Media Jobs in Phoenix, AZ

Observed local pay is mixed. For news analysts, reporters, and journalists in Phoenix, BLS shows a 2025 annual mean of $54,600, a median of $41,870, a 25th percentile of $38,130, a 75th percentile of $60,860, and a 90th percentile of $86,820. Editors show a stronger local benchmark at $74,250 median, though that figure is from 2024 and should be treated as historical. Across the broader media and communication family in Phoenix, the median was $57,830 and the mean was $70,750 in 2025. As a directional openings signal rather than a wage benchmark, Revelio Public Labor Statistics shows mean offered salary on new Arizona media openings around $70,436 in September 2026, based on n=199.

Full September 2026 market report

Advertised pay

Across the 8 openings that disclose pay, the advertised range midpoint runs $35,880 at the 25th percentile, $61,802 at the median and $99,785 at the 75th. These are advertised ranges, not earned pay.

Active openings as of November 10, 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

Phoenix is a workable but competitive market for media, journalism, and entertainment job seekers right now. Local activity exists, with more than 50 postings across more than 40 companies observed over the last 90 days, but the market is not broad, most roles are on-site, and Arizona's occupation-level picture is essentially flat with postings down slightly year over year. Pay is uneven: local reporter/journalist wages are modest, while stronger compensation is concentrated in editors and the upper end of the broader media family.

Best positioned: The best odds right now are for a mid-career, on-site-ready multimedia candidate who can handle video editing, photography, CMS publishing, and strong storytelling in one portfolio.

Main caution: Do not mistake the broad arts-and-media wage averages for typical journalism pay; local reporter/journalist median pay is much lower, and remote options are scarce.

From the September 2026 market report

Who is hiring here

Counted across all 19 openings in this market. 1 of the employers below are hiring for more than one role right now.

1. Lifetouch Inc.: 2 open roles
2. ABC15: 1 open role
3. Azretinamacula: 1 open role
4. Bella Baby Photography: 1 open role
5. City of La Mesa: 1 open role
6. City of Phoenix: 1 open role
7. Classiccars: 1 open role
8. Courtreportersaz: 1 open role
9. Deloitte: 1 open role
10. E.W. Scripps Company: 1 open role

Where the openings are

• Phoenix: 12
• Scottsdale: 3
• Chandler: 2
• Tempe: 1
• Mesa: 1

Work arrangement

on-site 16 (84%), hybrid 3 (16%)

Where the demand is

Real opportunities are concentrated in a few submarkets rather than spread evenly across every media path. In the recent local posting sample, broadcast media production and distribution and sports & recreation each made up about 25% of activity, followed by media at about 15%, photography at about 10%, and newspaper publishing at about 10%. That mix favors candidates who can work fast, on site, and across formats rather than people holding out for pure long-form writing roles. The employer mix is broad but shallow. More than 50 postings were observed across more than 40 companies over the last 90 days, and the sample is fragmented rather than dominated by one employer. The most consistently active named employers included GLORY DAYS SERVICE INC, Gray Media, Inc., Lifetouch Inc., TEGNA, Inc., and USA Today Co., which means you should search across stations, sports-adjacent employers, photography firms, and publishers at the same time rather than betting on one flagship newsroom. This is also a field-presence market. About 85% of sampled roles were on-site, only about 10% were hybrid, and about 5% were remote. If you want traction quickly, target roles where being in Phoenix and available for in-person production is part of your advantage.

• Broadcast media production and distribution (high): This is one of the clearest local concentrations, supported by industry mix and recent visible TV talent additions in the metro.
• Sports and recreation content (high): Sports and recreation accounts for about 25% of sampled activity, making it a strong lane for people who can package fast-turn storytelling, video, and event coverage.
• Photography and image-led production (moderate): Photography-related skills show up often enough locally to matter, especially for employers that need field capture plus light editing and client-facing execution.
• Newspaper publishing (limited): Traditional publishing is still present, but it is a smaller slice of current local activity than broadcast, sports, or photography-led work.

Where to focus: Focus first on on-site multimedia roles in broadcast and sports-adjacent employers, especially jobs that combine shooting, editing, publishing, and field reporting.

Roles worth searching next

• Communications specialist: It uses interviewing, clear writing, deadline discipline, and editorial judgment but opens a larger employer pool outside traditional newsrooms.
• Content strategist: This path rewards CMS fluency, audience thinking, packaging, and multi-format planning that many editors and producers already use.
• Internal communications writer: It is a practical bridge for journalists with strong explanatory writing, interviewing, and editing habits.
• Brand video producer: For people with local video-editing and field-production skills, this is a close neighboring lane with broader employer types.

What postings ask for

• Video editing (premium | immediate): Video editing appears in about 15% of sampled local postings, and 79% of surveyed publishers said they planned to invest more in video in 2026. Who: Entry-level and mid-career candidates aiming at TV, sports, or digital-newsroom production.
• Photography and lighting (differentiator | immediate): Flash photography, posed photography, and general photography each appeared in about 15% of local postings, which is unusually relevant for a market with visible demand in sports, events, and image-led work. Who: Entry-level candidates, freelancers, and career switchers who need a faster path into paid work.
• Content management systems (table_stakes | immediate): Content management systems show up in about 10% of local postings, and national employer guidance continues to flag content management as an in-demand media capability. Who: Anyone applying to digital publishing, producer, editor, or hybrid newsroom roles.
• Storytelling and original idea generation (premium | near-term): Storytelling appears in about 10% of local postings, and AI-era journalism research says original ideas and storytelling are becoming more valuable as routine tasks are automated. Who: Reporters, editors, producers, and career switchers trying to stand out beyond tool fluency.
• AI-assisted reporting with human verification (differentiator | immediate): Phoenix is hosting a hands-on journalism session on agentic AI, and the Associated Press expanded newsroom standards in 2026 to permit uses such as research support, summarization, transcription, translation, headline suggestions, and search optimization with human accountability. Who: Mid-career journalists and producers who want to raise output without looking interchangeable.
• Technical writing (differentiator | near-term): Technical writing appears in about 10% of local postings, making it one of the clearest bridge skills for candidates who want steadier explanatory or specialist writing paths. Who: Career switchers and journalists who want a wider set of employers than traditional newsrooms alone.

Questions about this market

What do Media, Journalism & Entertainment roles pay in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ?

Observed local pay is mixed. For news analysts, reporters, and journalists in Phoenix, BLS shows a 2025 annual mean of $54,600, a median of $41,870, a 25th percentile of $38,130, a 75th percentile of $60,860, and a 90th percentile of $86,820. Editors show a stronger local benchmark at $74,250 median, though that figure is from 2024 and should be treated as historical. Across the broader media and communication family in Phoenix, the median was $57,830 and the mean was $70,750 in 2025. As a directional openings signal rather than a wage benchmark, Revelio Public Labor Statistics shows mean offered salary on new Arizona media openings around $70,436 in September 2026, based on n=199. This is not a uniformly high-paying market. Broad media jobs can beat the metro-wide average, but local reporting pay sits much closer to lower-middle salary bands than many job seekers expect.

Where is demand for Media, Journalism & Entertainment roles in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ concentrated?

Real opportunities are concentrated in a few submarkets rather than spread evenly across every media path. In the recent local posting sample, broadcast media production and distribution and sports & recreation each made up about 25% of activity, followed by media at about 15%, photography at about 10%, and newspaper publishing at about 10%. That mix favors candidates who can work fast, on site, and across formats rather than people holding out for pure long-form writing roles. The employer mix is broad but shallow. More than 50 postings were observed across more than 40 companies over the last 90 days, and the sample is fragmented rather than dominated by one employer. The most consistently active named employers included GLORY DAYS SERVICE INC, Gray Media, Inc., Lifetouch Inc., TEGNA, Inc., and USA Today Co., which means you should search across stations, sports-adjacent employers, photography firms, and publishers at the same time rather than betting on one flagship newsroom. This is also a field-presence market. About 85% of sampled roles were on-site, only about 10% were hybrid, and about 5% were remote. If you want traction quickly, target roles where being in Phoenix and available for in-person production is part of your advantage.

Which employers are hiring the most Media, Journalism & Entertainment talent in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ?

Recent postings show the most activity from GLORY DAYS SERVICE INC (10 postings), Gray Media, Inc. (5 postings), Lifetouch Inc. (5 postings). See the full market report for the complete employer landscape.

Can Media, Journalism & Entertainment roles in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ be done remotely?

Of recent postings, 5% are remote and 10% 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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