What Does a News Director Do?
As long as listeners want local news, stations will need someone to make sure it is accurate, fair and broadcast on time. The news director is that person, running a radio or TV newsroom's coverage, staff and daily newscasts. News directors work on tight deadlines and spend a lot of time weighing stories, editing scripts and coaching reporters.
Also known as: Radio News Director
Other Job Titles for This Work
Workers in this occupation report titles such as Artistic Director, Director, Executive Producer, Multimedia Producer, News Producer, Producer, Production Director, Radio Producer.
News Director Duties and Responsibilities
The primary responsibilities of a news director include:
- Decide each day's coverage with editors and producers, weighing news value, resources and audience.
- Assign reporters and hosts to stories, events and breaking news as the day develops.
- Edit scripts and audio for accuracy, fairness, clarity and length before they air.
- Hire, coach and evaluate reporters, producers and interns in the newsroom.
- Plan special coverage of elections, severe weather and major local events well in advance.
- Set newsroom standards on sourcing, corrections and conflicts of interest; enforce them consistently.
- Manage the news budget, including freelance fees, travel and equipment purchases.
- Build partnerships with other newsrooms to share stories, audio and data.
- Handle listener complaints and correction requests, and publish corrections when the station gets it wrong.
- Review web and social posts so digital stories match the standards of on-air reports.
Required Skills and Qualifications
To succeed as a news director, you will need the following skills and qualifications:
- Strong news judgment and ethics
- Script and audio editing
- Leading and coaching a newsroom team
- Newsroom tools such as Adobe Audition and a CMS
- Budget management
- Media law basics, including libel and open records
- Calm decisions during breaking news
- Bachelor's degree in journalism or communications
Education and Training
Bachelor's degrees in journalism or communications are typical, and the path to news director runs through years of reporting or producing. Public radio stations in particular look for someone who has built local coverage from scratch with a small team. Some news directors add management training before taking over a newsroom.
Salary and Job Outlook
Typical pay: $62,670 - $134,800 per year, with a median of $90,360.
The range covers the middle half of earners nationwide. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Producers and Directors.
According to BLS, employment of producers and directors, the wider group that includes news directors, is projected to grow about 4 percent in the decade ending in 2035. The group should see roughly 12,100 openings a year, though few of those are newsroom leadership posts. Local news budgets are under pressure, given that much advertising has moved online, so candidates who can lead digital and podcast coverage tend to do best.
Outlook source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, Producers and directors.
News Director Pay Range
| Earners | Annual pay |
|---|---|
| Bottom 10% earn less than | $45,780 |
| Bottom 25% earn less than | $62,670 |
| Median (half earn more, half less) | $90,360 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $134,800 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $198,540 |
Highest-Paying States for News Directors
The states with the highest median pay for this occupation are California ($129,790), New Jersey ($119,840), New York ($107,550), District of Columbia ($104,270), Connecticut ($88,260). Pay is lowest in Mississippi ($48,100), West Virginia ($46,660), Arkansas ($38,820).
Median pay in all 50 states with BLS data
| State | Median annual pay |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $63,340 |
| Alaska | $54,060 |
| Arizona | $67,320 |
| Arkansas | $38,820 |
| California | $129,790 |
| Colorado | $78,060 |
| Connecticut | $88,260 |
| Delaware | $72,650 |
| District of Columbia | $104,270 |
| Florida | $79,920 |
| Georgia | $79,950 |
| Hawaii | $66,190 |
| Idaho | $61,150 |
| Illinois | $81,080 |
| Indiana | $59,870 |
| Iowa | $58,550 |
| Kansas | $60,600 |
| Kentucky | $54,550 |
| Louisiana | $62,920 |
| Maine | $71,320 |
| Maryland | $79,350 |
| Massachusetts | $80,970 |
| Michigan | $65,720 |
| Minnesota | $76,360 |
| Mississippi | $48,100 |
| Missouri | $66,460 |
| Montana | $52,580 |
| Nebraska | $52,580 |
| Nevada | $78,480 |
| New Hampshire | $61,560 |
| New Jersey | $119,840 |
| New York | $107,550 |
| North Carolina | $63,700 |
| North Dakota | $57,870 |
| Ohio | $69,350 |
| Oklahoma | $61,600 |
| Oregon | $87,460 |
| Pennsylvania | $75,460 |
| Rhode Island | $84,250 |
| South Carolina | $56,030 |
| South Dakota | $60,260 |
| Tennessee | $73,020 |
| Texas | $71,710 |
| Utah | $76,350 |
| Vermont | $55,660 |
| Virginia | $65,900 |
| Washington | $81,550 |
| West Virginia | $46,660 |
| Wisconsin | $66,390 |
| Wyoming | $60,420 |
What the Work Is Like
O*NET surveys people who work as producers and directors about their daily conditions. Of those surveyed:
- 100% use email every day
- 100% say teamwork is very or extremely important in their job
- 85% are on the phone every day
- 76% say being exact and accurate is very or extremely important
- 76% usually work more than 40 hours a week
- 73% work indoors in a climate-controlled space every day
- 73% work against deadlines every day
Education Workers Say the Job Needs
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree | 57% |
| High school diploma or GED | 15% |
| Associate's degree | 13% |
| Post-secondary certificate | 11% |
Tools and Software News Directors Use
Tools and equipment
Software
Is This Job a Good Fit for You?
People who do well in this job tend to enjoy creative work and self-expression as well as leading, persuading and making business decisions.
Skills O*NET rates most important: Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Monitoring, Social Perceptiveness.
Knowledge areas used most: Communications and Media, English Language, Telecommunications, Computers and Electronics, Administration and Management.
Preparation: O*NET places this occupation in Job Zone 4 of 5, which means considerable preparation.
Related Careers
These jobs use similar skills, according to O*NET's related-occupation data:
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Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
- O*NET 30.1 Database, occupation 27-2012.00 (Producers and Directors). View on O*NET OnLine.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. The Job Explorer has modified some of the information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these changes.