NAB report reveals top 10 affil salaries
Top 10 news anchors, who on average collected a $313,712 annual paycheck, earned more base salary than their bosses. The NAB study did not include bonuses for talent. Individual salaries can vary greatly, with a handful of anchors in the top three markets collecting paychecks in excess of $2 million.
Sportscasters' pay stubs were somewhat smaller than anchors, averaging $247,086, according to the study. News directors trailed talent in their earning power with annual salaries averaging $154,971 in the top markets.
Overall, non-sales staff salaries increased an average of 8.4% between 1994 and 1997, according to the NAB report, which was compiled from surveys of more than 538 commercial stations. News directors trailed the field when it came to raises during the last two years, with an average pay hike of 2.9%. In contrast, program directors saw their checks grow by 10% during the same time.
General managers at UPN and WB affiliates earned, on average, almost exactly $100,000 less than their colleagues at ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox. Salaries for UPN and WB affiliate G.M.s in the top 10 markets averaged $183,538 with bonus checks coming in at $84,502.
In an interesting anomaly, the highest base pay at top 10 UPN and WB affiliates goes to the weathercaster, who collects an average of $192,850. Sports anchors' annual pay adds up to $154,667 and news anchors get $137,150.
Of course, salaries at TV stations are a reflection of their market. The NAB report shows that at stations in markets 151 and below the average salary of a general manager is $87,739 with their bonuses of $22,653 putting annual income in the six-figure range. However, small-market anchors are paid an average of only $28,172.
