Kentucky·Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations·SOC 27-3011

Best Broadcast Announcer programs in Kentucky, ranked by enrollment

Speak or read from scripted materials, such as news reports or commercial messages, on radio, television, or other communications media.

22 schools in Kentucky run programs that feed this job, graduating 795 people a year. The job pays a median of $36,170 in Kentucky across about 340 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledAnchorAnnouncerDJ (Disc Jockey)On-Air PersonalityHostHostessReporterPodcaster
Graduates / yr
795
in Kentucky
Median pay · Kentucky
$36,170
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
340
people employed
Schools
22
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
51%
across those schools
Median net price
$18,902
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Kentucky that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.

5 programs in Kentucky that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Kentucky (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Kentucky page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 09.0101In Kentucky
567
71.3%
13$34,858$25,000
2
CIP 09.0701In Kentucky
80
10.1%
5$29,112$23,836
3
CIP 09.0402In Kentucky
68
8.6%
3$34,515$24,250
4
CIP 09.0100In Kentucky
62
7.8%
6$34,858$25,000
5
CIP 09.0906In Kentucky
18
2.3%
3$39,658$24,500

Top 22 schools in Kentucky

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 11 of the 22 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1University of Kentucky
Lexington, KY Public · 3 feeder programs
292Speech Communication and Rhetoric$39,31171%93%
2University of Louisville
Louisville, KY Public · 1 feeder programs
101Speech Communication and Rhetoric$38,21961%79%
3Northern Kentucky University
Highland Heights, KY Public · 2 feeder programs
93Speech Communication and Rhetoric$38,63752%68%
4Western Kentucky University
Bowling Green, KY Public · 4 feeder programs
76Broadcast Journalism$35,05056%94%
5Eastern Kentucky University
Richmond, KY Public · 2 feeder programs
42Radio and Television$25,88050%78%
6Bellarmine University
Louisville, KY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
30Speech Communication and Rhetoric$34,85864%$22,54286%
7University of the Cumberlands
Williamsburg, KY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
26Speech Communication and Rhetoric$27,75450%$11,67299%
8Georgetown College
Georgetown, KY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
19Communication, General$35,44249%$12,66691%
9Transylvania University
Lexington, KY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
18Speech Communication and Rhetoric71%$21,88187%
10The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Louisville, KY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
14Communication, General40%56%
11Lindsey Wilson University
Columbia, KY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
13Speech Communication and Rhetoric$25,54944%$14,471
12Alice Lloyd College
Pippa Passes, KY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
12Communication, General39%$18,38475%
13University of Pikeville
Pikeville, KY Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
11Speech Communication and Rhetoric42%$13,886
14Asbury University
Wilmore, KY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
9Communication, General65%$19,81663%
15Morehead State University
Morehead, KY Public · 1 feeder programs
8Speech Communication and Rhetoric$26,80352%77%
16Murray State University
Murray, KY Public · 1 feeder programs
7Radio and Television$28,04161%86%
17Thomas More University
Crestview Hills, KY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
7Communication, General40%$18,90290%
18Kentucky Wesleyan College
Owensboro, KY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
6Speech Communication and Rhetoric47%$36,52572%
19Kentucky State University
Frankfort, KY Public · 1 feeder programs
5Broadcast Journalism32%96%
20Campbellsville University
Campbellsville, KY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
3Radio and Television42%$18,82480%
21Midway University
Midway, KY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
2Sports Communication41%$23,65895%
22Spalding University
Louisville, KY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
1Speech Communication and Rhetoric52%$23,66199%

All 22 schools in Kentucky

Every school in Kentucky with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.

All schools in Kentucky that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
University of KentuckyLexingtonPublic2923
University of LouisvilleLouisvillePublic1011
Northern Kentucky UniversityHighland HeightsPublic932
Western Kentucky UniversityBowling GreenPublic764
Eastern Kentucky UniversityRichmondPublic422
Bellarmine UniversityLouisvillePrivate not-for-profit301
University of the CumberlandsWilliamsburgPrivate not-for-profit261
Georgetown CollegeGeorgetownPrivate not-for-profit191
Transylvania UniversityLexingtonPrivate not-for-profit181
The Southern Baptist Theological SeminaryLouisvillePrivate not-for-profit141
Lindsey Wilson UniversityColumbiaPrivate not-for-profit131
Alice Lloyd CollegePippa PassesPrivate not-for-profit121
University of PikevillePikevillePrivate not-for-profit112
Asbury UniversityWilmorePrivate not-for-profit91
Morehead State UniversityMoreheadPublic81

What broadcast announcers and radio disc jockeys earn in Kentucky

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in Kentucky
$36,170
Mean annual
$48,620
Jobs in state
340
What the range looks like
10th pct$22,160Median$36,17090th pct$102,420
Versus the national median
-23.6%

U.S. median $47,340. Kentucky pays below the national figure.

Job concentration
1.24×

Concentrated here: Kentucky employs more of this job per worker than the U.S. average.

Metro areas in Kentucky

Lexington-Fayette, KY
$48,820median
40 jobs
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN
$46,710median
70 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
-5.5%
Decline
Openings per year
2,300
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
-1,300
24,100 → 22,800
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree

Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.

How to get in

The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys page.

How to become a Broadcast Announcer

Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree

Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Top skills

SpeakingActive ListeningReading ComprehensionCritical ThinkingActive LearningWriting

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in Kentucky

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 5 majors mapped to Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys5 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 09.0100Communication, General
  • 09.0101Speech Communication and Rhetoric
  • 09.0402Broadcast Journalism
  • 09.0701Radio and Television
  • 09.0906Sports Communication

Common questions

Answers for people weighing broadcast announcers and radio disc jockeys programs in Kentucky.

What degree do you need to become a Broadcast Announcer?+

Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Speech Communication and Rhetoric, which awarded 567 degrees in Kentucky in 2024-25, 71.3% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Broadcast Announcer?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 5 programs to this occupation. The largest are Communication and Media Studies, Radio, Journalism, Public Relations. Together they graduate about 795 people a year in Kentucky.

How much do broadcast announcers and radio disc jockeys earn in Kentucky?+

The median is $36,170 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 23.6% below the U.S. median of $47,340. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Is demand for broadcast announcers and radio disc jockeys growing?+

BLS projects a -5.5% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, decline, with roughly 2,300 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career in Kentucky?+

22 institutions in Kentucky reported graduates from at least one of the 5 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

What other job titles do broadcast announcers and radio disc jockeys work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Anchor, Announcer, DJ (Disc Jockey), On-Air Personality among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 27-3011.

Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys in other statesCaliforniaTexasNew YorkFloridaArizonaOhioNorth CarolinaVirginia

About the data on this page

Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).

  • BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics

    May 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.

  • IPEDS Completions

    2024-25 (provisional)

    Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.

  • College Scorecard, Field of Study

    2020-21 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.

    Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

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