The Average Salary of a Journalist in Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia, is one of the largest media markets in the country. The city itself has a population of around 500,000 and there are more than 10 times that number in Atlanta metropolitan area, according to NationsOnline.org. A larger market means that there is more competition between the media outlets to attract audience. More viewers means that journalists can ask for and get higher salaries than in smaller markets.
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Types of Journalists
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Journalism can be a very specific field and the more expertise that is required in the field, the greater salary can be commanded. Feature writers and news reporters can generally make more than a sports reporter. Television reporters can generally make more than newspaper reporters, who make more than radio reporters.
Journalist Salaries
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Atlanta has a number of media outlets from specific targeted newspapers like Vida Latina to more general news outlets like WAGA TV 5. The average journalist salary in the city is $32,000 to $56,500, according to Payscale.com. It is the second-highest-paying market for journalists, coming in behind only San Francisco.
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Broadcast Journalists
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Besides having local television and radio stations around the city, Atlanta is home to CNN, a national cable news station. The salary range for broadcast journalists in the city is between $24,861 and $61,042 a year (2010), according to Payscale.com. This makes it the fifth-highest-paying city for broadcast journalists. It is behind Washington, D.C.; New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles.
Newspaper Journalists
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Atlanta has the Atlanta Journal Constitution, one of the largest newspapers in the country. This newspaper attracts some of the top reporters in the country whose salaries help raise the average salary. The average salary range for a news journalist in Atlanta is $40,000 to $85,000, according to Payscale.com. This make it the third-highest-paying city for news journalists, behind San Francisco and Los Angeles.
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A number of factors come into play with journalism salaries. A big factor is the general state of the news media. Many newspapers have closed up shop in recent years and just about every newspaper in the country is losing circulation. This has a large depressing effect on salaries. CNN, which used to be a dominant force in cable news has seen its position slip, which affects the salaries of its reporters and average broadcast salaries in the city.
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