How to become a radio and TV programming director
Official title: Radio and TV programming director
Also called: Programme director, TV programmer, Radio programme organiser, Radio programmer, TV programming organiser
Radio and TV programming directors manage radio and television programming schedules and staff, and assess the quality and content of productions.
Main tasks
- Select and source radio and television productions
- Manage radio and television programme schedules
- Assess quality of radio and television productions
- Make production content decisions
- Manage staff and operations
- Coordinate reporting and editing activities
- Edit video and audio recordings
- Oversee live broadcasting
How to become one
You need experience to become a radio and TV programming director and a qualification may be useful. You usually need NCEA Level 3 to do the study or training for this job. Required: experience in similar work. Other requirements: a relevant tertiary qualification in communication and media or similar area; examples of your work.
Ways in
- University: Communications & Media degrees, Offered by 4 universities in New Zealand
Pay · Past change
- Most common pay: $59,576 to $98,347 a year (median $86,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
- Lower: $53,000 a year · Upper: $137,118 a year
- TEC's pay figures are estimates only. TEC says they must not be used to set pay, in pay negotiations or in visa applications.
- Change in the number of people doing this job between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses: Steady (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.
Who does this work
- About 12 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
Related jobs
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Questions people ask
How do I become a radio and TV programming director?
You need experience to become a radio and TV programming director and a qualification may be useful. You usually need NCEA Level 3 to do the study or training for this job. Required: experience in similar work. Other requirements: a relevant tertiary qualification in communication and media or similar area; examples of your work.
How much does a radio and TV programming director earn in New Zealand?
The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $86,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $59,576 to $98,347 a year.
Has the number of people working as a radio and TV programming director grown in New Zealand?
It has held steady: TEC records the number of people doing this job as steady between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses. This is past change, not a forecast.
Sources
- Tertiary Education Commission (Tahatu Career Navigator): Tahatu career ideas: descriptions, tasks, pay estimates, people employed, employment change 2018 to 2023, entry requirements, registration, interest scores (Site scrape 2026-10 (816 career ideas, sitemap lastmod 2026-10-01)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
This content is sourced from the Tertiary Education Commission through the Tahatū Career Navigator website (www.tahatu.govt.nz) and used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. All or some of the information has been modified by Peernovo. TEC has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. TEC will not be held accountable for any errors within this content.
Qualification information from NZQA, used under CC BY 3.0 NZ.
This work is based on/includes Stats NZ's data which are licensed by Stats NZ for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. Census data via Figure.NZ.
Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.
Sources: Tertiary Education Commission, Tahatū Career Navigator (career ideas, pay estimates, entry requirements and study options, CC BY 4.0, modified by Peernovo); Stats NZ, 2023 Census (via Figure.NZ) and the National Occupation List (CC BY 4.0); NZQA qualification information (CC BY 3.0 NZ); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Links between career ideas and ANZSCO groups, degree fields and broad job groups are Peernovo's.
These results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.
Graduate outcomes: these results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.
Updated 4 October 2026