Broadcast Engineers

Employment of broadcast engineering technicians and broadcast engineers is expected to show little or no change through 2032, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The slow growth in the number of new radio and television stations, the consolidation of existing stations, and the introduction of labor-saving technologies such as computer-controlled programming are the primary contributors to this projection. The largest number of job opportunities will be found at smaller stations or markets. Job openings will also result from the need to replace existing engineers who often leave the industry for other jobs in electronics. Those with experience at a radio or television station, and who have an associate's or bachelor's degree in broadcast technology, broadcast production, computer networking, or a related field, will have better chances of securing work.

Some engineers and technicians will find work outside of conventional radio and television broadcasting. As streaming media and multicasting become more accessible across the United States, many industries are discovering the usefulness of expanding the scope of their visual and audio communications. More and more corporations are creating in-house communications departments to produce and widely distribute their own corporate and industrial videos and sharing these video productions with consumers and clients. The cable and pay areas of broadcasting will also fuel some job growth as the range of services expand, including digital cable, high-speed Internet, live streaming, and video-on-demand.

In addition to industrial or commercial work, video engineers and technicians are in great demand today for providing critical technical and engineering expertise with the production of commercials, animation, and computer graphics. The field of videography is changing rapidly with the introduction of new and less-expensive computer systems and desktop software packages.

Broadcast technicians and engineers who can adapt to these new industry areas, innovative media services, and advanced digital technologies will be in the best position to obtain jobs in this field.