Advice for a J-School student...

[bw3508]

Graduating in the not-so-distant, future, Im looking for some advice on what to expect as an entry level reporter, besides the 94% chance of working as a one-man-band. What should I expect in pay and benefits, and what should I expect or ask for as far as allowences? Currently, I have a few connections up at News 10 Now in Syracuse, and I'm intereted in starting off in one of their bureaus. Do you think working at a local 24/7 station is a good idea? Also, what should I expect in compensation format, as far as salaried with available overtime? In your honest opinion, let me know what YOU would accept at a minimum level starting off as a reporter in the Northeast. Thanks, and feel free to let me know your past experiences. I've interned at an ABC affiliate when I was 17 and currently doing live reports on our college station, which goes out to more than 120,000 homes. If you have any insight or work at News 10 Now, feel free to message me, anything would be greatly appreciated.

[Big Country]

Let me start by saying I'm not a reporter, but I think we're all sort of in the same boat when we start out, so I may be able to give some advice to some of your questions.

As far as salary, take whatever they offer (and it will more than likely be low)...We're talking 18k, probably. Maybe 20k if you're lucky, but for a g.a. reporter, 18k is what you'll probably be looking at.

You may be able to squeak out as much as 1k/year for clothing, depending on how well the station is doing, but I wouldn't plan on that.

Hope this helps and remember, it's the first job, so you're also getting paid with getting on-air experience, too...

[Laughing Angel]

I agree with Big Country's post. Your first job is all about getting your foot in the door, getting practical on-air experience and drawing an actual paycheck from a commercial television station.

You will probably not be in the position to negotiate your salary or bennies, so get ready to work for peanuts and the love of the business. Keep in mind that you are getting the experience that will take you to your next position. That said, you'll probably make less than 20k that first year.

Do not limit yourself to one place. Prepare to blanket the country with tapes. Consider all possibilities. Network with your friends, people at school, your connections at News 10 Now.

Feel free to send me a PM.

Good Luck!

[overthehill]

First of all, congrats on the internship(s) and the aggressive attitude toward your job search!

I'd agree that you shouldn't limit yourself to one particular station or cable net. But I certainly wouldn't "blanket the country" with tapes. That's a waste of your time and money.

Two ideas for you:
1. Target a specific market (maybe nearby?) where your skill levels are appropriate. Flood that market with resumes, tapes, and personal visits. Get to know the NDs in that market on a first name basis. Meeting an ND face-to-face ALWAYS leaves a better impression than blindly sent tapes and resumes to somewhere'sville in the middle of Nebraska, the mountains of Idaho or Montana or the UP of Michigan.

2. Take a road trip. Take your best dress-up clothes, a box of tapes, resumes and your aggressive attitude, to markets/stations that are appropriate for your skills/experience. Visiting NYC is probably not in your best interest. Going to Rochester, Wilmington, Erie type places might present more opportunities.

Draw a 250 mile circle around your home and go to markets that get your feet wet and hands dirty in job interviewing. Those first job interviews are a learning process themselves.

What to expect? Money--18 to 20K. Likely--one man band situation. Keep your dreams alive to be on-air (if that's your dream) but don't expect to be hired as a weekend/sub anchor. Expect reporter or even PT reporter/producer type jobs. And yes, a two year contract.

Good luck

[thenewsleader12345]

Here is some advice (from a large market anchor/reporter, who also got his start in upstate NY).

You dont choose where you get your first job. You take what you can get.
Your connection at News 10 doesnt mean you will get the job there.
Furthermore...you will likely be waiting months and months for a job.. if you soley look in one region.
The best of the best...send out about 50-100 tapes for their first job, all over the country, and you are lucky if 3 people call you.

Secondly, dont expect any "allowances". That is something anchors get in larger markets.
The only time a reporter will get an allowance is maybe on your fourth job in a top 10 market, with a good agent negotiating. Stations are cheap these days. Its hard enough to get allowance in a top market...forget about small market USA..unless you anchor. The ND will laugh at you... and think you are an arrogant shmuck.

Third... you will not be able to negotiate your salary for your first job. The ND knows you are desperate to break in and will accept anything. (if you dont someone else will).
Also... in the small markets (like syracuse), they dont have the money in the budget to negotiate. Nor...are you worth anymore than they are offering. After all..you have no fulltime experience at a major affiliate.

As for salary numbers... a reporter in syracuse should make: $20-24,000 to start.
If you go lower, to say, Utica etc... try in the teens.

Hope that helps...

[The Mockingbird]

Take the Mockingbird's advice:

Get a real job, and save money.

That is all.

[News Is Broken]

Originally posted by Mockingbird with cranberry sauce:
Take the Mockingbird's advice:

Get a real job, and save money.

That is all.What? No haircut?

[Super Doppler 10,000]

My advice: stock up on Ramen noodles. And I hope you love the business because the way things are going with corporate streamlining and rampant cost-cutting measures, things aren't going to get any better.

From a financial standpoint, I often find myself wondering why I ever decided to get into this business. But I really enjoy my job so I guess it is a tradeoff. And who knows, we're still young, who knows when the winds might blow our way.

[The Mockingbird]

Originally posted by News Is Bro-ho-ho-ken:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Mockingbird with cranberry sauce:
Take the Mockingbird's advice:

Get a real job, and save money.

That is all.What? No haircut?</font>[/QUOTE]We can (usually) assume that a soon-to-be j-school grad anchor candidate has spent the pre-requisite afternoon at Great Clips and Glamour Shots.

[Spike]

Learn what a VJ is and keep an eye on where the VJ system is striking next.

[Clubbeat]

All of the advice here is sound, although flooding the country with your tapes will get expensive.

If you got some good experience working at News 10 and interning at the ABC affiliate (I'm assuming in Syracuse) then use that to show what you can do. (In my last job, I hired a producer from News 10 who got some good training there).

Be prepard to one-man-band. Small to mid-size markets offering entry level positions tend to do that in order to save money.

And speaking of money...you may need to pick up a side hustle...at one station where I worked, the G.A. reporters there worked as waiters, retail store clerks, etc. Yeah it sucks, but it beats having to eat ramen noodles and tuna all the time.

Where ever you wind up, find someone in the place who has the most experience and is willing to mentor you. Learn all you can, keep you nose clean and stay focused. Worry about where you are now, not where you want to be in 3-5 years.

Most important, love what you do! Sounds corny, but most people on this board, who've worked in this business for a while can tell you they stayed at suck-butt stations, low rated newscasts, intolerable, do nothing clueless management, on and on, because they love the business of news and the art of journalism. If not, you'll find yourself being miserable for most of your tenure in this game.

Good Luck!

[News Is Broken]

Originally posted by Mockingbird with cranberry sauce:
We can (usually) assume that a soon-to-be j-school grad anchor candidate has spent the pre-requisite afternoon at Great Clips and Glamour Shots.Ah yes... my bad - it was just my lame attempt at some George Thorogood humor. Nevermind.

[Spike]

Originally posted by Clubbeat:
And speaking of money...you may need to pick up a side hustle...at one station where I worked, the G.A. reporters there worked as waiters, retail store clerks, etc.But also be prepared to notice fine print in your contract that says any outside employment must be approved by management in advance. Then be prepared to have your ND veto any attempt to work in the restaurant or retail businesses. Some stations don't mind it, but some stations don't like the idea of their reporters being seen out in public "embarrassing" the station.

By and large the audience is convinced that reporters make a lot of money, and seeing a reporter working a retail or bartending job destroys that illusion and makes the station look cheap (which most are). There are also conflict of interest and business association issues with that kind of extra work, where the station may be reluctant to have you, and thus your station, identified with a particular outside business. And there's a particular dislike for bartending, since that job often implies a connection to drunken immorality and might not go over too well in conservative markets.

I knew a reporter who had tried to wait tables, but got shut down by his ND. The ND told him if he could get work out of the public eye he wouldn't mind, but he didn't want his reporters seen having to hustle for extra money.

[MyracleMan]

Advice? Here's some from a guy who wante dto take the biz by storm:

Stay in school, get a real degree (MBA, Accounting, etc), and forget about being in tv. Make money, have a family and a good life, instead of living paycheck to paycheck, surviving on Ramen Noodles and gift baskets from station clients.

[YHWY]

Don't accept any offer less than 20K. Don't be discouraged. You'll learn that money and market size aren't everything. Shoot for a market where you can enjoy work, live and raise a family.

[ December 19, 2006, 07:36 PM: Message edited by: YHWY ]

[upandown]

All good questions, but premature.

Money does not matter.
Benefits do not matter.
Geography does not matter.
Market size does not matter.
Finding a positive place, with patient managers who know their stuff and allow you to grow---that matters.

Do not expect your first job to be easy. It'll be the toughest you ever had.

Read any good books lately? I have one in mind.

[newsandwx]

Most of this advice has been pretty general, but this brings up an interesting question. Would you give the same advice to every grad? This business is not 100% cookie cutter. If you work with two interns, would you advise them differently based on your observations if you knew they had the same goal? Just curious what you all say to this.

[The Mockingbird]

I wouldn't advise ANYONE to go into broadcast journalism.

[Union Label]

Originally posted by Spike:
Learn what a VJ is and keep an eye on where the VJ system is striking next.Looks like the next shoe in the VJ game will be dropping at
Gannett (http://www.gannett.com/career/bpj.htm).

I'll echo the advice that others have already given and add my two cents.

Salary and benefits aren't nearly as important as having bosses and coworkers who are good mentors. If you make enough to pay the rent, student loan, put food on the table, gas in the car, and still have a few bucks to have fun, you are making enough. Don't live beyond your means and only use a credit card if you can pay the balance off every month. Spend a few hours and draw up a budget and stick to it.

Any first job that will give you on the experience doing as many aspects of getting the show on the air is a good one. If you are asked to do a job behind the scenes, do it willingly with the attitude that it will help you achieve your ultimate goal. Many in the business have been in your shoes earlier in their careers that now have a few years under their belts are doing completely different jobs than what they pictured themselves doing when they graduated. One of the secrets to career longevity and marketability is having a plan B and plan C when plan A goes down in flames. Some of the best News Directors and General Managers that I've worked for came up through the ranks by having first jobs in the bowels of the operation, not out in front of the lens. Also know that the odds favor that you will be downsized, fired or canned at least once in your career. Many of us have been there. It won't feel good when it happens, but you can usually wear it as a badge of honor down the road.

Keep in mind that your education doesn't stop when you pick up the sheepskin on graduation day. Continue it by making it a goal to take at least one college level course each year. It doesn't always have to be a difficult course, make it a fun one but just keep yourself in the game. Schools are also a great place to meet and socialize with others that have common interests.

Try to read your local newspaper every day so you have a clue about what is going on in the area that you work in. This is part of your continuing education. Try to hit as many large newspaper websites as possible so you know what is going on in the nation and the world. Invest in a subscription to Time or Newsweek for more knowledge. If you have a special interest or beat (ie: aviation, transportation, health, business etc.) that you want to cover, look into getting a subscription to a magazine that specializes in it. Watch the networks and larger markets whenever you can to get ideas on how you can improve your product.

Keep in mind that the some of the best ideas for good television aren't always on the front page and you shouldn't try to mimic the newspaper article because you are telling the story in a different medium. Also remember that your most satisfying work probably won't come from the paper or off the assignment desk scanners. It will come from subjects that you have some knowledge about by being up on current events. Your best soundbites will come from knowing the right questions to ask.

Your first job out of school won't be forever (although sometimes it might seem like it). You probably won't end up working anywhere near your family and probably won't be making enough to jump on a plane and see them whenever you feel like it. Don't fight the fact that you are in a strange town and don't know anyone. Go out and meet people and make friends. It is more than likely that there will be others at your station or working at the competition who are in the same boat as you.

Learn by your mistakes and pay close attention to the folks who have more experience. Having a positive can-do attitude will help you in your future career and life in general. Being branded as a chronic whiner or complainer will put your career at a dead end in no time flat. Choose your battles wisely and know when to make a stand when you are in the right. Don't hesitate to admit you were wrong or made a mistake. Make lots of friends and try not to make any enemies. It is a very small world and reputations carry far. Your future jobs will most likely come from contacts and networking.

Don't plan on getting rich by landing a job in one of the big markets or behind the anchor desk in New York. Most of these people that have done this are extremely lucky and have worked hard to get there. The ones that make it to the top are dedicated and driven. The wannabes usually get weeded out and fall by the wayside fairly quickly. This a business of crazy bosses, long hours, working weekends and holidays. If you have doubts about whether or not you can cut it, you should probably aim for another career.

Finally, save a little of your hard earned pay. If your employer offers a 401K plan, take advantage of it. If they match your contribution, try to put in enough to take full advantage of their match because it is free money. Your golden years aren't a high priority when you are struggling in that first job out of school but trust me, having some money in the bank will do wonders for your well being down the road.

[Charlie Brown]

Originally posted by newsandwx:
Most of this advice has been pretty general, but this brings up an interesting question. Would you give the same advice to every grad? This business is not 100% cookie cutter. If you work with two interns, would you advise them differently based on your observations if you knew they had the same goal? Just curious what you all say to this.Generally you can tell who's gonna make it and who isn't as an intern. The ones that are gonna make it are the ones who are hustling, doing anything they can to help put the best product on the air. They're the ones writing VOSOTs at the last second while all hell is breaking loose around them. They're the ones who ask good questions of the photographers and reporters when they're out in the field.

They're not the ones who spend most of the day writing their first bio page, asking makeup tips (although if you're a guy and going to be on-air, this is important), signing autographs, talking about starting in a top 25 market on air.

My best advice - if you're a j-school student now, do your internship in a small market station (100+). That way you'll have a better handle on what you're going to be doing for a living once you get out. The staff there can better advise you on how to get by on what you make and you'll have an opportunity to do more than just get coffee.

Remember, if you can survive in a small-market newsroom, you can make it doing anything anywhere.

[bw3508]

Thanks for the info. Right now, I find myself in a pothole of frustration. I started my first internship at 17 years old at a small station and couldn't be happier. I went out on my own to shoot and came back to write and edit vosots for the 5pm and 6pm shows. I still have some time before graduation and right now I'm looking for a temp. holiday job somewhere as a photog or anything to get in. Any more advice or info is greatly appreciated and of course...
Happy Holidays

[JJ]

Well said, Happy, let’s check it out again...

Originally posted by happynews:
Here is some advice (from a large market anchor/reporter, who also got his start in upstate NY).

You dont choose where you get your first job. You take what you can get.
Your connection at News 10 doesnt mean you will get the job there.
Furthermore...you will likely be waiting months and months for a job.. if you soley look in one region.
The best of the best...send out about 50-100 tapes for their first job, all over the country, and you are lucky if 3 people call you.

Secondly, dont expect any "allowances". That is something anchors get in larger markets.
The only time a reporter will get an allowance is maybe on your fourth job in a top 10 market, with a good agent negotiating. Stations are cheap these days. Its hard enough to get allowance in a top market...forget about small market USA..unless you anchor. The ND will laugh at you... and think you are an arrogant shmuck.

Third... you will not be able to negotiate your salary for your first job. The ND knows you are desperate to break in and will accept anything. (if you dont someone else will).
Also... in the small markets (like syracuse), they dont have the money in the budget to negotiate. Nor...are you worth anymore than they are offering. After all..you have no fulltime experience at a major affiliate.

As for salary numbers... a reporter in syracuse should make: $20-24,000 to start.
If you go lower, to say, Utica etc... try in the teens.

Hope that helps...A few other points...

- Your first job in smallmarketville may require a couple years commitment. Some, even three years, and yes they will sue you if you try to leave early.

- Yep, starter salaries suck. You’re paying the tuition of the real world.

- TV careers are not a democracy. Deadwood that can work the cocktail parties will beat the ‘iron butt’ working in the night. This is a business, but there is also politics.

- You know that TV market ranking list you always see circulated ? Rip it in half and concentrate on the lower ranks. Market size isn’t the only factor, sure, but by and large your edited list will have better opportunities for a newbie.

- Road Trips/Mass Mail. Both can get pricy. Personally, the ‘road trips’ never worked for me, but mass mailing did (got me top 50, in fact). They are just additional options. Still, concentrate on the smaller markets not the bigger prize.

- Once in, it’s great to be a go-getter, but take a break from time to time. You’ll burn out too soon. If you’ve been at a place more than six months and on your off days you’re watching every newscast, you’ll overheat.

- Lastly, at this first gig in a small market, watch the attitudes and don’t let them get you down. There are a lot of petty insecurities, just look past it, focus on your work, and build to your next move.

[Rosenblum]

As Union Label notes above and the link to the Gannett story clearly demonstrates, there are many new opportunities now for aspiring young journalists who want to work in video than just local news TV stations. I tend to think that there is a far more attractive market in those areas. They are growing rapidly and spending money to build infrastructure.

Newspapers moving in the realm of video also offer the opportunity working in a serious journalistic environment and one that has traditionally nurtured its new staff, grooming them and growing them. If you want to see a major success in this field take a look at www.travisfox.com. (http://www.travisfox.com.) He is a VJ for The Washington Post and has won both an Emmy f or reporting and NPPA awards.

Phone companies, I can tell you for sure, are rapidly also moving into this sphere and are spending, quite literally, billions of dollars to do so. Because of VOIP, they have no choice but they are there, or coming fast. Keep your eye on Verizon and ATT.

Conventional print magazines are also starting to augment their staffs with VJs. As they go to the web and the web goes to video, they have no choice but to begin to report in video as well. Conde Nast as made significant moves in this direction and so too will others.

The key to access to all these places is to be fast and facile with the technology. In a conventional tv station you might be seen as something of a threat. At a newspaper or magazine or phone company you will be seen as bringing something very significant and of value to the table.

The world is changing. The opportunities are there, just not where they might have been yesterday.

[Roy Hobbs]

Not sure I like that "aspiring young journalist" qualifier for opportunity.

What's left for the aspiring journeyman journalist?

[Rosenblum]

Hey Roy
Go see the Videojournalist thread.

[TVMattNYC]

Originally posted by MyracleMan:
Advice? Here's some from a guy who wante dto take the biz by storm:

Stay in school, get a real degree (MBA, Accounting, etc), and forget about being in tv. Make money, have a family and a good life, instead of living paycheck to paycheck, surviving on Ramen Noodles and gift baskets from station clients.Well, I'm not going to rain on your parade or squash your dream. Follow your heart ... do this if you really want it.

THAT said ... as someone who followed that advice (and loved the ride, most of the time) ... after 17 years' worth of physical abuse from sleep deprivation and shifts no human body was designed to ever work ... missed holidays ... weekends ... family events ... no social life ... and the constant threat of my job being cut at any time ... at this point in my life, I'm finding this career just isn't worth the sacrifices anymore.

And now I'm sorry I DIDN'T stick it through for just one more year or so to get that MBA ... as I'm finding it virtually impossible to translate my particular skill-set from this industry into another industry without taking a massive pay cut.

Now I'm facing the prospect of going back to school WHILE working (can't afford not to work now that I have a mortgage).

Just make sure this is REALLY what you want to do. And remember that no matter how gung-ho you are now about this career, your priorities WILL change as you get older.

[ December 24, 2006, 09:09 PM: Message edited by: TVMattNYC ]

[Rosenblum]

Dear Matt
You have a very valuable skill set but I tend to think you are looking in the wrong places. As the web goes to video major and very rich insitutions (a lot richer than networks) are going to scramble to move into video online. You know more than you think you do and a whole lot more than most people in those corporations about creating content in video. There is lots of money to be made in this area but you have to think a bit creatively about how and with whom. You can do this.

[Spike]

Originally posted by Rosenblum:
You can do this.And Rosenblum can sell you a program that will help.

[jaded2]

It's so funny how times have changed. I never considered Syracuse a small market when I was starting out as a reporter. But these days, young newbies can find their first job in better markets. I started it out real low 175+, making little money, and that was only 6-7 years ago. The advice still holds though, for a first job, take what you can get, don't be picky and if you want to report/anchor/produce/whatever it is... get a first job doing exactly that. As for money, well, hopefully you didn't get in this biz to make money...expect to be broke for at least a few years! Good luck!

[Bureau Chief]

If you are smart, you will change majors while you can! Engineers are in demand right now. Way to many Dan Rather wannabes.

[Roy Hobbs]

Originally posted by Marty McFly:
A couple things will help you land your first job.

First & foremost, a WINNING ATTITUDE IS KEY. ACT AS IF! YOU are what's going to get that news story covered. YOU are why this newsroom is going to work as a team. YOU are what the newsroom needs and the company needs to SUCCEED.

Second: DRESS THE PART.

Third: NEVER BE LATE.

As far as negotiating pay, you can't negotiate for much at all right now. It's part of the 'paying your dues' process. You have little experience. A ND knows this and knows you have little to bargain with.

But that will change with time.

Sell yourself in the interview and DO GREAT THINGS.Fourth: NEVER CALL AN ORBITER A SPACE SHUTTLE

[Pregnant Reporter]

solid advice here

Originally posted by happynews:
Here is some advice (from a large market anchor/reporter, who also got his start in upstate NY).

You dont choose where you get your first job. You take what you can get.
Your connection at News 10 doesnt mean you will get the job there.
Furthermore...you will likely be waiting months and months for a job.. if you soley look in one region.
The best of the best...send out about 50-100 tapes for their first job, all over the country, and you are lucky if 3 people call you.

Secondly, dont expect any "allowances". That is something anchors get in larger markets.
The only time a reporter will get an allowance is maybe on your fourth job in a top 10 market, with a good agent negotiating. Stations are cheap these days. Its hard enough to get allowance in a top market...forget about small market USA..unless you anchor. The ND will laugh at you... and think you are an arrogant shmuck.

Third... you will not be able to negotiate your salary for your first job. The ND knows you are desperate to break in and will accept anything. (if you dont someone else will).
Also... in the small markets (like syracuse), they dont have the money in the budget to negotiate. Nor...are you worth anymore than they are offering. After all..you have no fulltime experience at a major affiliate.

As for salary numbers... a reporter in syracuse should make: $20-24,000 to start.
If you go lower, to say, Utica etc... try in the teens.

Hope that helps...

[Clubbeat]

Interesting on market size changes. When I worked in Syracuse, it was in the mid 70's, considered at the time to be a small-mid size DMA. Now I hear it's number 79 (or close) and the numbers keep growing.

Hey Matt:, I don't know you, but based on some of your posts, it seems like you have enough (maybe more) skills to land a communications gig somewhere.

I too thought that all I would ever do is broadcast news and while I miss the daily hustle, I enjoy training future journalists as well as using all of my years of experience to work for myself (something I strongly recomend to anyone with at least ten years in this biz and who are versatile)

[Gail sirens]

Get out while the gettin' is good.
Too many just like you graduated last year.
Too many just like you will graduate this year.
And too many just like you will graduate next year.
80% of them just wanna be on tv.
That's it.
They'll work for peanuts, and drive the economics of the business for everyone into the tank.
Try real work!! Like sales.