BROADCAST BUYER JOB DESCRIPTION

Broadcast buying is precise, time-pressured work. When buys are under-stewarded, preemption goes unresolved and clients absorb the loss. A Broadcast Buyer owns the full negotiation and stewardship of television and radio inventory across local and national markets, translating campaign KPIs into executable buy structures that maximize audience delivery and budget efficiency. In an agency environment where client relationships hinge on accurate posting and demonstrable value, this role is the operational anchor between investment strategy and on-air execution.

As the Broadcast Buyer, you are responsible for negotiating, placing, and stewarding broadcast media buys across assigned markets, ensuring every campaign delivers against client-defined performance benchmarks. You work in close coordination with Investment Planners, Media Brand teams, and vendor sales representatives, with accountability that spans from avail requests through post-buy analysis.

Career Impact: Hands-on stewardship of multi-market broadcast portfolios sharpens negotiation credentials that are directly valued at the senior buyer and investment director level.

Business Impact: The accuracy of your buy reconciliation and preemption resolution determines whether clients receive the audience delivery they contracted and budgeted for.

Growth Opportunity: Exposure to annual supplier agreement negotiations and national buying expands your market knowledge and positions you for roles overseeing investment strategy across larger account sets.

• Negotiate broadcast inventory across assigned local and national markets to deliver against client campaign KPIs
• Steward active buys by monitoring preemption activity and securing makegood resolutions that protect value delivery
• Develop and present pre-buy and post-buy analyses, including campaign highlights and compensation recommendations
• Manage media budgets and schedule documentation, ensuring accuracy through each stage of plan revision
• Coordinate with trafficking and asset teams to meet station material deadlines without disrupting launch timelines
• Evaluate avail requests and added-value opportunities, applying market pricing knowledge to strengthen buy rationale
• Partner with Investment Planners to align buy structures with target audience priorities and maximize efficiency across placements
• Support discrepancy resolution within established clearing windows to maintain accurate campaign posting records

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications, Business Administration, or equivalent work experience
• 3 or more years of broadcast media buying experience, with demonstrated exposure to local and national market negotiations
• Proven ability to manage and reconcile media budgets across multiple concurrent campaigns
• Strong negotiation skills applied to vendor and station relationships in competitive spot markets
• Solid understanding of broadcast audience measurement methodologies, including Nielsen ratings and share estimation
• Effective written and verbal communication skills for presenting buy rationale to internal teams and client-facing stakeholders
• High attention to detail in managing schedules, financial documents, and post-buy reporting data

• Prior experience in an agency environment managing broadcast buys across several market types simultaneously
• Familiarity with media billing and campaign management platforms used for order entry and posting reconciliation
• Working knowledge of media research databases used to evaluate local station performance and audience composition
• National broadcast buying experience with exposure to upfront or scatter market negotiations

• On-time discrepancy resolution rate, measured against the 90-day post-air clearance window
• Preemption makegood completion rate, reflecting how fully audience delivery shortfalls are recovered per campaign
• Post-buy delivery variance, measuring the gap between guaranteed and actual audience delivery across placed buys
• Budget reconciliation accuracy, tracking posting discrepancies flagged per billing cycle
• Vendor relationship health, assessed through added-value capture rate relative to negotiated buy volume
• Typical tools: billing and trafficking platforms (commonly Mediaocean or Adtraq); audience research tools (commonly Nielsen, Scarborough)

• Base Salary Range: $55,000 to $80,000 annually, depending on seniority and market
• Bonus: Discretionary annual bonus tied to individual and agency performance
• Equity: Typically not offered at this level in agency settings
• Health Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• PTO: 15 to 20 days annually plus standard US holidays
• Common Perks: Professional development stipend, vendor event access, hybrid work flexibility

Figures are estimates based on general US market benchmarks and may be outdated. Adjust based on location, company size, and seniority level.

Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. A background check is required as a condition of employment. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodations during the hiring process should submit a request at any stage. Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States at the time of hire.

The Senior Broadcast Buyer owns the end-to-end executional strategy for broadcast campaigns, from negotiating vendor compensation to delivering post-campaign reporting that details actuals and recommendations. Working alongside Media Brand partners and key vendor accounts, this role ensures accurate campaign posting, optimized buy structures, and measurable outcomes for clients.

Key Responsibilities

• Utilize tools to develop the best possible executional strategy, rationale and buy structure to deliver on campaign KPIs.
• Negotiate compensation and oversee campaign actualization for use on future campaigns.
• Deliver post-campaign reporting to Media Brand and client detailing actuals, highlights and compensation recommendations.
• Monitor open payables and resolve discrepancies to ensure accurate campaign posting within 90 days past month aired.
• Oversee day-to-day Media Brand interaction covering rates, costs, deadlines and launch timelines.
• Work closely with Media Brand throughout activation to maintain performance and resolve issues.
• Understand the impact of underdelivering stations and use this learning to optimize future buy structures.
• Lead vendor relationships for key accounts and strengthen market partnerships.
• Use automated processes at all times to minimize manual data transfer and risk.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field.
• 4-5 years of experience focused on AV investment.
• Proficiency with numbers, budgeting and Excel data entry tasks.
• Knowledge of market dynamics, pricing and executional opportunities in broadcast media.
• Advanced skills in MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• Strong negotiation skills with an ability to build and maintain vendor relationships.
• Strong analytical skills with an ability to relate results to client business objectives.
• Strong prioritization and time management skills for optimal output.

Embedded within a media agency team, the Broadcast Buyer negotiates and stewards broadcast buys across assigned markets while projecting delivery estimates and evaluating added value opportunities for clients. Working closely with media representatives and the sales community, this role keeps campaigns on schedule, within budget, and supported by timely post-buy analyses.

Core Functions

• Negotiate and steward broadcast buys within assigned markets for clients.
• Project accurate delivery, rating and share estimates for all clients.
• Solicit and evaluate added value opportunities for clients on a regular basis.
• Oversee communication of avail requests and buying guidelines to the sales community.
• Stay current on spot market conditions, price fluctuations and changes in viewing and listening patterns.
• Evaluate local market stations and programming to contribute new ideas for reaching the target consumer.
• Develop and manage media documents including schedules and financials to keep campaigns on schedule and within budget.
• Ensure timely and accurate delivery of post-buy analyses.
• Develop media reps as a new business source and resource.

Qualifications and Experience

• 4+ years of local market broadcast buying experience, preferably in an agency setting.
• Working knowledge of industry-standard media research tools such as Nielsen, Scarborough and Mediaocean.
• Strong organizational skills with an ability to multi-task and effectively prioritize across multiple markets.
• Detail-oriented with an ability to manage and steward broadcast buys across multiple markets.
• Strong curiosity and willingness to contribute ideas beyond media-specific tasks.
• Ability to maintain composure under pressure and work effectively as a team player.

Reporting to the planning and strategy leadership, the Broadcast Buyer manages media purchases for local and national campaigns, negotiating annual supplier agreements and preparing pre- and post-buy reports. Partnering with the 360 Strategy team, this role ensures campaign alignment with client objectives and delivers on-schedule execution within media calendar parameters.

Primary Duties

• Manage media purchases for local and national campaigns.
• Participate in the negotiation of annual agreements with suppliers.
• Develop and interpret campaign reports to support management and follow-up.
• Evaluate contracts and prepare pre- and post-buy reports.
• Meet campaign deadlines according to the parameters of the media calendar.
• Liaise with the 360 Strategy team to ensure alignment with client and planning objectives.
• Evaluate media creativity projects and assist coordinators with discrepancy resolution when required.

Skills and Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business Administration or a related field.
• Minimum 1-2 years of media buying experience.
• In-depth knowledge of TV stations, programming and different media groups.
• Knowledge of DDS and Infosys.
• Strong project management skills with an ability to manage a budget.
• Strong negotiation skills.
• National broadcast experience is an asset.