Broadcast Engineer Job Description, Skills, and Salary
Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of a broadcast engineer. You can use our job description template in this article to produce your own. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as a broadcast engineer.
Who is a Broadcast Engineer?
Broadcasting engineering is an electrical engineering field (which recently also encompasses computer engineering to some extent), that has to do with radio and television broadcasting. Audio engineering and Radiofrequency (RF) engineering being a subsect of electrical engineering are also integral aspects of broadcast engineering. Broadcasting engineering involves both the transmitter and studio ends as well as online broadcasts.
A broadcast engineer is a professional that oversees a group of technicians working behind the scenes on television, radio, or new media production to ensure the production and quality of broadcasts. Setting up, supervising, maintaining, repairing, and even replacing all the audio, visual, sound, and technical equipment in radio, studio, and television broadcasts are the core responsibilities of broadcast engineering. Every station has a broadcast engineer, however, they may now cover a whole city’s worth of stations or work as contract engineers who essentially freelance their skills to various stations as needed. In the radio and television industries, broadcast engineers play a crucial role in managing scheduled broadcasts, setting up live broadcasts in the field or studio, maintaining and updating broadcasting hardware and software, and troubleshooting broadcasting issues as they occur.
In the radio and television industries, broadcast engineers play a crucial role in managing scheduled broadcasts, setting up live broadcasts in the field or studio, maintaining and updating broadcasting hardware and software, and troubleshooting broadcasting issues as they occur. They make sure that programs are broadcast on time and with the utmost quality. A broadcast engineer’s specific responsibilities are diverse, although they often depend on their area of specialization. Maintaining broadcast automation systems for the studio and automatic transmission systems for the transmitter plant are contemporary responsibilities of a broadcast engineer.
Broadcast engineer employment now focuses more on resolving big or little issues as they surface, maintaining (or enhancing) the equipment, and getting ready for outside broadcasts because broadcasting systems have grown increasingly reliable and automated over time. A big news channel’s broadcast engineer may be tasked with establishing and enhancing links between studio and outside broadcasts regularly. In contrast, a broadcast engineer for a music-focused radio station may not have much work to do while everything is going well, but they almost certainly set up the occasional live concert broadcast and act quickly when something goes wrong. Broadcast engineers occasionally take on a little bit of recording, mixing, or editing as part of their tasks, depending on their skills and the resources of their employers.
Broadcast Engineer Job Description
Below are the broadcast engineer job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write a job description for your employee. The employer can use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.
The duties and responsibilities of a broadcast engineer include the following:
- Install and maintain broadcast equipment, including cameras, mixers, microphones, and other tools used during broadcasts
- Check station operations to make sure the equipment is operating correctly.
- Schedule programming in conjunction with station management, making ensuring that every employee is present for their allotted shifts.
- Verify the audio and visual signals’ quality to make sure they adhere to the highest industry standards.
- Provide aid for equipment acquisitions based on client requirements and financial restrictions.
- Utilize a variety of tools like microphones, cameras, lighting systems, speakers, and scaffolding, and plan and carry out live broadcasts of events like news shows or sporting competitions.
- Identify emerging trends and technologies in broadcast engineering by conducting research.
- Keep track of the history of equipment use and maintenance.
- Uphold the licenses that the Federal Communications Commission requires (FCC).
- Maintain specialized equipment for interactive media, broadcast, and satellite transmission
- Establish and maintain audiovisual connections between units at various locations
- Put new facilities and equipment in place and test them.
- Set up and run the editing equipment in the post-production rooms.
- Evaluate and fix equipment and system technical issues
- Handle issues when equipment malfunctions by implementing backup service arrangements as soon as possible.
- Set up and run the necessary hardware and communication wiring for outside broadcasts
- Implement unique audiovisual circuits.
- Create and create systems and hardware.
- Create and implement best practices for workplace health and safety awareness programs.
- Interpret and carry out requests and directions from producers, directors, and other coworkers
- Communicate clearly with teammates and other coworkers.
- Stay current with the industry and technological advances by creating and maintaining a network of connections, as well as looking into new systems, and procedures.
Qualifications
- Associate’s degree in Broadcast engineering, electronic engineering, computer engineering, or a related discipline.
- Previous experience in the engineering, information technology, or broadcasting field.
- A minimum of 2 years of experience as a broadcast engineer or a related role.
- Proficiency in Windows, Apple, and Linux operating systems.
- Training in computer network or network security.
- Experience in maintaining and operating transmission equipment.
- Thorough knowledge of audio and video software and applications.
- Ability to interface with clients and other departments.
- Critical thinking skills.
- Technical expertise.
- Attention to detail skills.
- Communication and interpersonal skills.
- Multitasking skills.
- Organizational skills.
- Ability to work with a team or independently.
- Time management and prioritizing skills
Essential Skills
- Technical skills: Technical skills, knowledge, and proficiency are required to understand and handle complicated systems and processes. Technical skills can include an understanding of networking technologies, software, and hardware. A technical skill set may also include the capacity to identify and fix intricate systems.
- Communication skills: Broadcast engineers must have excellent communication skills. This is because they often interact with other broadcast engineers and other experts in the television industry, requiring them to collaborate in teams to get work done. They may work efficiently with their coworkers and share ideas by having effective communication skills.
- Customer service skills: Because they frequently interact with clients to ascertain their demands and guarantee the client’s satisfaction, broadcast engineers need to have excellent customer service skills. For instance, a broadcast engineer can assist a company in setting up its radio station or television channel by offering technical assistance and making sure the business has all it needs to function effectively.
- Organizational skills: The capacity to keep track of your work and files is an organizational skill. As a broadcast engineer, you might be working on several projects at once or need to swiftly access information for various clients. Being well-organized can help you stay on top of your job and make sure that you give your customers high-quality service. Additionally, having the ability to locate files quickly is crucial to preventing data loss.
- Problem-solving skills: Daily, broadcast engineers tackle issues. To fix or replace broken equipment, they identify problems, look for solutions, then put those solutions into practice. They also fix broadcast signal problems and make sure the signal is unobstructed and clear by using their problem-solving skills.
- Leadership skills: Because they frequently oversee and manage teams of other employees, broadcast engineers need to have strong leadership skills. Strong leadership skills can help you inspire your team, establish goals, and promote professional development. Having strong leadership skills might help you succeed in scenarios where you may also need to conduct client or colleague meetings or presentations.
- Attention to detail skills: For broadcast engineers, the ability to pay attention to detail is essential since it enables them to ensure that their work complies with rules and regulations. Additionally, it guarantees that they can resolve any problems that might develop with the device they have installed or maintained. Their attention to detail enables them to recognize possible workplace safety hazards and take action to reduce those hazards.
- Teamwork skills: You can contribute your knowledge and learn from others by working as a team. You might collaborate with other engineers to complete tasks as a broadcast engineer. Good cooperation skills might make it easier for you to collaborate with others and complete tasks quickly.
- Project management skills: Having good project management skills can help you plan and complete projects on schedule and within budget. You can be in charge of managing the installation of new hardware or software at a radio station as a broadcast engineer. To ensure that the tasks are finished on time, planning, scheduling, and monitoring activities are needed. When working with clients, you may also employ project management abilities to develop a thorough schedule for concluding a task.
- Critical thinking skills: The ability to critically assess a situation and come to a judgment based on the available data is known as critical thinking skills. When troubleshooting a piece of equipment, critical thinking skill is crucial for broadcast engineers. It’s imperative to learn as much as you can about the problem before deciding how to address it.
- IP networking skills: IP networking is used by a broadcast engineer to link various hardware and software programs. Connecting a computer, audio mixer, video camera, and other studio equipment to distant sites where viewers can watch or listen to broadcasts is part of the process of IT networking. A broadcast engineer can stream live content online by using IP networking to connect their studio to the internet.
How to Become a Broadcast Engineer
Step 1. Educate
A post-secondary certificate or an associate’s degree is most often required for broadcast engineers. Students who enroll in an Associate of Applied Science in Broadcast Engineering degree can learn how to operate standard equipment, maintain simple electronics, and create electronic schematics. However, individuals might think about earning a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering if they want to work for a significant network or grow in the sector. More complex concepts in analog and digital systems, communications, signal processing, semiconductors, embedded systems, and electrical networks are covered in bachelor’s degrees. Calculus and physics are among the higher math and science courses that are primarily found in electrical engineering degrees. Individuals can discover combined electrical engineering and computer science degree programs in addition to electrical engineering degrees. With the rising usage of computer systems in the field, these programs might be valuable.
Step 2. Work experience
Typically, broadcast engineers learn on the job from their present or prior employers. The onboarding process for a new broadcast engineer often includes this training, which can span anywhere from a few months to a year. The new broadcast engineer will learn about the organization’s policies and practices, as well as about the tools and software they use to produce content, during this training. Internships are another method of training broadcast engineers. A broadcast engineer can learn about the corporation and the numerous facets of the position through an internship. To prepare these interns for a job as a broadcast engineer, they will also undergo practical training.
Step 3. Licensure and certification
It’s not necessary to have a license to operate as a broadcast engineer, though positions in radio may call for Federal Communications Commission (FCC) licensure. The General Radiotelephone Operator License is the one that broadcast engineers most frequently apply for out of all the licenses that the FCC gives. The licensing exam examines your understanding of core electronic principles, repairs, and operations as well as key FCC legislation and operating procedures. It is a lifelong license, and getting one requires being a citizen of the United States and speaking English well. Although certification is optional, it may make prospective candidates stand out. The Certified Broadcast Networking Technologist (CBNT), Certified Broadcast Technologist (CBT), and Certified Professional Broadcast Engineer (CPBE) are among the eight certifications offered by the Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE). A significant proportion of the certification is available for radio or television. The requirements might range from having no experience to having 20 years of professional expertise, depending on the designation. A professional engineer (PE) license or an FCC license may be required for several certification tests. The CBT certification is a common destination for new broadcast engineers to start.
Where to Work as a Broadcast Engineer
Broadcast engineers typically work in recording studios, television networks, corporate audio-visual departments, cable facilities, production companies, and commercial and noncommercial radio stations. They also work in control rooms, where they oversee the quality of the broadcast signal and ensure that the technical equipment is working properly. Broadcast engineers usually work full-time, although they may be needed to work evenings, weekends, and holidays to ensure that broadcasts are aired on schedule and that work is completed. Some broadcast engineers may be required to travel to remote locations to install and maintain equipment used in live broadcasts, such as sporting events, reality shows, and concerts.
Broadcast Engineer Salary Scale
The salary scale of broadcast engineers varies depending on different factors such as their level of education, years of experience, and the type of company they work for. The average salary of a Broadcast Engineer is $44,701 per year in the US. The salary scale usually falls between $39,801 and $49,501 per year.
The average salary of a broadcast engineer is £40,000 per year in the UK. The salary scale usually falls between £35,000 and £65,000 per year. The average salary of a Broadcast Engineer is $68,733 per year in Canada. The salary scale usually falls between $49,500 and $86,000 per year. The average salary of a broadcast engineer is 3,610,000 NGN per year in Nigeria. The salary scale usually falls between 1,525,000 and 5,696,000 NGN per year.
