Media Technical Directors/Managers
Coordinate activities of technical departments, such as taping, editing, engineering, and maintenance, to produce radio or television programs.
$90,360 a year (for the broader BLS group this job sits in).
of the working time. Estimate.
- 38%
- 33%
- 29%
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, 34%. Today's estimate: 36%.
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 . 15 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Direct technical aspects of newscasts and other productions, checking and switching between video sources and taking responsibility for the on-air product, including camera shots and graphics.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 15% | 1.3 h38 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Operate equipment to produce programs or broadcast live programs from remote locations.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 12% | 2.5 h50 min to 5 h | Stays with people | |
| Switch between video sources in a studio or on multi-camera remotes, using equipment such as switchers, video slide projectors, and video effects generators.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 12% | 50 min25 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Observe pictures through monitors and direct camera and video staff concerning shading and composition.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 10% | 50 min25 min to 2.5 h | 95%Half by now | |
| Set up and execute video transitions and special effects, such as fades, dissolves, cuts, keys, and supers, using computers to manipulate pictures as necessary.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 9% | 50 min25 min to 2.1 h | 98%Half by now | |
| Supervise and assign duties to workers engaged in technical control and production of radio and television programs.Done daily by most who do it. | 9% | 50 min25 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Follow instructions from production managers and directors during productions, such as commands for camera cuts, effects, graphics, and takes.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 8% | 50 min25 min to 2.5 h | 95%Half by now | |
| Collaborate with promotions directors to produce on-air station promotions.Done daily by most who do it. | 7% | 1.7 h50 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Monitor broadcasts to ensure that programs conform to station or network policies and regulations.Done daily by most who do it. | 7% | 50 min25 min to 2.5 h | 95%Half by now | |
| Test equipment to ensure proper operation.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 38 min17 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Act as liaisons between engineering and production departments.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 38 min17 min to 1.3 h | 100%Half by now | |
| Confer with operations directors to formulate and maintain fair and attainable technical policies for programs.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 2% | 50 min25 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people |
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.