Saskatchewan JobFutures

Nature of Work

Announcers, broadcasters and other performers in this occupational group perform a variety of duties in the fields of entertainment, news media and commercial advertising. They work primarily in television and radio or on stage and are employed by radio and television stations and networks, circuses, nightclubs, theatres, and advertising and other production companies. They may also be self-employed.

Nature of Work

Announcers, broadcasters and other performers in this occupational group perform a variety of duties in the fields of entertainment, news media and commercial advertising. They work primarily in television and radio or on stage and are employed by radio and television stations and networks, circuses, nightclubs, theatres, and advertising and other production companies. They may also be self-employed.

Duties

Announcers and other broadcasters read news, sports, weather and commercial messages and host entertainment and information programs for broadcast on radio or television. They are primarily employed by radio and television stations and networks and by commercial firms that produce advertisements for radio or television. Their regular work duties include selecting and introducing music, videos and other entertainment material for broadcast and making commercial and public service announcements. Their other duties may include acting as host/hostess or master of ceremonies; introducing and interviewing guests and conducting proceedings of shows or programs; reading news, sports and weather for radio and television; and reporting on weather conditions using information provided by weather forecasting services. Announcers and broadcasters also report on traffic conditions by maintaining contact with external sources of information or by observing traffic from an air or land vehicle. They may present their own material or material prepared by others.

Circus performers, magicians, models, and puppeteers are among the many other performers who work in radio, television and on stage. They are employed by circuses, nightclubs, theatres, advertising and other production companies or may be self-employed. Their specific duties are as follows:

Buskers entertain passers-by on sidewalks and in parks with magic tricks, juggling acts, short dramatic works and other entertaining displays.

Circus performers, such as trapeze artists, high-wire walkers, clowns and jugglers, entertain audiences with thrilling and humorous acts.

Magicians and illusionists perform sleight-of-hand tricks, disappearing acts and other illusions.

Models display clothing and merchandise in commercials, advertisements and fashion shows and pose for artists and photographers.

Puppeteers operate puppets and marionettes.

Example Titles

Announcers and other broadcasters:

• traffic reporter
• weather reporter
• television host/hostess
• radio host/hostess
• talk show host/hostess
• news reader
• announcer
• sports announcer
• broadcaster
• disk jockey

Other Performers:

• busker
• ventriloquist
• clown
• magician
• puppeteer
• model
• acrobat
• circus performer

Training Paths

Training programs in radio and television broadcasting are available at various private vocational schools or agencies. There, however, no certificate, diploma or degree programs offered in Saskatchewan in this field of work. Many announcers, broadcasters and other related performers receive on-the-job training.

Trends and Outlooks

The employment prospects for this occupation are: fair

The number of announcers and other performers in Saskatchewan remained fairly constant throughout the nineties but dropped recently, according to Statistics Canada. In fact, there were only 12% fewer workers in this group in 2005 than there were in 2000. While it is unlikely that this rapid downward trend will continue, new job openings may be scarce in the short term,. This is particularly true for performers, the smallest group covered here. Most employment opportunities will come from turnover among current announcers and other broadcasters. Retirement will create some opportunity, although this is a very young work force, and very few retirements are expected in the near future. In 2006, nearly 85% of all announcers and other broadcasters were younger than 45 years of age. Most employment opportunities in the next 5 or 10 years will result from other turnover, particularly in the information, culture and recreation industries.

Announcers, broadcasters and related performers are fairly well paid in Saskatchewan. In 2005, the average full-time income for this occupational group was $36,200 per year. This marks a slight decrease from from the 2000 average, and it remains considerably lower than the provincial full-time average for all occupations the same year ($42,300 per year). Many performers in this group earn more or less than the average income. Announcers and broadcasters, for example, earned as much as $90,800 or as little as $18,100 in 2005.

Just under 70% of all announcers, broadcasters and related performers in Saskatchewan were male in 2006. The same year, employment for these occupations was distributed fairly evenly throughout the province; 43% of all announcers, broadcasters and related performers in the province worked in or around Regina or Saskatoon in 2006.

There is a high incidence of part-time employment in this occupational group. Nearly 40% of all announcers and other broadcasters in Saskatchewan worked less than full time in 2005. Self-employment is rare among announcers and broadcasters but extremely common among magicians, clowns and other performers in this group. Employment is neither seasonal nor sensitive to overall economic conditions.

Professional Associations

Related Occupations

Announcers and other broadcasters:

• Broadcast journalists who prepare and present their own reports (in 5123 Journalists)
• Support and Assisting Occupations in Motion Pictures, Broadcasting and the Performing Arts (5227)

Other performers:

• Actors (5135)
• Dancers (5134)
• Musicians and Singers (5133)