Media Programming Directors
Direct and coordinate activities of personnel engaged in preparation of radio or television station program schedules and programs, such as sports or news.
$90,360 a year (for the broader BLS group this job sits in).
of the working time. Estimate.
- 79%
- 13%
- 8%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 40%. Today's estimate: 50%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 23 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plan and schedule programming and event coverage, based on broadcast length, time availability, and other factors, such as community needs, ratings data, and viewer demographics.Done daily by most who do it. | 15% | 3.3 h1.3 h to 1 work day | 36%Half by Dec 2026 | |
| Direct and coordinate activities of personnel engaged in broadcast news, sports, or programming.Done daily by most who do it. | 9% | 1.7 h38 min to 5 h | Stays with people | |
| Monitor and review programming to ensure that schedules are met, guidelines are adhered to, and performances are of adequate quality.Done daily by most who do it. | 8% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | 77%Half by now | |
| Operate and maintain on-air and production audio equipment.Done daily by most who do it. | 8% | 50 min25 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Prepare copy and edit tape so that material is ready for broadcasting.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 1.3 h25 min to 2.5 h | 87%Half by now | |
| Develop ideas for programs and features that a station could produce.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h | 46%Half by Oct 2026 | |
| Establish work schedules and assign work to staff members.Done daily by most who do it. | 6% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | 77%Half by now | |
| Develop promotions for current programs and specials.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 5% | 2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h | 46%Half by Oct 2026 | |
| Coordinate activities between departments, such as news and programming.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 50 min25 min to 1.7 h | 99%Half by now | |
| Select, acquire, and maintain programs, music, films, and other needed materials and obtain legal clearances for their use as necessary.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 4% | 2.5 h50 min to 1 work day | 40%Half by Dec 2026 | |
| Evaluate new and existing programming to assess suitability and the need for changes, using information such as audience surveys and feedback.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 3% | 2.5 h50 min to 5 h | 55%Half by now | |
| Read news, read or record public service and promotional announcements, or perform other on-air duties.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 25 min13 min to 1.3 h | 100%Half by now |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025). Counts are for the broader BLS group this job sits in.
- Motion Picture and Video Industries37,700 people
- Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers23,000 people
- Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations18,570 people
- Performing Arts Companies8,270 people
- Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services8,240 people
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025). Counts are for the broader BLS group this job sits in.