to those interested in how to become a sports broadcaster?

You have to be able to do anything to get your foot in the door. Don't be afraid to ask questions either. If you're in high school or in college and you want to become a sports broadcaster, contact the "voice" of your school and get advice there. Volunteer or get a student-worker gig at the sports information office. If your campus has a radio station, try to get involved in that.

Also, listen to as many broadcasters as possible. Don't think that you have to be a stand-up comedian like the guys on ESPN. That, in most cases, turns purists off. Get a good feel for the different types of approaches to broadcasts by listening and watching as many different talents as possible.

Don't get discouraged! Sports broadcasting is an extremely tough business. Not only is it tough to get involved in, but it's tough once you're in it. I was once very discouraged by the way I was treated and ended up writing down a quote and putting it next to my door so that I wouldn't let anyone make me feel that way anymore. The note says: "Those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."

What factors affect sports broadcaster salaries?

I think sports broadcaster salaries are handled differently in the various broadcasting roles. I've learned from my own personal experience and through the experiences of friends that things can differ when it comes to college sports broadcaster salaries.

Many times when you take a look at job postings, you'll notice that they often don't list the sports broadcaster salaries. Or the posting might say, "salary commiserate with experience." In many cases that I've seen and heard, I don't find that to be true all the time. Sports broadcaster salaries can often be tied into several factors such as an athletic department's budget or outside sales figures.

I also think broadcasters that work at a school with a media rights holder have an edge in salary over those schools that do everything in house. Generally, those schools that do everything by themselves do not have the manpower, tools, and resources to sustain viable sales revenue to then add to their athletic departments' budgets and therefore offer to pay a good salary to their "voice."

Obviously, the big money is on the television side whether it be pro or college sports. If you're good enough to do both, that means more opportunity and bigger paychecks at the end of the day. I think if you diversify and do as many sports as possible while you're young, that gives you more time to get better. The better you get, combined with the more contacts you make, will often lead to opportunities. And just having the opportunity to do something you love, money aside, is something that you should soak up and enjoy.

How does your salary compare to sports broadcasters salaries? The PayScale Salary Calculator is a quick and easy way to compare positions. But when you want powerful salary data and comparisons customized for your exact position, be sure to build a complete profile by taking PayScale's full salary survey.

• Jerry Massey's Blog - BeforeItSucked.blogspot.com
• The Broadcasters - OhioAllSport.blogspot.com
• Average Sports Broadcaster Salaries by Years Experience

Comments

[Rawi]

Hello Jerry, my name is Rawi. I am just finishing middle school. I am highly interested in becoming a soccer commentator for a profession. Despite being in love with this job, I love the sport ltself. I live in Toronto and it would be great to work for Espn in their Saturday soccer show in the future hopefully. I wanted your advice on how to reach my goal and what I should do when I am in high school and college/university. Hope to hear soon from you.

[Chris Thomas]

Hello.My name is Chris I'm doing a project on what I would like to be when I grow up. I have always wanted to be a Sports broadcaster. I was wondering if you could email me because I have a couple of questions to ask you. Thank you!

[geremia elich]

Dear Jerry,
How did you get to your job? i am a atheltic good looking sophmore in highschool and i was wondering what i should start doing to get to my main goal of being a sports broadcaster? please write back and thanks in advance.

[Garron Oborn]

Hi Jerry i am 14 and finishing off my last year of middle school! since i was 5 i have always wanted to be a sports Broadcaster. every time I'm watching a game i practice my play-by-play calling. what college/universities are the best for becoming a sports broadcaster? thank you for your time.

sincerely,
Garron Oborn

[Denzel Palmer]

This has really helped me. I will use your advice while pursuing my dream- thank you

[Nick Variano]

Dear Jerry,
I am going into my sophmore year in high school and my dream is to become a sports announcer. I am in the process of thinking of different schools and I was wondering if I can't announce games for my school what else can I get involved in to get my foot in the door as a broadcaster.

Thanks,
Nick

[Naomi]

Hi,
I am female and in the past year I have been thinking about my future goals. Do female sports anchors/broadcasters have a lot of trouble getting the job? Also, I am about to be a freshman in high school and I have made several plans to make a sports broadcaster my occupation. I currently make strait A's and work hard in all I do. I have five brothers, and I come from an extremely athletic family. Meaning I am constantly being exposed to athletics. I am Vice President at my school and a leader in FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) so I happen to be very outgoing and I don’t have much trouble speaking to large crowds. I have done my fair share of research on this occupation and I would love to peruse it. Any suggestions and tips? Thank you!

[Ozzie Espinoza]

Mr. Jerry Massey,
My name is Ozzie Espinoza, and i attend Jordan Matthews High School in Siler City,NC. I am doing my senior project on becoming a sports broadcaster because its something i enjoy and what i hope to do in the future. Please email me. Hopefully you will be willing to help me. Thank You
-Ozzie E.

[Daniel]

Hi jerry,My name is Daniel and I am a freshman in high school and it has always been my dream to be a sports broadcaster for East Carolina University. I enjoyed your interview very much and thank you for it.

[Ashley A]

Hi Jerry, I am a senior in high school and will be attending the University of Missouri journalism school next semester. My goal is to become an ESPN Broadcaster and I wanted to know if you have any specific recommendations. I am very interested in baseball, is it more beneficial to expand my interests and not focus on one sport? Also, what do ESPN employers look for in their employees?
Thank you for your time.

[Michael Bondy]

Hi, im currently in grade 11, looking for courses to take to allow me to get into broadcasting in University, specifically Sports broadcasting, i was wondering if you suggest any courses, and anything to take on the side in University that can help me in becoming better at being a broadcaster, if you could e-mail me that would be perfect! Thank You!

[Emily]

Hello my name is Emily. I would like all the educational requirements for this career. I personally would like to focus on football and I was wondering how hard it would be to actually get a job for a either ESPN or the NFL Network? I have heard that this particular career is one where you must know someone who knows someone to get a good job, is this true? Thank you for your time.

[Ryan Hamilton]

Hi,
I wanting to know what i would need to major in college to be able to be a sports anaylist or sports reporter. I would like to work on an espn show, Sportscenter, PTI, Around the horn, i am really knowlegible in sports. but email me please

[chris]

hi i am doing a buisness project for my junior high school and i chose to become a sports broadcaster. It would really help if i got information on the job benefits. Thanks for your time.

[Jyssica Cozad]

Hi, i am a freshman in college and i am a mass communication major, i really love sports and think i would be good at being a sports broadcaster, i am getting my basics and rose state its a community college but i am finishing up at oklahoma university. i was wondering what you think about female broadcasters and if you have any tips and pointers i could use when it comes to finding a job.
thank you
Jyssica

[j. bowie]

I really appricate the message you put forth to helping young guys like myself. Question: I am a Mass Communication major, what is a way I can get my foot into the door with sports broadcasting?

[Tyler]

Hi i would like to know all of the educational requirements to this career,thanks

[Deonte Williams]

Good afternoon Jerry. I'm a senior in high school and I was thinking about studying sport broadcasting in college. I wanted to know is it as easy as it looks. Do you really have to do research on the teams and then talk about it on TV? I thought that the workers gives you the stats on the players or team and you just refer to that if you need to make a point about something. I also wanted to know is it hard to find a job after college? I don’t want to graduate college and not find a job. And I wanted to know what college classes did you have to take for becoming a sports broadcaster?

Thanks

[Ashlee]

hey i was thinking about this career....and does your "look" really matter?....especially being a girl?

[Cole Young]

Hi, my name is Cole. I am currently in 8th grade doing a research paper about this career. Is there any benefits ( like health care , dental, etc.) this has been a big help for me finding the salary for my research paper. Would it be easier working with channels like ESPN which is packed with shows, or a channel with a focus on just one sport?

[Ashley Lofton]

Hi Jerry my name is Ashley Lofton and I want to become a sports broadcaster also.but I want to do the sideline of N.B.A games.I just want to focus on basketball.should I be versitile or it's ok to focus on a particular sport?

[Cody Dunlevy]

Does this provide health care?