Announcer Associations

• Announcer associations are important affiliations for those working in diverse areas of this specific field. These professionals provide information over public address systems or radio and television broadcasts to tuned-in audiences everywhere. While some announcers belong to unions that are all-inclusive, others belong to associations devoted to their announcing specialty. Associations provide announcers networking opportunities and set best practices standards for their members. Some associations hold annual banquets and bestow awards or scholarships.

American Sportscasters Association

• The American Sportscasters Association (ASA) facilitates member networking, provides information about the profession to announcers just starting out and sets a code for professional conduct. ASA has a Hall of Fame, which opened in 1998, to honor exemplary sportscasters. Inductees include Harry Caray, Jack Buck and Curt Gowdy, among others. The association also hosts an annual awards banquet, bestowing a Sportscaster of the Year award.

National Gospel Announcers Guild

• The National Gospel Announcers Guild is an association for Christian religious announcers who come together to share knowledge and explore their common ground as broadcasters. The organization was created in 1968 to address what religious announcers saw as a lack of opportunity for them. They strive to increase their presence at national broadcast and recording industry conventions.

American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association

• In the popular sport of auto racing, there is no association devoted solely to announcers. Rather, the announcers work with writers in the American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association (AARWBA). The association says it is the largest auto racing association as well as the oldest, founded in 1955. It is an international organization with 400 members. The AARWBA bestows a variety of awards at an annual banquet to honor outstanding drivers. The association also holds an annual breakfast meeting the Saturday before the Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

National Association of Broadcasters

• The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) is the largest association of announcers working in radio and television. According to its website, NAB is an advocacy organization representing the concerns of its membership in the industry, government and public affairs. The association also keeps an eye on pay trends in the profession and tries to improve announcers' salaries. NAB is also always on the lookout for new technology that announcers can use to make their work more effective.