You're the GM. Now, make a decision...

[overthehill]

So, let's put our GM hats on.

I was always told to help make my bosses look better/good by doing more than simply complaining to them. I was told, If I'm going to complain, I should suggest a solution(s) too.

So what are your solutions? Knowing our stations have to make reductions somehow, someway, let's try to figure out what to cut and how to stretch resources, WITHOUT trimming additional staff:

1. A midday newscast
2. Weekend newscast(s)
3. A portion of a morning newscast
4. Consultants or advisers (if contractually able)
5. Wire or graphic/feed services (if contractually able)
6. Syndicated medical/consumer type reports that you might "buy" or barter
7. Fewer stories that involve travel (gas or flights)
8. Delay purchase of needed equipment
9. Coverage of special events or issues that are expensive (local team in bowl game, local band goes to Inauguration, etc.)
10. Your suggestions....

[wx or not]

There's one easy solution, but it's not very palatable. I started in this biz with Al Schottelkotte, who ran a VERY tight ship. He was #1 for the longest time, and he RARELY ever used cameras on scene. We would use one or two file photos that stayed on the screen the whole time during a story. At the time, I thought that was purposefully ignoring the future of electronic reporting, but I've realized that he made damn sure that the story came first. He told it, he edited it, he ran with it. And now, when I watch the news, I look at these on air reporters, on scene, talking about something that could have been done with a simple picture. You could have your reporters do the story IN the studio, with a file photo or a live shot if necessary.

[east coast producer]

If you're a major affiliate, drop CNN, APTN, Reuters, etc. Just keep your affiliate news service and AP. I would have recommended that even if every station wasn't broke.

[The Fedora]

1. A midday newscast
NO, YOU ALREADY HAVE STAFF ON THE CLOCK FROM THE MORNING SHOW.

2. Weekend newscast(s)
POSSIBLY.

3. A portion of a morning newscast
NO. THIS IS THE ONLY DAYPART IN NEWS THAT ACTUALLY CONTINUES TO GROW. THIS AND THE 10/11 ARE THE THE MOST IMPORTANT IN THE LINEUP.

4. Consultants or advisers (if contractually able)
YES.

5. Wire or graphic/feed services (if contractually able)
MAYBE... IT REALLY DEPENDS. PROBABLY CNN BUT NOT AP.

6. Syndicated medical/consumer type reports that you might "buy" or barter
YES.

7. Fewer stories that involve travel (gas or flights)
YES.

8. Delay purchase of needed equipment.
MOST LIKELY. IT DEPENDS ON THE CONDITION OF THE CURRENT EQUIPMENT.

9. Coverage of special events or issues that are expensive (local team in bowl game, local band goes to Inauguration, etc.)
AGAIN MAYBE... CUTTING THE SUPER BOWL MIGHT NOT BE A GOOD IDEA IF YOU ARE IN THAT MARKET, BUT IF YOU ARE A NEIGHBORING MARKET CUT IT. CUT THE BAND. IT REALLY IS A CASE BY CASE BASIS...

[adam & doctor drew]

2. Weekend newscast(s)
POSSIBLY.


how would you get rid of a weekend newscast without reducing staff?

[DoneThatToo]

how would you get rid of a weekend newscast without reducing staff?

For the production end you get them involved in other areas. Depending on your station there are web products, commercial production, marketing production, master control areas - again depending on your station - that involve media ingest, timing and general QC. Overall use them to beef up areas that have potential to help with the bottom line.

News folks could use the extra time to, and I'm going out on a limb here, do actually reporting. Everybody wants time to investigate, get the full story, spend some qualitly time editing. Here I just handed you a full shift twice a week to get that done!

Sure people would have to learn new skills, maybe change some schedules (get off weekends? really???). But it is either adjust to the flow or get swept away.

[i'm in touch, so you be in touch]

Oh my goodness -- please, PLEASE let this dire economy be the end once and for all of paid consultants! Why is every station investing money in having some out-of-towner tell you how to put on a newscast???? These people do not know your audience AT ALL. They swoop in, make a few suggestions, swoop out, and never pay any price when they are wrong.

[News Is Broken]

If I were GM the first thing I would do is use the bailout money to buy back all those butt ugly SUV monsters and have them melted down and recycled into electric golf carts similar to the SMART car. Then I'd tell the UAW to build me a chocolate watch.

Oh... wait... wrong GM. Sorry. :shifty:

[adam & doctor drew]

Oh my goodness -- please, PLEASE let this dire economy be the end once and for all of paid consultants! Why is every station investing money in having some out-of-towner tell you how to put on a newscast???? These people do not know your audience AT ALL. They swoop in, make a few suggestions, swoop out, and never pay any price when they are wrong.

totally agree.
if you're a GM and you hire a news director, then you decide you need a consultant to tell the ND what to do, then you picked the wrong ND.

[Bureau Chief]

In our case, IF I was in charge,
Id cut all paid feeds and subscriptions. (we already have)

No travel (we only cover 3 or 4 stories a year that required travel)

NO CONSULTANTS at all.

We have two vehicles that are absolutely death traps. Need to be scraped. Id park or junk them. No repairs on either.

We have just completed the changeover to a digital newsroom, so all new gear already. Nothing left to replace.

Id do away with the reporters on weekends entirely. As a former weekend AE, I know for a fact that you are really digging to come up with a package idea on weekends in our market... run a national package instead from the network.

Instill the idea that the photogs are now part of the reporting team....not entirely what I would call a VJ but somewhere in between. They need to start doing more info gathering on Vo/sot stories.

NO MORE LAME LIVE SHOTS. If our antique live truck leaves the barn, it had better be for a damn good story. We pay a "specialist" to come in for a few hours to run the live shots on many week nights.....because the ND wants a live shot every newscast....thats old style thinking IMO. What happens when that $200,000 live truck dies for good? Aint in the budget to replace it. My mother taught me a saying for times like these;

Use it up, wear it out, Make it do, or do without.

We havent seen anything yet...wait till the next two rounds of mortgage resets hit next year...and the commercial real estate resets too.:eek:

[John M.]

1. A midday newscast
2. Weekend newscast(s)
3. A portion of a morning newscast
4. Consultants or advisers (if contractually able)
5. Wire or graphic/feed services (if contractually able)
6. Syndicated medical/consumer type reports that you might "buy" or barter
7. Fewer stories that involve travel (gas or flights)
8. Delay purchase of needed equipment
9. Coverage of special events or issues that are expensive (local team in bowl game, local band goes to Inauguration, etc.)
10. Your suggestions....

Of those ten, four (numbers 1, 2, 4 & 6) likely generate more revenue than they cost. At the very least I don't see how cutting newscasts, or portions thereof, saves money if staff cuts don't accompany them.

Number 4, consultants and advisers, would be the first to go. I've always thought they were a luxury -- and an expensive one, at that. I could not justify the return on investment in this economy, if ever.

Number 5, feed/wire services, is another thing I would look at. I would not pay for both a network feed and the CNN feed. And if CNN develops a lower cost alternative to the AP, I might look at using them for both services.

Numbers 7 and 8 are already happening.

Number 9 would have to be either something my sales department could sell or something extraordinary enough that I could run proof of performance spots that made it as much a marketing expense as a news coverage cost.

The other thing I'd learn about was whether we were doing the most we could with our website. If the Internet is where our viewers are going, I'd like to find a way to capture their attention there.

[Ralphie the buffalo]

The other thing I'd learn about was whether we were doing the most we could with our website. If the Internet is where our viewers are going, I'd like to find a way to capture their attention there.

If the management team isn't already doing that it is likely your station is in trouble already.

[ISTHISTHINGON?]

let's try to figure out what to cut and how to stretch resources, WITHOUT trimming additional staff:

1. A midday newscast
2. Weekend newscast(s)
3. A portion of a morning newscast
4. Consultants or advisers (if contractually able)
5. Wire or graphic/feed services (if contractually able)
6. Syndicated medical/consumer type reports that you might "buy" or barter
7. Fewer stories that involve travel (gas or flights)
8. Delay purchase of needed equipment
9. Coverage of special events or issues that are expensive (local team in bowl game, local band goes to Inauguration, etc.)
10. Your suggestions....

1-solo anchor. "One shot" frees up floor crew to do something else. Many production peep's want to break into something else...so maybe they now get to be photog, etc which cuts overhead.

2-Anchors either produce or edit. Again, should free up someone to do something else.

3-Don't know here. 45 minute show? Maybe I misunderstand.

4-Create questionaires given to locals in all parts of viewing area. Consultants job done....yet with a more localized, and cheaper approach.

5-AP should(hopefully) get one by if feeds need to be cut.

6-Bye bye syndication stories. IMO, most are booooring...and time fillers.

7-Stick to local issues and there should be little need for travel. Maybe utilize other affiliates for out of towner events.

8-Not sure how to operate without needed equipment.

9-Bowl game coverage 86'd.
Kids to inaug? Create a special report where the kids report. Most of them are already making videos for youtube with their own cameras. Have them email, or link up to youtube. Since it's lighthearted...just prep them on what you need...and keep it lighthearted. Sure, could be a great visual story with professionals....but this is about cutting back.

10-Have a meeting with newsroom(production included). Start asking for suggestions on how to keep everyone's job. Offer several options of multi-tasking.

[Spike]

One thing many of you guys don't understand is that all the items on overthehill's list are cost centers. They are not profit centers. Not one item on that list actually generates revenue directly. Even the newscasts are cost centers and not profit centers, because you're not actually selling the newscast (or at least you shouldn't be), but the space in between the blocks of the newscast. That makes the newscast itself not your product, but an elaborate marketing tool to entice advertisers to buy your actual product (the spaces between).

This is why television companies so often ignore quality in newscasts. Management accounting says you put your investment, your emphasis on quality, into your profit centers. You try to reduce the cost of your cost centers. Except that television doesn't fit that model, because what you're actually producing isn't the product you're selling. This is why corporate types with MBAs never seem to get it. They get confused about what exactly they're selling and why. This is how they think.

From strictly a business standpoint, I have to go with Barkie Dog's suggestion and get rid of news altogether. Oh, but that means cutting staff. So I guess we can't do that. In that case, setting aside the fact that the answer to each of the questions would really depend on the individual station, the market, the audience, the condition of the station's fixed assets, etc., I would say:

Keep your newscasts. You need the marketing.

Regarding the portion of the morning newscast, that would really depend on whether you're able to sell the time. If you're running PSAs and promos from 4am to 5am, you might consider getting rid of the 4am hour (although I'm not sure that would save you much money).

I might shock everybody by saying that I don't think getting rid of the consultants will make a material difference. They do provide some research and research services that are valuable if properly used and interpreted. The key is to use consultants wisely and recognize when they aren't actually helping.

You need at least one good wire/feed service. Maybe a second as a backup. You probably don't need three or four. At a minimum, keep AP.

Dump the syndicated stories, unless you're down to such a small skeleton crew that you can't fill the time without them. Cut unnecessary travel and concentrate on your own DMA. Scale down or kill your costly special event coverage and concentrate on your core news presentation product.

Delaying equipment purchases doesn't necessarily save you money. Sometimes it costs more to keep the crap running than to replace it. From an accounting standpoint it doesn't make much difference, because even if you spend $1 million this year, it's not reflected as $1 million in expenses.

If the station doesn't already do it, I would assign gear and vehicles to individuals and limit sharing. Repair costs go down and service life is extended when you assign personal responsibility to your fixed assets. I would also put an emphasis on proper maintenance of all station equipment.

Additionally, if I were the GM, I would be looking at more than just the news department. I would expect the sales guys to justify their expenses, even though sales is a profit center. The marketing/promotions department would have to be able to justify expenditures. I'm not renting the creative services guy a jib for the promo he wants to shoot.

I would also take a hard look at overtime. I wouldn't just put a moratorium on it and hope it goes away like so many managers do. I would instead conduct a detailed analysis of the point at which it becomes cheaper to hire an additional person to pick up the work being done in overtime. I would turn my auditor's eye toward the scheduling system to see if there were a way to make the work day more efficient, by scheduling shifts to match the timing of the work.

I would have my chief engineer work on ways to reduce power consumption. Television stations take ridiculous amounts of power. Fortunately these new digital transmitters cut power consumption by a significant amount, but there are probably other places power consumption can be reduced. I've seen entire racks of equipment stay hot 24 hours per day, even though they're only in use during the newscasts and take 10 seconds to power up. I would ask my engineer to give me an analysis of the cost of powering all that equipment versus any increase in maintenance cost from the wear and tear caused by powering up and down more frequently.

But I still think the best course of action is to cancel news and show sit-coms.

[John M.]

If the management team isn't already doing that it is likely your station is in trouble already.

How many TV station web sites are the go-to site for news, information or even venting on hot topics in a given market?

I bet the answer is not too terribly many. There's a way to do a lot more with my hypothetical station's site than we're doing and I want someone who can tell me how.

[Gil]

I already am the GM.

I am reading these posts carefully, hoping to find some new ideas. So far, not one single new thing that we have not already done or considered doing.

And by the way, having a contract for services such as Associated Press does not mean you cannot cancel them. You simply stop using the service and stop paying for it. They can sue, of course, but there isn't much of anything here to take away to pay for it.

[Ralphie the buffalo]

How many TV station web sites are the go-to site for news, information or even venting on hot topics in a given market?

Understand that mighty trees grow from tiny seeds.
But, they need to be carefully nurtured when they are young.
I would argue that that the internet side should be the last thing cut and the first to get more money for expansion.
And it needs a dedicated saleperson(s) to financially support it.

When I shoot a story and people ask what time it are on I mention that it will be on our website also.
The younger the person is the more excited they are about their story being on the 'net.
Understand that the young people aren't into turning on a specific station at a specific time to get their news.
That isn't the way their world works.
It is all about their convenience.
And there are more and more of them growing up everyday.

Internet news delivery is the way of the future.
Newspapers are starting to grasp that fact out of economic necessity.
Paper and delivery is very expensive.
Five years from now the home-delivered newspaper may be just a memory.
Any daily worth it's salt is having photographers shoot video in addition to stills.
They are getting into the video news product right now.
Their internet product is evolving, but they are making the changes necessary to gather market share.
Regererate or die.
And the newspapers are starting to compete with us TV people head-to-head on the 'net --- now.
We are just to smug to realize it.

Too many televison stations think of the internet as just a tool for self -promotion.
The internet staffing is barely enough to keep a respectable product going.
And often a station's site is really inadequate.
Are you going to go there for your news?
No, you will Google other local sites until you find a good provider.
And once you find it you will probably become loyal.

You need to grasp the fact that your future customers are making choices now and in the next couple years about who they will turn to for news on the internet for many years into their lives.
To cut jobs on the internet side is just like eating the seed corn for future crops.

And lastly please read my first signature quote.
It applies in spades on this topic.
See your future and be your future.

[adam & doctor drew]

I would also take a hard look at overtime. I wouldn't just put a moratorium on it and hope it goes away like so many managers do.


is there a legal reason why everyone can't be salaried?

[John M.]

Understand that mighty trees grow from tiny seeds.
But, they need to be carefully nurtured when they are young.
I would argue that that the internet side should be the last thing cut and the first to get more money for expansion.

I don't disagree. That's why I wrote in my original post:

The other thing I'd learn about was whether we were doing the most we could with our website. If the Internet is where our viewers are going, I'd like to find a way to capture their attention there.

You seemed to take issue with that. Then in your next post you say essentially the same thing.

[John M.]

I already am the GM.

Before this topic was posted, I was curious about consultants and how many stations have dropped them.

Gil, do you still use a consultant? If so, is it for all the things stations have traditionally used them -- audience research, talent searches, talent coaching, sharing (some would say "stealing") ideas from other stations -- or in a more limited role?

Are they offering deals to try to keep (or re-earn) your business?

If you do still use a consultant, why is it worth the money, especially now with budgets so tight?

[SamG]

is there a legal reason why everyone can't be salaried?
Yes. Employees need to meet certain qualifications in order to be salaried.

Going along with the "cutting OT" theme... I'd like see the newsroom go to a 4x 10 hour day workweek for photogs/reporters. Our scheduling is such that any live shot outside of a 15 minute radius from the station just about requires OT. Go to the 10 hour day and that's all but eliminated.

[Gil]

Gil, do you still use a consultant?

We are a very small station and run things very lean. We do not have a consultant. We don't pay for Nielsen ratings. We are considering dropping AP. All of our news people, including weather people, shoot and edit and report as needed.

[casterdamus]

If you want to cut losses but aren't willing to or don't want to lay anyone off (fire 'em) you're going to have to have an across the board pay cut. 10% isn't unusual but in these times 15-20% could be possible. From a corporate level, stop matching 401k contributions. Although it's a no-brainer delaying major capital expenditures is another way of saving $$$.

[DoneThatToo]

Ask everybody if they would be willing to take X number of days (say a week) off WITHOUT pay if it meant that NOBODY would be laid off. All days off would have to be coordinated with mngt., not a sudden 'Hey I'm taking today off as one of my no pay days.' Maybe try to get them taken during the first half of the year so that the savings would be reflected before year end. Breaking the week into individual days doesn't hit the employee too hard in the pocketbook. Contract employees . . I have no idea how you could do it but maybe have them sign an amendment to their contract reflecting the 'volunteer' release from the associated pay.

[PSUWx]

You could always hire local people fresh out of local colleges, who still live with their parents (or band together and live in a multi-unit facility in town).
They would have credit with the International Bank of Dad, and thus have just about all of their 17.5K salary as disposable income. They also keep health costs down for the self-insured single-owner station-- especially for the elder folks in sales/management upstairs (and all their health problems)

Once they get married and have a family, that's when you can replace them, or wither them so they leave, knowing that it's simply not as affordable as the single person.

You don't have to worry about the product suffering as a result, because you can always blame it on the universal decline in viewership, poor lead-ins, etc. In fact, some stations are probably riding pretty good with CBS Prime, even if their news product isn't competitive with higher priced productions down the street. After all, to a GM, what's the sense in being number 1 in the ratings, if it simply costs more and profits are less in doing so. I bet some could make more profit being #3.

[Spike]

Going along with the "cutting OT" theme... I'd like see the newsroom go to a 4x 10 hour day workweek for photogs/reporters. Our scheduling is such that any live shot outside of a 15 minute radius from the station just about requires OT. Go to the 10 hour day and that's all but eliminated.

This seems like a very good idea. I would like to see the results in a newsroom that went fully (or as much as practical) over to 4/10 work week.

I worked in a newsroom where a couple of the photogs were on 4/10 schedules, while everyone else was on a regular five day week. I doubt it really cut OT in that situation, because the desk, knowing the 10 hour guys had extra time in their shifts, routinely assigned them to the story that was furthest away or would take the most time. If there was a story that was at the fringe of the DMA, 90 minutes out, they would get the story. If there was a standoff that could go on all night, the ten hour guy would get sent. I suspect he ended up getting just as much OT as if everybody worked 5/8. Plus, after a number of twelve hour days in which he was still on the clock long after everybody else had gone home, a guy starts to feel abused.

I think that's why we don't see more of this. Newsrooms float the idea of a 4/10 week, try it out with a few test cases and see that it has its own problems, then scrap the whole idea, not realizing that many of the problems come not from the 4/10 schedule itself but from the fact that those people are on a different schedule from everyone else.

[Diggin' Bear]

We are a very small station and run things very lean. We do not have a consultant. We don't pay for Nielsen ratings. We are considering dropping AP. All of our news people, including weather people, shoot and edit and report as needed.

I'm ready to work for Gil any day. That's the prototypical small shop, and that's the way it should be. I bet you don't have (or allow) many prima donnas in your place. And I bet your town respects the station more because they see 'the anchor man' doing real work instead of worrying as much about makeup and hair.

[LunchPenalty]

What a sad thread. The business is doomed.

[Diggin' Bear]

It's not doomed, but it is changing. I doubt we'll see 'big media stars' like we did in the past.

Don't believe it? Name a big radio star outside of satellite.

[Bureau Chief]

I would also take a hard look at overtime. I wouldn't just put a moratorium on it and hope it goes away like so many managers do. I would instead conduct a detailed analysis of the point at which it becomes cheaper to hire an additional person to pick up the work being done in overtime. I would turn my auditor's eye toward the scheduling system to see if there were a way to make the work day more efficient, by scheduling shifts to match the timing of the work.

I would have my chief engineer work on ways to reduce power consumption. Television stations take ridiculous amounts of power. Fortunately these new digital transmitters cut power consumption by a significant amount, but there are probably other places power consumption can be reduced. I've seen entire racks of equipment stay hot 24 hours per day, even though they're only in use during the newscasts and take 10 seconds to power up. I would ask my engineer to give me an analysis of the cost of powering all that equipment versus any increase in maintenance cost from the wear and tear caused by powering up and down more frequently.

But I still think the best course of action is to cancel news and show sit-coms.


I have to agree about shutting down unused equipment. Our newsroom is empty overnights on Friday and Saturday...and I come in every weekend morning to find all editing equipment still on, all tv monitors still on, all the lights still on and nearly every single computer on every desk still on. Thats burning up profits in a hurry. Now that we are digitally editing, its a little better but not much. The OT problem is being looked at in many places these days...I follow my old fire department closely. Right now, they are delaying a new recruit school for fire fighters to save money...but that translates in to massive OT for firefighters who are already on the payroll. The cost difference is very little. A hiring freeze is often a false economy depending on how vital that frozen position is.

Also,
to save a few $$, in our case, we are making use of a few free lancers as needed. Rather than having more fulltimers on staff, we use stringers with VJ capabilities when we can. It eliminates some OT but not all.

One idea I would like to see is making all newsroom employees "partners" in the effort to reduce costs...maybe offer a cash incentive if expenses are XX% down each quarter or something.

Paper costs. How many fax machines do you have ? and how much paper is wasted each day? Gees our paper budget must be huge. We throw a ton of paper into the recycling bin each day. Did you know there is a cheap service available that converts faxes into emails? Then you print out ONLY what you want to keep, all the rest get deleted. The service cost about $10 a month. Think of all the trees you could save!

I kept count one week at the desk. Each day we recieved on average 243 faxes...and just 20 to 25 of those were needed to be kept for story background or follow up. This was just in the newsroom. The sales, office and production departments have their own fax machines. Think of the savings if those were all coming in as emails rather than a paper fax. I know its a small savings in the over all picture but its the small things that can maybe keep you from having to cut the big things.

Better planning and follow up by producers and the desk.

I cant count the number of times Ive been sent on wild goose chases by a new producer or the AE. Thats alot of miles that dont have to be driven. New producers are the worst offenders IMO. They see a fax and dont read it entirely, pick up the phone and send a crew to some God forsaken place in the outlying areas...only to find that the story actually happened yesterday or dosent happen until tommorrow. Check your story details before sending out the troops.

AND...next time I catch one of the photogs leaving a news unit run all morning to melt the snow off of it, rather than cleaning it off manually, they will be sent packing to the unemployment office!

[Kace]

Name a big radio star outside of satellite.

Workin' on it, hold on. ;)

[adam & doctor drew]

Yes. Employees need to meet certain qualifications in order to be salaried.


which are?

[SamG]

which are?
I don't remember all of them, but the big one is "management". If you have hiring/firing capability you can be salaried.

[Gil]

which are?


From the Dept. of Labor:

COMMONLY USED EXEMPTIONS

Commissioned sales employees (http://www.dol.gov/esa/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs20.htm) of retail or service establishments are exempt from overtime if more than half of the employee's earnings come from commissions and the employee averages at least one and one-half times the minimum wage for each hour worked. Click here (http://www.dol.gov/elaws/esa/flsa/docs/71-reg.asp) to view the regulation.
Computer professionals (http://www.dol.gov/esa/whd/regs/statutes/0002.fair.pdf#Page=18): Section 13(a)(17) of the FLSA provides that certain computer professionals paid at least $27.63 per hour are exempt from the overtime provisions of the FLSA.
Drivers, driver's helpers, loaders and mechanics (http://www.dol.gov/esa/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs19.htm) are exempt from the overtime pay provisions of the FLSA if employed by a motor carrier, and if the employee's duties affect the safety of operation of the vehicles in transportation of passengers or property in interstate or foreign commerce. Click here (http://www.dol.gov/dol/allcfr/ESA/Title_29/Part_782/toc.htm) to view the regulation.
Farmworkers (http://www.dol.gov/esa/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs12.htm) employed on small farms are exempt from both the minimum wage and overtime pay provisions of the FLSA. For the specific regulations on this exemption, click here (http://www.dol.gov/dol/allcfr/ESA/Title_29/Part_780/Subpart_D.htm). Young workers employed on small farms, with parental consent, are also exempt from the child labor provisions of the FLSA. For more information on exemptions from the child labor provisions (http://www.dol.gov/elaws/esa/flsa/cl/default.htm) of the FLSA in agriculture, click the underlined text. Other farmworkers are exempt from the FLSA's overtime provisions. For the specific regulation, click here (http://www.dol.gov/dol/allcfr/ESA/Title_29/Part_780/Subpart_E.htm).
Salesmen, partsmen and mechanics (http://www.dol.gov/esa/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs11.htm) employed by automobile dealerships are exempt from the overtime pay provisions of the FLSA. To view the specific regulation, click here (http://www.dol.gov/dol/allcfr/ESA/Title_29/Part_779/29CFR779.372.htm).
Seasonal and recreational establishments (http://www.dol.gov/esa/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs18.htm): Employees employed by certain seasonal and recreational establishments are exempt from both the minimum wage and overtime pay provisions of the FLSA. To view the applicable regulation, click here (http://www.dol.gov/dol/allcfr/ESA/Title_29/Part_779/29CFR779.385.htm).
Executive, administrative, professional and outside sales employees (http://www.dol.gov/elaws/overtime.htm): (as defined in Department of Labor regulations) and who are paid on a salary basis are exempt from both the minimum wage and overtime provisions of the FLSA.

[ISTHISTHINGON?]

I don't remember all of them, but the big one is "management". If you have hiring/firing capability you can be salaried.
I worked in Smalltown USA for 14,000 a year in 2000....salaried.
Rules were:
Come up with story idea.
Set up interviews.
Shoot story.
Edit story.
Run tapes or camera during show.

[adam & doctor drew]

I don't remember all of them, but the big one is "management". If you have hiring/firing capability you can be salaried.

I've been salaried at my last 4 jobs and didn't have either.

[Spike]

I worked in Smalltown USA for 14,000 a year in 2000....salaried.

And reporters at some stations have successfully sued in the past for back overtime pay or managed to prevail in a Labor Department probe.

Others have attempted and have been unsuccessful.

But the point is that just the fact that they offered you salary and you accepted it doesn't mean it was legal. It's not like there's a Labor Police that goes around arresting managers who pay salary to employees who should be hourly. The enforcement mechanism involves the employee filing a lawsuit or filing a claim with the Department of Labor. They don't do it for you.

[ISTHISTHINGON?]

And reporters at some stations have successfully sued in the past for back overtime pay or managed to prevail in a Labor Department probe.

It's funny you say that...while I was working at the station, I had a lawyer buddy who said there was legal action I could take(but I didn't want to come across to future employers as a sue happy guy). We(all 3 of us omb'rs)ran up a nice 55-60 hour work weeks and ARG! knew we were getting gyped...but yeah...this situation never felt like a legal one.:mad:

[Produce man]

It's not doomed, but it is changing. I doubt we'll see 'big media stars' like we did in the past.

Don't believe it? Name a big radio star outside of satellite.Are you kidding? VIDEO killed the radio star.:whistle:

[The Thrill]

Name a big radio star outside of satellite.

Jim Rome.

[adam & doctor drew]

Name a big radio star outside of satellite.

Rush Limbaugh. (http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/menu/rush.guest.all.html)

[east coast producer]

Yes. Employees need to meet certain qualifications in order to be salaried.

Going along with the "cutting OT" theme... I'd like see the newsroom go to a 4x 10 hour day workweek for photogs/reporters. Our scheduling is such that any live shot outside of a 15 minute radius from the station just about requires OT. Go to the 10 hour day and that's all but eliminated.

Yea.. it's only the reporter/photogs who work endless hours each day.

At my last shop -- when I was producing the 6 -- I got in at 9 a.m., boothed the 6 until 6:30, held a post mortum, wrote a discrepenacy report, posted stories on the web site along with cutting video for it... leaving sometime between 7pm - 8pm. That's 10-11 hours a day. My former employer decided to classify us as exempt, though we didn't meet the definition, to avoid the 10-15 hours of overtime. It wasn't so bad when I did the 10, getting in at 2:30pm and leaving at 11pm.

Now, I work at a wonderful union shop with an actual 8 hour day that includes 30-minute paid lunch. I've never been happier.

[2:30]

totally agree.
if you're a GM and you hire a news director, then you decide you need a consultant to tell the ND what to do, then you picked the wrong ND.

Absolutely right. Consultants are a crutch for GMs and NDs who can't do their jobs. Anyone who wastes scarce budget money on them should have every dime deducted from their own salary.

The rest of the list tougher.

Equipment can be delayed or canceled, unless its return on investment is 100% or more. Travel has probably already been cut - but if you can't spend money for gas to cover stories, you might as well turn out the lights now.

Newscasts have to either make money or they have to go. But does the morning newscast need a dedicated sports reader or a weather person? Can one of the anchors cover each position? Do you need two anchors or is one enough?

[adam & doctor drew]

does the morning newscast need a dedicated sports reader or a weather person? Can one of the anchors cover each position? Do you need two anchors or is one enough?

a few years ago, I saw a cost-cutting station have the noon and weekend anchor voice over full-screens for today, tomorrow and the 5-day forecast, which is really all anyone needs.
it was beautiful.

[we'reinblack]

I would start looking for part timers...a lot of talented women get out of the biz to have kids, or for other reasons and would love to work 2-3 days a week or 4 hours a day. I would eliminate some full time jobs and look to attract the best part timers I could.