What does broadcaster mean?
A broadcaster is either a person or an organization that sends out radio or television programmes to an audience. When applied to individuals, the word typically describes presenters, anchors, announcers, and commentators whose voices become familiar to millions of listeners and viewers; when applied to institutions, it denotes networks and stations such as national public-service broadcasters or commercial channels. The term carries no strong connotation of formality or informality, making it equally at home in news reports, media criticism, and casual conversation. It derives from 'broadcast', a verb that once meant scattering seed broadly across farmland before being adopted for wide-ranging signal transmission in the early twentieth century. Because modern media span radio, television, and increasingly online streaming, 'broadcaster' remains a flexible and current word for anyone or anything that communicates with a mass audience over the airwaves.
A person who presents, announces, or commentates on radio or television programmes.
"The veteran broadcaster retired after forty years behind the microphone."
Often used of well-known presenters and commentators.
An organization that transmits radio or television programmes to the public.
"The state broadcaster faced criticism for its coverage of the election."
Standard plural, used for both individual presenters and broadcasting organizations.
"Several leading broadcasters have adopted new guidelines on live reporting."
The word 'broadcast' originally described sowing seeds widely across a field by hand — radio pioneers borrowed the farming term to describe scattering signals to a whole audience at once.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of broadcaster
Broadcaster is formed from 'broadcast', an English compound combining 'broad' and 'cast'. The original sense, attested from the late eighteenth century, referred to casting seed widely by hand rather than sowing it in rows. With the rise of radio in the early twentieth century, the word was extended metaphorically to the wide transmission of signals to a scattered audience, and 'broadcaster' came to mean both the transmitter of programmes and the organization behind them. Related words sharing the root include forecast, telecast, and podcast, all built on the same verb 'cast'.
Related word forms
How broadcaster is actually used
Neutral register. In everyday speech, 'broadcaster' most often refers to a well-known presenter or commentator, while in media-industry and regulatory contexts it refers to the transmitting organization itself.
Easily confused with broadcaster
'Broadcasting' is the activity or industry of transmitting programmes, whereas 'broadcaster' is the person or organization that does it.