Media Job Titles, Descriptions, and Career Options

Media Job Titles, Descriptions, and Career Options



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BY ALISON DOYLE

 

Updated July 07, 2018

You might think of “the media” as simply another word for TV (or TV and radio) journalism. That's often what people mean when they say it. But there’s more to media than being a news anchor. “Media” is actually the plural form of the word “medium,” and it refers to anything that conducts anything else, usually information.

Television is a medium, as is radio, newspapers, movies, and the internet, among others. If you have a job in the media, that means you could be doing anything in any of these fields.

Media jobs include everything from local news anchors to Hollywood film directors. What they all have in common is that they help communicate something to the public.

You can use this discussion of job titles in order to explore all the wonderful variety of work the media sector has to offer, or you may find a title intriguing enough to want it for your own. That being said, this discussion can only scratch the surface by touching on some of the major aspects of a very large field.

Types of Media Jobs

There are so many different media jobs that someone can be an expert in one and not know another even exists. Individuals often stay within one medium, beginning as a movie actor or a camera operator and eventually becoming a director, for example. But it is also common to move between media in similar positions. For example, a newspaper columnist might branch out by writing a book, and then write and host a television program, or a radio producer might also produce podcasts.

Journalism
Journalism refers to any form of news, in any medium, whether print, online, on television or radio, or in documentary film-making. Journalists discover things and then they tell the world. Positions in journalism include news anchors, sports announcers, news correspondents, newspaper columnists, investigative reporters, and science writers.

Other types of jobs, such as video editors or print production planners, are also critical to journalism, but are not unique to it.

Announcer





Broadcast News Analyst





Broadcast and Sound Engineering Technician





Broadcaster





Journalist





News Analyst





Reporter





Television Announcer



Writing and Editing
Writers are obviously important in print and online media, but movies, TV, and radio content is also usually written before it is performed and recorded. Each of those writers typically has an editor whose job it is to ensure that the text meets the standards set by the publication or program leadership. Video and audio editing, in contrast, are more about organizing segments of recorded material sequentially, into clear and cohesive end products. 

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There is also another type of editor whose responsibility is not for the individual document but rather for the publication as a whole. These include managing editors, acquisition editors, and features editors, and their duties are largely administrative. Here's information on writing and editing jobs.

Assistant Editor





Author





Communication Specialist





Communications Director





Communications Manager





Content Engineer





Content Manager





Copy Editor





Copy Writer





Digital Media Specialist





Editor





Editorial Assistant





Managing Editor





Section Editor





Social Media Specialist





Technical Writer





Writer



Producing and the Production Team
Producers have overall responsibility for all aspects of a show. This includes radio stories, podcasts, a TV episode, or a movie. In a large production, such as a movie, the producer might be coordinating the activities of hundreds, or even thousands, of people. The producer of a five-minute radio spot might be the only person on the project.

There are other positions with related duties on projects large enough to have leadership teams, like the floor manager and production coordinator. Whole teams may work for leadership teams in roles of assistants, technicians, runners, researchers, and managers.

Administrative Assistant





Animator





Associate Producer





Audio and Video Equipment Technician





Camera Operator





Line Producer





Motion Picture Set Worker





Photo Editor





Photographer





Producer





Production Artist





Production Assistant





Production Manager





Project Coordinator





Project Manager





Proofreader





Radio Operator





Recording Engineer





Sound Mixer





Stage Hand





Technical Producer





Videographer



Advertising / Marketing
Advertising and marketing jobs can be very lucrative. If you work as an advertising salesperson or as an account manager, you are responsible for selling ad space. That is, if your employer owns broadcast time that can be used for commercials, space in a magazine or on a website for ads, or even billboards, your job is to find people willing to pay money to use those opportunities. 

You'll make sure the client's space is secured, ensure that their ad appears as it should, and that it runs as planned. Many of these roles work on commission, so if you are good at your work, you can earn a high income.

Although advertising may not have the cultural cachet of journalism or the glamour of entertainment, the revenue that advertising brings in makes all those other efforts possible. Review this list of jobs in advertising.

Account Executive





Art Director





Creative Director





Creative Project Manager





Designer





Graphic Artist





Graphic Designer





Marketing Assistant





Media Director





Media Planner





Media Product Development Manager





Media Specialist





Merchandising Manager





Multimedia Designer





Multimedia Services Manager





Multimedia Specialist





Promotions Specialist





Public Relations Specialist





Publicist



E-Commerce / Communications Technologies

IT specialists, technicians, and web designers are essential for the smooth running of sophisticated web-based media and e-commerce technologies. Working “behind the scenes,” they make sure that internet media projects “go live” by deadline and then continue to operate flawlessly. 

Electronic Data Interchange Specialist





Electronic Marketing Manager





Graphical User Interface (GUI) Programmer





Graphic/Web Designer





Interface Designer





Intranet Applications Manager





Intranet Applications Specialist





Java Developer





Media and Communication Equipment Operator





Network Engineer





Software Engineer





Telecommunications Technician





Web Content Executive





Web Customer Support Specialist





Web Designer





Web Product Manager





Web Systems Director





Webmaster



More Job Titles

Review sample job titles and job title lists categorized by industry, type of job, occupation, career field, and position level.

 https://www.thebalancecareers.com/media-job-titles-2061502