Buying broadcast advertising time — radio, TV, sometimes streaming inventory — on behalf of advertisers or agencies. The work runs on rate-card knowledge, audience data, and the negotiation skill that comes from running media buys cycle after cycle.
Day to day, you're purchasing broadcast advertising time — radio spots, TV commercials, sometimes streaming audio or video inventory — on behalf of advertisers or agencies. You're negotiating rates with station and network reps, comparing audience data across options, placing orders, and managing the execution: ensuring spots run as planned, handling makegoods when they don't, and reconciling invoices against confirmed placements.
The rhythm is campaign-driven. Media plans get developed, approved, and then executed across multiple stations or networks — often simultaneously. Rate negotiations happen at the front end of each campaign flight; execution management and post-buy analysis happen at the back end. Between campaigns, you're building and maintaining the station and network relationships that will affect the rates you can negotiate next quarter.
The core skill is negotiation with knowledge. Station reps are sophisticated sellers; buyers who know the market — ratings trends, competitive pressure on specific dayparts, upcoming inventory constraints — negotiate from a position of strength. Buyers who rely only on what reps tell them leave money on the table.
An honest look at who tends to thrive in this role — and who might find it challenging.
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.
Buying broadcast advertising time — radio, TV, sometimes streaming inventory — on behalf of advertisers or agencies. The work runs on rate-card knowledge, audience data, and the negotiation skill that comes from running media buys cycle after cycle.
Median pay for a 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, Social Perceptiveness, Service Orientation, and Active Listening.
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 Junior Time Buyer, Senior Time Buyer, and Campaign Program Manager.
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