Like those in other professions, television job salaries are subject to market demand. In particular, the trend toward centralizing newsrooms in the past few years has had a major impact on the salaries that TV industry professionals in many categories can expect to make.

Historical trends can prove quite predictive of future behavior, especially when it comes to the TV industry. For example, if you're planning on a career in TV news, find out how much news TV producers plan on programming and then compare it to the amount of news programming they've done in the past. If there's a significant drop in the demand for news programming, you might want to consider pursuing a different expertise. For sources for television industry salary tools news and trends:

1. Find databases that let you perform focused searches on TV industry salaries.

2. Get the latest news and trends on television compensation when you tap into blogs and commentaries industry insiders write.

3. Access market research studies on television salaries so you can predict future industry trends.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Perform searches for television industry salaries on web-based databases

Perhaps you're interested in the latest trends for salaries of radio and TV field engineers in a certain part of the country or you might want to limit your search for news on TV industry contract clauses.

I recommend: Search the salary data base at TV Jobs.com for salaries depending on category and past experience. Get details on the median salary of TV and radio broadcast operators in different states when you search on Job-Hunt.org. TV Spy is a great source for information on base salary, perks, benefits and contract clauses. Choose a particular job description and search for details on base compensation in specific geographic areas at Salary Expert.

Read blogs and other online commentaries on television career salaries

Professional commentaries and blogs from TV industry professionals shed further light on television industry salary tools news and trends.

I recommend: Check out blogs on TV Squad for first-hand accounts of how economic downturns might affect the salaries in the TV industry. Search blogs on Entertainment Weekly to learn about news and trends among the top earners in TV.

Access specific market industry reports surveying TV salaries

The ever-changing nature of the TV industry as a whole significantly impacts TV production salaries. Consider both historical trends and future projections in your search for informative sources on TV industry salaries.

I recommend: Read a comparative salary survey report for cable television at PayScale.com. Guide to Online Schools gives you a timely report on trends with its salary outlook for TV careers. Subscribe to Media Bistro and perform searches that let you view salaries of TV industry job titles in specific locations. The database at State Of The News Media.org is a great resource for historical trends in TV industry salaries.

Television industry salaries must strike a careful balance. Television salaries must be competitive enough to ensure quality workers, but as a business owner or manager you must also be economical about TV industry salaries.

Employees working for you represent your company and hold the key to progress in your industry. Finding just the right person who is up to the challenge to take your business to the next level remains a key objective.

With so much to gain, finding and retaining good employees with competitive TV salaries continues to be important. Along with employee training, salary helps retain productive employees. Several salary tools are available to help you determine reasonable yet complimentary TV salaries to offer potential job candidates or retain current employees.

When researching television industry pay rates, be sure to consider the following:

1. The candidate's individual experience and previous TV salary.

2. The candidate's special training or other qualifications which would raise the potential salary for TV professionals.

3. The candidate's personality as it would enhance the company and the particular position, thus adding the potential for a higher television salary.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Utilize television compensation information available online

Television salaries, base rates of pay and industry averages can be found online. That information will give you a better idea of a pay range you can work with. But keep in mind television job salaries vary widely with the particular position available.

I recommend: View TV industry salaries paid at comparable companies at Vault.com. Find the national averages on certain TV jobs and then look at the comparison for your specific region at CareerBuilder.

Become well-versed in television industry salaries standards

Just like many other industries, the TV industry never remains stagnant. Keep up to date with changes in your industry that may affect compensation rates.

I recommend: Educate yourself with the latest industry trends, marketing techniques and other opportunities in the television industry through MarketResearch.com. Along with salary information, TVSpy gives access to employer surveys that include information about employer initiatives and direction, as well as corporate culture and workplace.

Learn how to negotiate salaries in the television industry

As a business owner or manager, you take salary negotiations seriously. You have to be able to strike that careful balance between making a fair and competitive offer that will also be appealing to the job candidate.

I recommend: PayScale offers tips on how to manage negotiations. Salary.com goes a step further by offering tips on compensation benchmarks and techniques to set up the salary scale throughout your business.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Compensation software on the market can provide merit-based compensation and budgeting tools. Some manage the entire work flow and provide information managers or owners need to make accurate pay adjustments.

Track television industry salaries to find out how much your employer should pay you. Industry-specific pay ranges exist for news reporters, news anchors, editors, producers, directors, account executives, meteorologists and other media positions. Use television industry salary tools for beginners to review television compensation and trends with resources that track TV industry salaries.

Make your TV salary search more rewarding by incorporating career planning into your quest. For instance, examine ways to recession-proof your television career by learning how to survive a challenging job market. Study articles about career planning such as advancing your job through networking and taking steps to get a raise. Tap television industry salary tools for beginners that reveal pay rates and job information so you know how much to ask for when you find your dream job.

1. Use calculation tools that show TV industry salaries by job type and location.

2. Read industry literature to stay abreast of career and salary information.

3. Work with hiring agencies to gain insight about TV salaries and other resources.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Gage television salary by using customized tools

Study salary tools that customize television industry pay by a number of variables such as hourly rate, experience, television market size and specific job. Research sources that provide information submitted by employers, employees, annual salary surveys and other methods to gain comprehensive television industry pay rates.

I recommend: Contact PayScale, Inc., to get specific information about television salaries based on years of experience, job title, and the city the job is in. Moreover, you can read advice about the television industry and peruse median salary charts categorized by years of experience and job type. Sign up for television salary information at TVJobs.com, a salary database for industry professionals.

Analyze articles about media jobs and TV salaries

Research material that thoroughly examines industry careers including TV production jobs, sales and marketing. Read articles about television career salaries and industry trends. More specifically, look for comprehensive resources that offer salary and career management assistance.

I recommend: Get in touch with Media Job Market, a resource and marketplace for media professionals. Study articles in their career resource center about media job hiring trends and tips for job seekers. Contact Mediaweek.com to access television industry news that might impact salaries in the TV industry.

Team up with employment agencies to land media careers and track television salaries

Companies that hire employees help them land their dream jobs and develop career insight. For instance, some of them offer job seekers personal assessments to reveal their ideal TV job. Additionally, some may offer candidates an online presence by helping them develop a career website. Most employment agencies provide salary information, job listings and resume posting services.

I recommend: Contact BroadcastCareers.net, an employment resource for broadcasting professionals. Ask about assistance for gaining exposure to television industry employers. Post your resume, search for jobs, review career suggestions and take other actions related to TV jobs and salary. Connect with MediaCross Workforce to see strategies employers use to find top employees.

The television industry is known for having a wide range of salaries, depending on both job title and location. For example, a news anchor makes much more than an editor in the same city. And a reporter in a large city makes much more than a reporter in a small town. This makes television industry salary tools all the more important. Whether you're the job candidate or a boss doing the hiring, you should fully understand key terms such as salary calculator, salary finder, employer surveys, market profile, and median salary.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Salary calculator

A salary calculator is a useful tool during negotiations where an hourly rate for a television industry job is discussed. Simply take an hourly rate that is quoted during negotiations and put it into the calculator. The calculator will then give you the equivalent yearly salary, assuming 40 hours are worked each week.

I recommend: To see a good example of a salary calculator, and to try one out, check out Broadcast Employment Services.

Employer surveys

Employer surveys are an excellent way to compare salaries and benefits between television stations. Surveys poll current employees of television stations about their salary, benefits and workplace conditions. The answers are typically anonymous and candid.

I recommend: The TVSpy website from Vault is a great place to see examples of television employer surveys. The company has hundreds of surveys available that provide information about salary, diversity and opportunity for advancement in the television industry.

Median salary

The median salary is the what you can expect to be paid if you are in the middle of the pay scale for a television industry job. With salaries varying greatly in the television industry, the median salary is a more realistic number than an average salary.

I recommend: Several websites post median salaries for various television industry jobs. PayScale posts them for producers, directors, anchors, editors, reporters and meteorologists.

Salary finder

A salary finder is a useful tool for employees and employers in the television industry. Input an employee's or a potential employee's qualifications into the salary finder and receive a salary estimate based on the person's education, experience and skills.

I recommend: Beyond.com is a good place to see an example of a salary finder for the broadcast industry.

Cost of living calculator

A cost of living calculator is very useful in the television industry, because so many professionals move to different cities during their career. With the calculator, you input a salary from one city and it tells you what the equivalent salary would be in a second city. This tool is handy for job seekers and those doing the hiring.

I recommend: To check out a great salary calculator, and learn more about how it works, visit CareerBuilder.com.

Market profile

A market profile is essential reading if you are trying to figure out a fair salary for a television industry job. Pay in the TV industry is constantly evolving, and it can vary from station to station in the same city, based on which station is making money and which station is not. A market profile will give you a good idea of the revenues and ratings for stations in a market, so you can adjust your salary expectations accordingly.

I recommend: To see several great examples of market profiles, check out Nielsen Business Media.