Two-thirds of broadcast engineers reaped the benefits of a pay raise within the last year.
That’s according to the Society of Broadcast Engineers’ annual compensation survey, which is used to determine salary levels and benefits among broadcast and media technology engineers. It’s the 10th year the SBE has conducted the report.
The survey indicated most engineers are between the ages of 50 and 70, many have more than 30 years of experience, and, most importantly from the society’s perspective, its certification program continues to pay off.
“The SBE is proud to show that once again, as it has for many years, individuals who hold SBE certification on average earn a higher salary than those who do not,” SBE President Ted Hand said in a release.
Experienced respondents with a lean toward radio
The SBE shared a sampling of the annual survey’s findings with Radio World.
It was conducted between April 1 and May 15 and there were approximately 270 qualified respondents. They ranged in age from 20 to over 70, and the most common age group was those in their 50s.
Approximately 44% of those surveyed worked in radio, while 37% were in TV.
[Related: “SBE Recruits 49 New Members”]
Respondents held a wide range of experience. Many have been in the industry for more than 30 years, with a concentration in the 11—40 year range.
Certifications and raises
Around two-thirds of respondents reported receiving a salary increase in the last year. For those who received a raise, around 35% said they received a 3% raise.
The survey demonstrated benefit of an SBE certification, which approximately 57% of respondents held. For a radio engineer, the average salary with a certification was approximately $88,000, compared to $80,000 without. For those respondents who indicated that they performed both radio and television engineering — about 23% of those surveyed — there was a $20,000 increase with a certification versus without.
Other notable certifications held by respondents included CompTIA, with approximately 12%, and Dante/Audinate, with about 8%. Approximately 17% of respondents held no professional certifications.
All responses remained anonymous, the society said, but demographic data collected included market size, job category and title, age, years in the industry, salary and benefits received.
The complete results are available free to society members and the survey is available for purchase by others through the SBE Bookstore.
The society has around 4,000 members in 26 countries. It has approximately 117 chapters.
