New Myrtle Beach Station WMBF

[dreambig]

Raycom is building a new NBC station there..and looks like there are lots of jobs available! What do you all think about going to a startup station for your 2nd job(Producing or reporting)? Any feedback would be appreciated. Pros..Cons?

[The Fedora]

Raycom is building a new NBC station there..and looks like there are lots of jobs available! What do you all think about going to a startup station for your 2nd job(Producing or reporting)? Any feedback would be appreciated. Pros..Cons?

I saw that listing... It's an interesting idea. They might have a bit of an uphill battle against the other, more established stations. I hope the honchos give them time to get on their feet.

[rootboyslim]

The CBS there is dominant, but the ABC has made strides, outwitting the dominantn #1 for years by moving the station from Florence to MB first. Great move. All the onmey in that market is in MB. So what does WECT have to say about this?

[dreambig]

WECT is owned by Raycom as well..so I guess they're not saying much.

[Big Country]

My first (and current) job is working for a start up station in a market that was dominated by the only shop in town for 30+ years. It has definitely proven to be a good move for me, as I've had lots of opportunity for upward movement in my relatively short time here.

[LENSCRAFTER]

It's tough to do... but it can be a lot of fun. I worked for a start up in a market with three LONG established powerhouses. The end result was that even after 7 years no one watched us. No one. We didn't make a DENT in the ratings. ANYTHING above a hash mark was nice to see in the overnights.

On the flipside... we were all extremely close and put out what (we thought) was a good product. We had little to NO promotional support but enjoyed what we did.

As for Myrtle Beach... as others have said... the CBS affiliate there is the top dog... and the ABC has been battling them since 1980. I suppose that MB will now lose WECT... which was really pretty popular there even though it was an out of market NBC affiliate.

Good luck.

[dreambig]

Thanks for all the feedback everyone...any more tips??

[Mayhem]

Dream big?

[NewsguyMark]

Myrtle Beach is a growing market. The new Hard Rock Park will make it more of a year-round tourist destination. Once the housing slump ends there is PLENTY of space for a buildout of new homes.

With the right leadership and a strong corporate backing, the NBC affil will do well in time. However, it won't happen overnight.

I know they are building a studio on 17 bypass giving them a great location with plenty of visibility. Any word about a Florence bureau?

[Chop]

That's strange...I've been in MB for about 8 years now and I've always thought that the ABC (WPDE) was the dominant station. Granted I've never seen the numbers...it's just I don't know anyone who thinks the CBS (WBTW) is worth a crap.

Meanwhile we also get WIS (NBC Columbia) as well as WECT from Wilmywood. It'll proabaly take 2 or 3 years at least for a start-up NBC news operation to make ground on the ABC/CBS dominance.

Then again, I don't know many people that really give a crap about local news here at the beach. That's all I've got to say about that.

[rootboyslim]

That's strange...I've been in MB for about 8 years now and I've always thought that the ABC (WPDE) was the dominant station. Granted I've never seen the numbers...it's just I don't know anyone who thinks the CBS (WBTW) is worth a crap.

Meanwhile we also get WIS (NBC Columbia) as well as WECT from Wilmywood. It'll proabaly take 2 or 3 years at least for a start-up NBC news operation to make ground on the ABC/CBS dominance.

Then again, I don't know many people that really give a crap about local news here at the beach. That's all I've got to say about that.

I remember when I worked there the sales manager at the ABC---WPDE---told everyone they were number one. They bested WBTW by ONE share point on teh farm report at 5 a.m. or something as ludicrous as that. WHen I was hired there, the CBS was the most dominant CBS affilaite in the country.

Perhaps things have changed some since WPDE moved to MB and I think they may even get better numbers at the beach, but remember, there is still Dillon, Florence etc... that make up a huge percentage of the market and I am willing to wager that the CBS totally dominates those areas. But in terms of sales, it is much better to have numbers where the money is.

[NewsguyMark]

Only the CBS has a 5:00 news. If I were the NBC I would start there. WPDE recently added a 7:00 p.m., so there's less competition at 5:00.

WPDE has a sister station WWMB that has a 10:00 p.m. and WBTW, the CBS, produces a 10:00 for the Fox station. The market is pretty saturated for late-night news.

[Roll Q]

Eager to see how this pans out. Cool that they are all HD, for those with HD tvs.

BTW, I think they are starting with a 4pm newscast, all the way until 6:30.

[Kace]

If you get a job there, understand what Beach Music is, including the lyrics to, "Carolina Girls." That and you'll be just South of the Center of the Universe, also known as North Myrtle Beach.

[ISTHISTHINGON?]

A startup station is tough but in my experience...worth it. As long as you understand it's a baby step process and learn/teach/enjoy along the way...it can make heck of a ride. Go into it thinking your new and everyone will be curious and you set yourself up to fail. Stealing viewers, in my opinion, is MUCH harder than keeping viewers.

[wx or not]

A startup station is tough but in my experience...worth it. As long as you understand it's a baby step process and learn/teach/enjoy along the way...it can make heck of a ride. Go into it thinking your new and everyone will be curious and you set yourself up to fail. Stealing viewers, in my opinion, is MUCH harder than keeping viewers.

You want truth? ISTHIS just gave a touch of it. Please remember that, once you've selected to be part of the new crew, job descriptions will change often and your duties will be altered from day to day. Is it tough? Absolutely. Is it worth the effort? Without a doubt! The comraderie between all of you will set you up for life. A great networking group is bound to propel all of you for the future.:thumbsup:

[FrontierMan]

I like the bios on that site. They're really interesting.

[wxcookie]

I watched the new station this weekend, and it was awesome. There talent is a little young, and I think they should have gone with a cute blonde for their main female anchor position but it was still pretty good. Their graphics are heads and tails above WPDE, but WPDE has never been in the game. The game in MB can now start to look interesting. I think the competition is going to be between WMBF and WBTW sorry WPDE, better hope that Barrington does not dump them like they did all of their production staff a few years ago.

[Chop]

Do they not have a regular sportscast M-Fri? According to the bios they have a weekend sports guy but none during the week. I guess I'll have to watch.