From Reporting to PR

[NoWay]

Has anyone out there experienced this transition? Any regrets?

[Obewon]

You can't go through life making important decisions and then regretting them or letting someone else make those decisions for you.

I know you are just trying to get some feedback. I get that.

I made the transition from news to PR a number of years ago. Thank God, I'm not in either now. It's a pretty sobering realization when you figure out you are not qualified to do anything else in life.

Anyway..

The one nice thing about PR is the first day the HR person came in and gave me a list of all the company holidays...and you actually get them off.
We got a half day off on Fridays in the summer too.

Here's the biggest problem I had. When I was a reporter I was in almost total control of my destiny. I knew I was good and proved it every day. The work itself was indisputable. Sure, there are crazy ND's and GM's, but if you're good, you really answer only to yourself. (I'm not talking about being a news reader here)

In PR, it's totally different. Not only you have the traditional boss you have these creatures called "clients" And if you think news directors are nuts, you ain't see nothing. These bastards have complete control over your career and your life and one phone call from one of them to your boss can get you fired..just because they don't like the color of your eyes.

You learn to work with it, but I never quite adjusted to not being able to tell some ass-hole to stick it. But that's just me. In a lot of ways it is kind of fun. Get used to some punk 23 year old producer in Bismark treating you like ****.

I hope I never behaved that way

[ISTHISTHINGON?]

Sound advice Obewon....giving pro's and con's of both.
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[WalMartNation]

I've worked with more than one reporter who's "backup plan" was to go into PR. Two in particular were good reporters but got tired of the grind and did get into PR (it's a bit harder to get into than most of us TV people like to think it is).

Both got out in less than two years. Obewon is right on about working with pain in the a$$ clients. Both these former co-workers told me the same stories... you walk on eggshells nearly the entire time you're working. In TV, they would have free reign to do a story correctly... the truth is the truth, and if a viewer or a company that was screwing people over didn't like the reporters' story... too bad. If it's true they have nothing to hit you with. In PR, if you have to spin something and BS something for a client to look good... it weighs on you because you know what you might be helping to produce is misleading or just flat out spin. Both these ladies were jounalists at heart and it tested their beliefs. One is now a teacher, the other is a dental hygenist and they're both happier.

The local government TV channel I work at has its PR moments... it drives me bonkers when I edit or shoot a piece that I know is just a flat out lie, spin, dodging of the real issue, or whatever other tunnelvision BS that the politicians spit out. They've BS'd people for so long, they start to believe their own crap... I've wondered if PR people have to adopt that belief too? Some of the other people I work with buy the spin... and they'll probably stay in government TV and make more money than commercial. Me, I can't wait to get back in a newsroom full time again.

[NoWay]

When you say clients? R u talking about working for a pr firm? I was thinking more of a pr spokesmen for a school district or the city? Do you have clients there also???

[Ranger Bob]

I made the transition and love it. I guess I'm lucky in that my boss is a good and fair person.....unlike several of the psycho news directors and managers I worked for over my years in TV. He's got my back, which is cool. I did not lie when I reported, and I do not lie now. I do emphasize the good points about my company that I want to get across, and it does help greatly if you believe in your company and your company's mission statement. To my way of thinking, I'm still doing stories. The stories now, are about my company, which I really do believe in.

When I made the transition, I wound up making more money, having weekends and holidays off (and TWICE as many paid holidays as TV), more vacation, and a boss that told me, "I don't want you taking your work home with you at night and I'm not going to micromanage you." Oh....and NO consultants!!!!

To be honest, when I look at local TV news these days, I see as much or more marketing and promotion than what I do for my company. So what's the difference? No consultants, No dumbazz news directors, better pay, more holidays, no weekends.

[What the ?]

Well put Ranger Bob.

I got out about a year ago. I now work in the Public Affairs division of a major utility. While the work is different and definitely more challenging, it's a lot more rewarding. Oh, and the fact they tripled my pay helps as well. When I deal with reporters, it's amazing how much different their tone is when I tell them I was a reporter for more than a decade.

A previous poster said it's not as easy to get into PR as you'd think. I'll 2nd that statement. I got a lucky break. It's not necessarily how much you know or who knows you. Part of it is timing.

I don't ever think I'll be back in the news biz ever again. Mrs. What The? is still in the biz which is fine with me. She can have all the glory. I'll enjoy holidays and weekends off (M-F 7a-4p is a great schedule).

Before you leave the biz, make sure you have something lined up. It's always best to have a plan B and perhaps a plan C. Don't burn any bridges because you never know if you'll have to cross that bridge again.

Just my .02 worth. :D

[Obewon]

Originally posted by NoWay:
When you say clients? R u talking about working for a pr firm? I was thinking more of a pr spokesmen for a school district or the city? Do you have clients there also???Yes, they are different and more insidious. Been there and done that. Non profits and school districts are extremely political. Everyone at every level is jockeying for position and power. For example I did PR for a school system for a VERY short while. I was done in by a school board member who was doing a high school principal and got mad because I placed a story about another principal. I never saw it coming.

I'm not knocking non-profits as they are probably the lesser of the two evils, but every single person who writes a check to your non-profit becomes a demanding and irrational client.

As long as you know what you're getting into, it's OK. Just don't go into it thinking it's a cake walk with no land mines.

[kybubba]

I made the transition and would never dream of going back into television news, which is in severe decline.

I am much more autonomous in PR, have regular hours and get all the holidays off, get to travel a lot more for work on the company dime and enjoy very nice perks and incentives.

[NoWay]

Thanks for all the great advice!! I'm definitely leaning towards a change in career. I think I'm done getting no overtime pay, only 2 weeks of vacation, and working weekend nights. I know it'll be hard, but I'm a hard worker and I'd like to benefit from it more than I am right now. Again, thank you all!

[Stay Classy Medialine]

For those who are acting like they have no regrets leaving TV, stop kidding yourself or stop hanging out in TV websites!

[TVMattNYC]

All these people who are finding their old TV salaries "tripled" when they go over to PR ... where are you finding these jobs??

The pay for the PR jobs I've been finding is pretty mediocre. Nothing comes close to what I'm making in television.

[kybubba]

Stay Classy, obviously you have no understanding of how allied PR is with newsrooms and how important monitoring various industries (print, television, radio, blogs etc..) is to staying relevant as a PR practitioner. Get a CLUE!
I continue my dialogue on these boards and continue reading them to stay up on what's going on, where certain people are going to and coming from etc. and updating my rolodex and what have you.

As for finding awesome PR jobs, TV Matt, that's up to you. I'm getting paid more than I ever got paid in TV with a lot better situation and a lot less stress.

[What the ?]

Originally posted by TVMattNYC:
All these people who are finding their old TV salaries "tripled" when they go over to PR ... where are you finding these jobs??

The pay for the PR jobs I've been finding is pretty mediocre. Nothing comes close to what I'm making in television.Read my previous post. With my compensation package (think 401k matching, insurance benefits, etc.), it came close to quadrupling.

That's why I don't regret leaving TV news for 1 minute. That plus weekends off, disasters off, holidays off, no questions asked. No begging for time off around Christmas and New Years. That, and I can take a vacation in February, May, July and November. Of course with the wife still in TV I won't be taking any long vacations during those months, but at least I can take off a couple of days if I so choose.

It's nice when you are able to leave work at work.

[Stay Classy Medialine]

Originally posted by kybubba:
Stay Classy, obviously you have no understanding of how allied PR is with newsrooms and how important monitoring various industries (print, television, radio, blogs etc..) is to staying relevant as a PR practitioner. Get a CLUE!
I continue my dialogue on these boards and continue reading them to stay up on what's going on, where certain people are going to and coming from etc. and updating my rolodex and what have you.

As for finding awesome PR jobs, TV Matt, that's up to you. I'm getting paid more than I ever got paid in TV with a lot better situation and a lot less stress.Checking out relevant websites is one thing, but having a log-in and posting responses is a little obsessive, don't ya think? Just admit you have some regrets for leaving TV.. is it that hard to do?

[kybubba]

I have just as much right to post on this board as anyone else, particularly as an award-wining reporter/anchor who spent 15 years in the industry before moving over to PR. So screw off... graemlins/iamwithstupid.gif

[Stay Classy Medialine]

Originally posted by kybubba:
I have just as much right to post on this board as anyone else, particularly as an award-wining reporter/anchor who spent 15 years in the industry before moving over to PR. So screw off... graemlins/iamwithstupid.gif Way to spin, PR Boy! The question remains, why can't you admit you have some regrets leaving TV? Don't give people the false hope that PR is all rainbows and lollipops. Just because you chose to get out of TV doesn't mean you should sucker other people into doing it.

[TVMattNYC]

Originally posted by What the ?:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by TVMattNYC:
All these people who are finding their old TV salaries "tripled" when they go over to PR ... where are you finding these jobs??

The pay for the PR jobs I've been finding is pretty mediocre. Nothing comes close to what I'm making in television.Read my previous post. With my compensation package (think 401k matching, insurance benefits, etc.), it came close to quadrupling.

That's why I don't regret leaving TV news for 1 minute. That plus weekends off, disasters off, holidays off, no questions asked. No begging for time off around Christmas and New Years. That, and I can take a vacation in February, May, July and November. Of course with the wife still in TV I won't be taking any long vacations during those months, but at least I can take off a couple of days if I so choose.

It's nice when you are able to leave work at work.</font>[/QUOTE]You must not have been making all that much in television, then.

Unless PR salaries are into the 7 figures ...

[kybubba]

Depends on the PR job....Depends on the level, agency or corporate and on and on...As with anything, there's a wide variety of salaries.

TV Matt, I have to ask why you have such a "in your face" approach to everyone on this board about money, jobs and status? Are you insecure or just boorish and rude?

How many of you on this board vote for both the former AND the latter?

[TVMattNYC]

Originally posted by kybubba:
Depends on the PR job....Depends on the level, agency or corporate and on and on...As with anything, there's a wide variety of salaries.

TV Matt, I have to ask why you have such a "in your face" approach to everyone on this board about money, jobs and status? Are you insecure or just boorish and rude?

How many of you on this board vote for both the former AND the latter?I'm insecure, AND boorish and rude!

[Clever Login Name]

And sometimes he pisses off his boss just for the hell of it.

For those unaware of Matt's awesomeness, he posts things like that to remind us he's a network news producer, so tripling his salary, clearly, would be nigh impossible in the PR world. You've got to learn to read between the lines.

[The Mockingbird]

I daresay it's a hell of a lot easier to get a six-figure salary OUTSIDE of journalism than in it, though.

[Bandit '07]

No Way ... I think it really depends on what you want to do with your life. TV was a great ride for 15 years for me ... growing up it's what I always wanted to do and damned if it didn't happen for me. I was lucky, I worked hard and learned a lot from some terrific people.

But as I got a little further down the road, I felt like the job I did had absolutely no impact on the world. TV is a sensationalized sausage factory: a little sizzle in the pan, a lot of filler, and not particularly good for you if consumed in mass quantities.

So I left for a PR job that I felt would help a good group of people get a little news coverage for the good work they do. It ain't glamorous and lord knows it doesn't pay much - but I am happier now and I feel like my job in a very small way makes the world a little better place.

But ultimately, it comes down to what you value in your work and the lifestyle you wish to have. A simple question that opens up a lot of complex answers!

Good luck in finding an answer that brings you happiness and success as you define it!

[s'news]

Most of the PR jobs in my neck of the woods don't pay so great. Sure, some do. But for every one of those great-paying PR jobs, there are probably 10 with (to me) poor pay.

Not so long ago, I saw an ad for a PR opening in Houston that got my interest. It called for a highly skilled writer who would translate technical medical stuff into language a layperson could understand. The employee would work directly with scientists and researchers. The person getting the job would report directly to a very high-level person. The ad sounded quite demanding and that a successful candidate would be a top-notch, experienced person.

Then the ad suggested that applicants submit clips with their application, preferably from a college newspaper.

It was an entry-level job.

[Buck T. Trend]

s'news, I would bet that your "entry-level" position paid a lot better than a 2nd or even 3rd job as a TV reporter.

I left commercial TV a year ago to work in government PR and video, and I couldn't be happier. Not only am I more respected by my supervisors and peers, but I can see more of an impact from my work. I didn't get a huge raise (only about 15%), but I now have 10 paid holidays, three weeks vacation, free medical/dental/vision insurance, a regular 8-5 M-F schedule, and a LOT less stress.

PR isn't for everyone. I admit, I do miss the "rush" of working in a newsroom a little bit, but the benefits far outweigh that.

[Clever Login Name]

Buck, check your PMs.

[NoWay]

I just got called for an interview for a pr job and they're asking me for a portfolio. As a reporter, I am use to making tapes not portfolios? Should I make a tape and put together several news pkg scripts? Would that count? Sorry asking so many questions.

[TVMattNYC]

Originally posted by Clever Login Name:
And sometimes he pisses off his boss just for the hell of it.

For those unaware of Matt's awesomeness, he posts things like that to remind us he's a network news producer, so tripling his salary, clearly, would be nigh impossible in the PR world. You've got to learn to read between the lines.I love you too.

graemlins/iloveyou.gif

[Clever Login Name]

graemlins/hug.gif

[Ranger Bob]

Originally posted by Buck T. Trend:
Not only am I more respected by my supervisors and peers, but I can see more of an impact from my work. I didn't get a huge raise (only about 15%), but I now have 10 paid holidays, three weeks vacation, free medical/dental/vision insurance, a regular 8-5 M-F schedule, and a LOT less stress.

PR isn't for everyone. I admit, I do miss the "rush" of working in a newsroom a little bit, but the benefits far outweigh that.Amen to all that.....adding to include the 2 days this week I represented my company by playing in 2 golf tournaments! Oh yeah....I've realized my dream of becoming a professional golfer! That's quite a rush too.