AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 27-2012.03
Will AI replace Media Programming Directors?
Media Programming Directors: AI can already handle 14 of 23 tasks; the work mostly needs a frontier-tier model.
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Every task, scored
The 23 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Media Programming Directors, from most to least exposed. 14 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Check completed program logs for accuracy and conformance with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules and regulations and resolve program log inaccuracies. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Read news, read or record public service and promotional announcements, or perform other on-air duties. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Prepare copy and edit tape so that material is ready for broadcasting. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Perform personnel duties, such as hiring staff and evaluating work performance. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Establish work schedules and assign work to staff members. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Monitor network transmissions for advisories concerning daily program schedules, program content, special feeds, or program changes. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Conduct interviews for broadcasts. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Confer with directors and production staff to discuss issues, such as production and casting problems, budgets, policies, and news coverage. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Cue announcers, actors, performers, and guests. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Act as a liaison between talent and directors, providing information that performers or guests need to prepare for appearances and communicating relevant information from guests, performers, or staff to directors. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Monitor and review programming to ensure that schedules are met, guidelines are adhered to, and performances are of adequate quality. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Evaluate new and existing programming to assess suitability and the need for changes, using information such as audience surveys and feedback. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Review information about programs and schedules to ensure accuracy and provide such information to local media outlets. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Develop promotions for current programs and specials. | Observed | Frontier | |
| Direct and coordinate activities of personnel engaged in broadcast news, sports, or programming. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Coordinate activities between departments, such as news and programming. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Plan and schedule programming and event coverage, based on broadcast length, time availability, and other factors, such as community needs, ratings data, and viewer demographics. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Develop budgets for programming and broadcasting activities and monitor expenditures to ensure that they remain within budgetary limits. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Participate in the planning and execution of fundraising activities. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Develop ideas for programs and features that a station could produce. | Observed | Standard | |
| Operate and maintain on-air and production audio equipment. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Select, acquire, and maintain programs, music, films, and other needed materials and obtain legal clearances for their use as necessary. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Direct setup of remote facilities and install or cancel programs at remote stations. | Estimated | Efficient |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 2 of 23 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 21 of 23. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.
The model tier this role needs
A frontier-tier model or lower covers 100% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 100% of the work is something AI can address at some tier.
Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.
Wages, employment and outlook
- US employment
- 143,120
- Median annual wage
- $90,360
- Middle half of earners
- $62,670 to $134,800
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- +4.9%
Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034. BLS publishes these figures by SOC code, so O*NET occupations that share a SOC code show the same figures.
Adjacent roles
The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.
- Media Technical Directors/Managers 80% skill overlap, about 7 months to move Exposure66
- Producers and Directors 70% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure44
- Art Directors 60% skill overlap, about 14 months to move Exposure46
- Broadcast Technicians 60% skill overlap, about 14 months to move Exposure48
- Advertising and Promotions Managers 58% skill overlap, about 15 months to move Exposure45
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Media Programming Directors and AI
Will AI replace Media Programming Directors?
AI already handles 14 of the 23 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 59 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears. BLS projects employment to change by +4.9% from 2024 to 2034.
What is the AI exposure of Media Programming Directors?
59 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 2 of the 23 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 21 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Media Programming Directors tasks can AI already do?
The tasks with the highest exposure are: Check completed program logs for accuracy and conformance with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules and regulations and resolve program log inaccuracies; Read news, read or record public service and promotional announcements, or perform other on-air duties; Prepare copy and edit tape so that material is ready for broadcasting. They are three of the 14 tasks that reach 60 or more.
What AI model tier does this role need?
A frontier-tier model or lower covers 100% of the role's importance-weighted task work. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.
How many people work as Media Programming Directors, and what do they earn?
143,120 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $90,360 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +4.9% from 2024 to 2034.
How to cite
Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.
JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Media Programming Directors. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/media-programming-directors
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