Media & Journalism Jobs in Kansas City, MO

Observed local pay is middling rather than elite. In Kansas City, arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations averaged $34.97 per hour in May 2025 versus $31.99 across all occupations. For news analysts, reporters, and journalists specifically, the latest metro benchmarks show a $48,490 median, $65,890 mean, $31,200 25th percentile, and $78,040 75th percentile. As a more current proxy, Revelio Public Labor Statistics puts Missouri's mean offered salary on new openings in media, journalism & entertainment at about $64,594 in September 2026, based on n=185 postings with salary data.

Full September 2026 market report

Advertised pay

Across the 8 openings that disclose pay, the advertised range midpoint runs $39,302 at the 25th percentile, $63,900 at the median and $102,712 at the 75th. These are advertised ranges, not earned pay.

Active openings as of October 15, 2026

Senior roles | Entry level | Remote | Posted this week

Live from the Callings.ai index of over 13 million postings, refreshed hourly and re-checked here nightly. Roles that close are dropped at the next refresh.

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What our analysts see this month

Competitive market | next 3-6 months

Kansas City's overall labor market is still functioning, with 3.9% metro unemployment in August 2026 and 1,178,400 total nonfarm jobs in September 2026. But Media, Journalism & Entertainment is not an easy local market: Kansas City Information employment was down -5.4545% year-over-year in August, Missouri media, journalism & entertainment postings were down 3.2% year-over-year in September, and The Kansas City Star laid off seven journalists in September 2026. There are still openings, but the local sample shows more than 50 postings across more than 30 companies over the last 90 days, with hiring fragmented across employers and skewed toward on-site multimedia, photography, broadcast, and live-production work rather than expanding newspaper staffs.

Best positioned: Candidates with a reel or portfolio that proves video editing, field reporting, photography, and fast-turn storytelling have the best odds right now.

Main caution: If you need employer sponsorship, assume this is a very tough local market; among postings that explicitly state a policy, about 0% mention visa sponsorship being available.

From the September 2026 market report

Who is hiring here

Counted across all 17 openings in this market. 1 of the employers below are hiring for more than one role right now.

1. Deloitte: 3 open roles
2. Animated World Network: 1 open role
3. Bella Baby Photography: 1 open role
4. Cable Dahmer Automotive Group: 1 open role
5. Cox Automotive, Inc.: 1 open role
6. Cox Enterprises, Inc.: 1 open role
7. DanceBUG Inc.: 1 open role
8. Fox 4 Kansas City: 1 open role
9. Jhs Pedals, LLC: 1 open role
10. Kansas City Business Journal: 1 open role

Where the openings are

• Kansas City: 14
• Liberty: 1
• Overland Park: 1
• Grandview: 1

Work arrangement

on-site 15 (88%), hybrid 1 (6%), remote 1 (6%)

Where the demand is

The visible opportunity set is spread across a long tail of employers rather than concentrated in one newsroom. Over the last 90 days, the local sample showed more than 50 postings across more than 30 companies, and hiring looked fragmented rather than dominated by one buyer. Among the most active named employers were GLORY DAYS SERVICE INC, KCRep, Bella Baby Photography, Lifetouch Inc., Fox 4 Kansas City, Nexstar Media Group, CoStar Group, and NAHJ Convention. That mix points more toward broadcast, photography, performance, and multimedia production than toward traditional newspaper expansion. The most-requested hard skills were video editing (about 25%), photography (about 15%), mobile transmission devices (about 10%), sound editing (about 10%), live reporting (about 10%), interviewing (about 10%), storytelling (about 10%), and writing (about 10%). By contrast, The Kansas City Star laid off seven journalists in September 2026, with cuts hitting police, metro-community, and accountability coverage. There is still evidence of audience demand for civic reporting. The Beacon said reader feedback favored follow-the-money accountability journalism, and the AP Fund for Journalism expanded election resources to 200 local and state newsrooms through the end of 2026, support that The Beacon said helps serve Kansas City readers.

• Broadcast, live field, and multimedia production (high): Fox 4 Kansas City and Nexstar Media Group appear among the most active named employers in the local sample, and the most requested skills center on video editing, live reporting, mobile transmission devices, sound editing, interviewing, and storytelling.
• Photography and event or portrait work (moderate): Bella Baby Photography and Lifetouch Inc. also appear among the most active named employers, suggesting that part of the local volume sits in camera-based commercial and event work rather than traditional reporting.
• Nonprofit and civic-information journalism (moderate): Audience demand is clearly there: The Beacon reported strong reader appetite for follow-the-money accountability reporting, and election-resource support may slightly help civic and data-driven coverage through the end of 2026.
• Traditional newspaper beat reporting (limited): This is the weakest pocket right now: The Kansas City Star cut seven journalists in September 2026, leaving gaps in police and metro-community coverage.

Where to focus: Focus first on multimedia roles that combine reporting, shooting, editing, and field delivery, then keep civic or accountability clips in your portfolio as a niche differentiator.

Roles worth searching next

• Communications specialist: It uses interviewing, writing, stakeholder management, and deadline discipline, but usually sits in more stable institutional budgets than local news.
• Marketing video producer: Kansas City's visible demand is strong in video, editing, and photography, and those skills transfer cleanly into brand or growth teams.
• Motion designer: If your edge is visual packaging rather than reporting, motion work is a natural move into a neighboring creative category.
• Court reporter or legal transcription specialist: This path rewards accuracy, listening, deadline control, and documentation skills that many newsroom people already have.

What postings ask for

• Video editing (table_stakes | immediate): It is the single most-requested hard skill in the local sample at about 25% of postings. Who: Everyone except strictly performance-only candidates.
• Photography (differentiator | immediate): Photography shows up in about 15% of local postings, and several active named employers sit in photography-heavy work. Who: Entry-level applicants, career switchers, and anyone targeting visual storytelling or event coverage.
• Live reporting and field filing (table_stakes | immediate): Live reporting appears in about 10% of local postings, which fits a market tilted toward broadcast and on-site work. Who: Reporters, hosts, producers, and multimedia journalists.
• Interviewing, storytelling, and writing (table_stakes | immediate): Each shows up in about 10% of the local skill mix, so employers still want core reporting craft, just not in isolation from production skills. Who: Journalism-first candidates who need to prove editorial judgment and source work.
• Mobile transmission devices and fast-turn field workflow (differentiator | immediate): This skill appears in about 10% of local postings and is one of the clearest signs that Kansas City employers value people who can gather and file from the field quickly. Who: Broadcast, breaking-news, and event-focused candidates.
• Sound editing (differentiator | near-term): Sound editing appears in about 10% of local postings, making audio cleanup and package assembly a meaningful edge. Who: Video producers, podcasters, radio candidates, and cross-platform reporters.

Questions about this market

What do Media, Journalism & Entertainment roles pay in Kansas City, MO-KS?

Observed local pay is middling rather than elite. In Kansas City, arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations averaged $34.97 per hour in May 2025 versus $31.99 across all occupations. For news analysts, reporters, and journalists specifically, the latest metro benchmarks show a $48,490 median, $65,890 mean, $31,200 25th percentile, and $78,040 75th percentile. As a more current proxy, Revelio Public Labor Statistics puts Missouri's mean offered salary on new openings in media, journalism & entertainment at about $64,594 in September 2026, based on n=185 postings with salary data. This is workable mid-market pay if you can get above entry level, but the lower end is still thin for on-site work, irregular hours, and portfolio-heavy hiring.

Where is demand for Media, Journalism & Entertainment roles in Kansas City, MO-KS concentrated?

The visible opportunity set is spread across a long tail of employers rather than concentrated in one newsroom. Over the last 90 days, the local sample showed more than 50 postings across more than 30 companies, and hiring looked fragmented rather than dominated by one buyer. Among the most active named employers were GLORY DAYS SERVICE INC, KCRep, Bella Baby Photography, Lifetouch Inc., Fox 4 Kansas City, Nexstar Media Group, CoStar Group, and NAHJ Convention. That mix points more toward broadcast, photography, performance, and multimedia production than toward traditional newspaper expansion. The most-requested hard skills were video editing (about 25%), photography (about 15%), mobile transmission devices (about 10%), sound editing (about 10%), live reporting (about 10%), interviewing (about 10%), storytelling (about 10%), and writing (about 10%). By contrast, The Kansas City Star laid off seven journalists in September 2026, with cuts hitting police, metro-community, and accountability coverage. There is still evidence of audience demand for civic reporting. The Beacon said reader feedback favored follow-the-money accountability journalism, and the AP Fund for Journalism expanded election resources to 200 local and state newsrooms through the end of 2026, support that The Beacon said helps serve Kansas City readers.

Which employers are hiring the most Media, Journalism & Entertainment talent in Kansas City, MO-KS?

Recent postings show the most activity from GLORY DAYS SERVICE INC (5 postings), KCRep (5 postings), Bella Baby Photography (5 postings). See the full market report for the complete employer landscape.

Can Media, Journalism & Entertainment roles in Kansas City, MO-KS be done remotely?

Of recent postings, 4% are remote and 15% hybrid, with 85% on-site. Use the Remote filter above to see only remote openings.

How current are these listings?

Openings come from the Callings.ai live index of over 13 million jobs, refreshed hourly. This page searches postings from the last 30 days; run the search yourself to filter by anything else in plain language.

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Other roles in Kansas City, MO-KS

• Human Resources, Recruiting & People Operations
• Engineering & Scientific
• Software, IT & Cybersecurity
• Finance & Accounting
• Manufacturing, Construction & Field Services
• Marketing, Communications & Content
• Transportation & Delivery
• Education & Training

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