What Does a Broadcast Manager Do?

A broadcast manager works at either a television station or radio station, managing the day-to-day operations of the station. The broadcast manager works behind the scenes, ensuring that the broadcasts at the station run smoothly and that administrative duties at the station are performed correctly. In larger television or radio stations, a team of managers oversees specific functions of the station. Some broadcast managers oversee the operations of multiple stations.

Television and radio studios have numerous employees who either sit in front of the camera or speak into the microphone in addition to those who work behind the scenes. A broadcast manager helps oversee the job functions that everyone at the station performs, like a manager at almost any other type of office. The manager of the television or radio station also manages the station’s relationships with other organizations, such as advertisers or the corporation that owns the station.

A broadcast manager assists employees when unusual situations arise at the station. The manager draws on his or her extensive experience in broadcasting to find resolutions to challenges that the station is facing. To qualify for the position, most people have several years experience working for television or radio stations because they must know the industry well.

Smaller television or radio stations might have three or fewer managers who perform several management functions. Larger radio and television stations typically have managers who specialize in certain functions, such as accounting, advertisement sales or public relations. Other workers, such as secretaries, production assistants or clerks assist the management team in carrying out the station’s administrative duties.

A general broadcast manager oversees the team of managers for a large radio or television station. The general manager ensures that the entire team is working toward the same organizational goals as those goals pertain to the different managerial functions. In addition, the general manager acts as the go-between the station and the station’s owners, reporting the station’s activity to the owners and communicating messages from the owners to the employees.

The landscape of broadcast journalism has changed, and some broadcast managers manage multiple stations at once instead of working on the operations of just one station. Broadcast companies have found that managing several stations with one management team creates uniformity and cuts down on the costs of operations. Sometimes, the management team oversees both radio stations and television stations that are owned by the same company.