AI exposure: Broadcast Technicians
Set up, operate, and maintain the electronic equipment used to acquire, edit, and transmit audio and video for radio or television programs. Control and adjust incoming and outgoing broadcast signals to regulate sound volume, signal strength, and signal clarity. Operate satellite, microwave, or other transmitter equipment to broadcast radio or television programs.
Reading this score
computed38.5% of this occupation's weighted task load is exposed, which puts Broadcast Technicians at the 68th percentile of 923 occupations. The capability is largely there. Its average task scores 2.5 out of 4 on what a current system can produce, and the frictions that hold other jobs in place are comparatively weak here.
No single friction dominates this occupation. The strongest is context at 1.48 out of 3 and the weakest is accountability at 0.78, which is a narrow spread. Where nothing structural stands in the way, exposure tracks capability almost directly, and capability is the thing that changes every quarter.
The most exposed thing this job does is Produce graphics for broadcasts, at 77.4%. The least is Give technical directions to other personnel during filming, at 10.0%. A gap of 67.4% between two parts of the same job is the reason this index publishes at task level. An occupation-wide number would have hidden both.
Within arts, design, entertainment, sports and media occupations, this one is more exposed than most. The median across the 40 roles in the group is 36.4%, and only 19 of them score higher than this. Occupational families are not uniform, and the spread inside them is often wider than the gap between them.
What would move this score. Of 28 tasks, 23 are currently banded exposed, 1 assisted and 4 untouched. For that distribution to shift materially would take capability alone, since there is little structural friction here to slow adoption once a system can do the work. The score is re-computed every quarter against a fresh capability reference, and the change is published rather than quietly applied.
Task by task
28 tasks, O*NET 31.0| Task | Exposed | Assisted | Untouched | Importance | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Produce graphics for broadcasts. | 77.4% | 14.3% | 8.3% | 4.07 | exposed |
| Monitor and log transmitter readings. | 73.3% | 26.7% | 0.0% | 4.33 | exposed |
| Maintain programming logs as required by station management and the Federal Communications Commission. | 73.3% | 26.7% | 0.0% | 4.21 | exposed |
| Prepare reports outlining past and future programs, including content. | 73.3% | 26.7% | 0.0% | 3.05 | exposed |
| Produce educational and training films and videotapes by performing activities, such as selecting equipment and preparing scripts. | 70.0% | 17.5% | 12.5% | 3.16 | exposed |
| Schedule programming or read television programming logs to determine which programs are to be recorded or aired. | 67.1% | 20.4% | 12.5% | 3.64 | exposed |
| Edit broadcast material electronically, using computers. | 60.0% | 15.0% | 25.0% | 3.91 | exposed |
| Develop budgets. | 56.9% | 24.4% | 18.8% | 3.38 | exposed |
| Determine the number, type, and approximate location of microphones needed for best sound recording or transmission quality, and position them appropriately. | 55.0% | 20.0% | 25.0% | 3.82 | exposed |
| Observe monitors and converse with station personnel to determine audio and video levels and to ascertain that programs are airing. | 50.0% | 25.0% | 25.0% | 4.41 | exposed |
| Preview scheduled programs to ensure that signals are functioning and programs are ready for transmission. | 50.0% | 25.0% | 25.0% | 4.21 | exposed |
| Discuss production requirements with clients. | 45.0% | 30.0% | 25.0% | 3.27 | exposed |
| Monitor strength, clarity, and reliability of incoming and outgoing signals, and adjust equipment as necessary to maintain quality broadcasts. | 39.6% | 22.9% | 37.5% | 4.39 | exposed |
| Play and record broadcast programs, using automation systems. | 30.0% | 20.0% | 50.0% | 4.51 | exposed |
| Set up, operate, and maintain broadcast station computers and networks. | 30.0% | 20.0% | 50.0% | 4.46 | exposed |
| Select sources from which programming will be received or through which programming will be transmitted. | 30.0% | 20.0% | 50.0% | 4.30 | exposed |
| Substitute programs in cases where signals fail. | 30.0% | 20.0% | 50.0% | 3.96 | exposed |
| Align antennae with receiving dishes to obtain the clearest signal for transmission of broadcasts from field locations. | 30.0% | 20.0% | 50.0% | 3.96 | exposed |
| Set up and operate portable field transmission equipment outside the studio. | 30.0% | 20.0% | 50.0% | 3.76 | exposed |
| Report equipment problems, ensure that repairs are made, and make emergency repairs to equipment when necessary and possible. | 28.3% | 21.7% | 50.0% | 4.50 | exposed |
| Control audio equipment to regulate volume and sound quality during radio and television broadcasts. | 26.7% | 23.3% | 50.0% | 4.39 | exposed |
| Regulate the fidelity, brightness, and contrast of video transmissions, using video console control panels. | 26.7% | 23.3% | 50.0% | 4.32 | exposed |
| Instruct trainees in use of television production equipment, filming of events, and copying and editing graphics or sound onto videotape. | 26.7% | 23.3% | 50.0% | 3.52 | exposed |
| Design and modify equipment to employer specifications. | 25.0% | 25.0% | 50.0% | 3.94 | assisted |
| Install broadcast equipment, troubleshoot equipment problems, and perform maintenance or minor repairs, using hand tools. | 21.2% | 16.2% | 62.5% | 4.25 | untouched |
| Record sound onto tape or film for radio or television, checking its quality and making adjustments where necessary. | 15.0% | 10.0% | 75.0% | 4.12 | untouched |
| Organize recording sessions and prepare areas, such as radio booths and television stations, for recording. | 10.0% | 15.0% | 75.0% | 3.87 | untouched |
| Give technical directions to other personnel during filming. | 10.0% | 15.0% | 75.0% | 3.72 | untouched |
Task text and importance ratings sourced from O*NET 31.0. Shares computed. The occupation score is the importance-weighted mean.
Where the score comes from
judgedEvery task is scored through the standardised work activities it maps to. These are this occupation’s averages on the six rubric dimensions. Capability is what AI can do; the other five are what stands in the way.
| Dimension | Mean | Scale |
|---|---|---|
| Capability | 2.50 | 0-4 |
| Embodiment | 1.30 | 0-3 |
| Presence | 0.93 | 0-3 |
| Accountability | 0.78 | 0-3 |
| Context | 1.48 | 0-3 |
| Verification cost | 1.06 | 0-3 |
What this means in practice
Where most of a role's weighted task load is exposed, the work that survives is usually the part of the job nobody wrote into the job description: deciding what should be produced rather than producing it, and being answerable for the result. The tasks lowest on this page are a better guide to where to spend your time than any general advice about the future of work.
Occupations either side of this one
The four closest scores in the same occupational family, then the four closest anywhere in the index.
Read this carefully. Exposure is not displacement. A high score means current AI systems can produce this work, not that anyone will stop paying a person to do it. Adoption depends on economics, regulation and inertia that this index deliberately does not model. How the score is built.