The media negotiator — buying broadcast advertising time for clients or agencies.
As a Junior Time Buyer, you're purchasing advertising time on radio and television for advertisers or agencies. You're negotiating rates, securing placements, and managing the logistics of getting commercials on air. You work on behalf of advertisers to get the best media value.
Your day involves analyzing media options, negotiating with broadcast sales reps, processing insertion orders, tracking placements, and reconciling billing. You need to understand reach and frequency concepts, audience demographics, and how to evaluate media value.
Media buying combines negotiation with analytical thinking. You're trying to maximize advertising impact within budgets, which requires understanding both the numbers and the relationships. If you enjoy negotiation and want to work in advertising from the buying side, time buying provides that foundation.
Where this role sits in the broader career landscape — and where it can take you.
Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.
The media negotiator — buying broadcast advertising time for clients or agencies.
Median pay for a Junior Time Buyer is about $61K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $33K to $134K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Speaking, Persuasion, Service Orientation, Social Perceptiveness, and Negotiation.
Most people in this role hold a bachelor's degree.
Employment in this field is projected to decline about 6.4% through 2034, with roughly 97,470 people working in it today (BLS).
Closely related roles include Time Buyer, Sales Specialist, and Senior Sales Specialist.
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