Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for TV Editor

🎯 Role Definition

A TV Editor shapes raw footage into compelling television programming for live broadcasts, scheduled shows and digital distribution. The TV Editor is responsible for pacing, narrative continuity, sound and picture quality, and ensuring finished segments meet editorial, technical and legal standards for broadcast. This role demands advanced proficiency with broadcast editing systems (Avid Media Composer, Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve), strong news/journalistic judgment (for news editors), meticulous attention to technical delivery specs (codecs, loudness, formatting), and the ability to collaborate across producers, graphic artists, colorists and technical operations to meet strict broadcast deadlines.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Production Assistant (PA) who has gained hands-on editing experience
Assistant Editor / Offline Editor supporting senior editors
Broadcast News Associate or Multimedia Producer transitioning to editing

Advancement To:

Senior TV Editor / Lead Editor overseeing multi-editor workflows
Post-Production Supervisor managing editorial teams and schedules
Executive Producer or Head of Post-Production responsible for creative and operational strategy

Lateral Moves:

Motion Graphics Designer or Compositor
Colorist or Grading Technician
Television Producer or Segment Producer

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Assemble and edit multi-source video and audio into broadcast-ready segments, ensuring narrative cohesion, accurate timing, and compliance with editorial directives and run sheets.
Operate industry-standard editing platforms (Avid Media Composer, Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro) to perform offline and online edits, conform edits, and deliver final masters to transmission specifications.
Cut live and near-live content under tight deadlines for news bulletins, sports highlights, and special events while maintaining accuracy and editorial integrity.
Collaborate with producers, directors, reporters and newsroom staff to translate scripts, interview footage and field material into polished television segments.
Perform audio editing and mixing, including leveling, noise reduction, and applying broadcast loudness standards (e.g., ITU-R BS.1770 / EBU R128).
Manage ingest, transcoding, and media logging workflows; create and maintain accurate metadata for each asset to support searchability and media management.
Prepare and conform graphics, lower thirds, and full-screen inserts in partnership with motion graphics artists; ensure on-screen text, names and titles are accurate and cleared for broadcast.
Color grade and finish sequences (primary and secondary corrections) or coordinate with colorists to achieve consistent looks across episodes and segments.
Ensure all edited content complies with legal, regulatory and compliance standards (obscenity, defamation, copyright clearances, release forms) and coordinate with legal/clearance teams when needed.
Create numbered back-up copies and track asset location/ingest times in digital asset management (DAM) systems to maintain version control and archive integrity.
Export and encode final masters and stems in required codecs and container formats (MXF, ProRes, H.264/HEVC) for broadcast, streaming and social platforms; ensure closed captions/subtitles and deliverable specs are met.
Troubleshoot technical issues with editing hardware, A/V signal routing and media ingest, escalating to engineering when necessary to meet air deadlines.
Maintain continuity, adherence to editorial standards and fact-checking of on-screen information in coordination with editorial leads and subject matter experts.
Lead multicam editing for studio and field shoots, synchronizing multiple camera angles and audio tracks to produce seamless live-to-tape or post-produced segments.
Organize and optimize editorial timelines, bins and project structures to improve team efficiency and enable fast revisions during breaking news or late changes.
Monitor show rundown and cue sheets; prepare pre-roll, bumpers, tags and promos as part of the program flow to ensure smooth transitions to air.
Implement QA checks on video, audio, closed captions and metadata prior to handoff to transmission or online publishing teams.
Reformat and repurpose broadcast content for multiplatform distribution (web, mobile, social) including vertical edits, captioning, and SEO-friendly metadata/titles.
Train and mentor junior editors, interns and runners on broadcast workflows, media management, editorial policies and technical best practices.
Maintain up-to-date knowledge of broadcast technology trends, codecs, editing plugins and platform delivery requirements; recommend workflow improvements and tools.
Coordinate with transmission, graphics and master control to confirm slates, timecode, and play-to-air readiness; attend pre-air technical checks for live segments.
Work with producers to storyboard complex segments, plan editorial approach, and propose pacing, music choices and visual transitions to strengthen storytelling.

Secondary Functions

Archive completed projects and establish retention/backup policies to ensure long-term accessibility and regulatory compliance.
Assist in developing and documenting post-production workflows, standard operating procedures and naming conventions for the editorial team.
Provide editorial input during pre-production planning to identify coverage needs that simplify post-production and improve story outcomes.
Support quality assurance initiatives by logging recurring technical or editorial errors and proposing corrective training or process changes.
Collaborate with social media and digital teams to create platform-specific cuts, thumbnail recommendations and SEO-optimized descriptions.
Participate in post-mortems and debriefs after major broadcasts or events to identify bottlenecks and implement continuous improvements.
Liaise with rights and legal teams to secure music clearances, talent releases and third-party footage licenses when used in edits.
Assist with procurement and testing of editing software plugins, codecs and hardware upgrades; evaluate performance and total cost of ownership.
Support internal training programs by developing quick-reference guides for encoding presets, loudness targets and captioning standards.
Act as backup to the live gallery or vision mixer for short periods, executing basic live switching and clip playback when required in high-pressure situations.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Expert proficiency in Avid Media Composer, including bin management, AMA/EDL workflows and IMF/OP-ATOM deliverables.
Advanced skills with Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects for editorial and motion graphics integration.
Practical experience with DaVinci Resolve for color correction, grading and finishing workflows.
Strong understanding of video codecs, containers and transcode pipelines (ProRes, DNxHD/HR, H.264/H.265, MXF).
Knowledge of broadcast audio standards, mixing consoles and loudness metering (ITU/EBU/ATSC standards).
Experience with newsroom computer systems and rundowns (ENPS, iNEWS) and integration of editorial metadata.
Proficiency in closed captioning, subtitling workflows and generating caption files (SCC, SRT, VTT).
Skilled in multicam sync, timecode management, and conforming online edits to master timelines.
Familiarity with digital asset management (DAMS), SAN/NAS storage and archiving best practices.
Competence in encoding and delivery specifications for broadcast playout, OTT platforms and social media.
Experience with graphics pipelines, lower-third templating systems (Vizrt, Chyron) and handoffs to CG operators.
Basic scripting or automation knowledge (watch folders, ffmpeg, editorial macros) to streamline repetitive tasks.
Ability to apply color science and grading techniques to produce consistent looks across episodes.

Soft Skills

Strong editorial judgment and storytelling instincts with the ability to shape narrative under deadline pressure.
Excellent communication and collaboration skills to work with producers, technical teams and on-air talent.
Exceptional attention to detail and quality assurance mindset for air-ready content.
Time management and prioritization skills in fast-paced, deadline-driven broadcast environments.
Adaptability and composure when handling breaking news, last-minute changes and live production stressors.
Problem-solving orientation with a proactive approach to technical and editorial issues.
Mentorship and team leadership skills to train junior staff and promote best practices.
Client- and audience-focused mindset with an understanding of platform-specific viewer behaviors.
Creative flexibility to iterate quickly on edits and accept constructive feedback from stakeholders.
Ethical judgment and integrity in handling sensitive content, embargoed material and corrections.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High school diploma or equivalent with professional editing experience; or an Associate degree in film/TV production.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor's degree in Film Production, Broadcast Journalism, Media Studies, Communications or related field.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Film & Television Production
Broadcast Journalism
Media & Communication Studies
Digital Media and Production
Post-Production Technology

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 3–7 years of hands-on editing experience in broadcast television or equivalent digital production environments.

Preferred:

5+ years as a TV Editor or Senior Editor in news, sports, entertainment, or documentary television with demonstrated delivery of broadcast-quality content.
Proven experience with live or near-live broadcast workflows, newsroom integration, and multi-platform content delivery.