public relations the way to go?

[laschutz]

hi again everyone! being that there seems to be alot of negativity and yet realistic truthfulness about the tv journalism world and trying to make a career out of it, i was wondering with my b.a. in communications, outgoing personable personality and my skill and interest in writing if perhaps my career goal should instead go after a career in public relations?

bought the book "cool careers for dummies" lol! i know i know! lol! but it actually was interesting this book about good careers and opportunites, dying careers, and so on.

anyway, it says a good career can be had going into public relations?

in fact, the author made note of one aspect of public relations that has a bright future and that being working for a company that does public relations for travel companies and clubs and resorts?!

getting to travel extensively and report and investigate and then of course do glowing public relations reports about your travel experience seems like an awfully good and exciting and well paid career? (of course the author doesn't give any names of companies, public relations companies that do this stuff)

serious thoughts and comments please?

[adam & doctor drew]

I'm always amazed by TV people who think they can just wake up one day and seamlessly slide right into PR.
were there not people at your school who MAJORED in PR?
I'd imagine they have an advantage on you.

(just as a PR grad who suddenly decided he/she wanted to anchor, with zero experience, would have an uphill climb).

that said, almost anything (including PR) would appear to have a brighter future than local TV news.

[overthehill]

I would bet those travel-the-world, write, critique, PR type jobs (if they actually exist), go to people with years of experience. If you have years of experience, sure go for it.

Despite the challenging times in the news business, I still think it's the best job you can have (at least that I can have). Yes there are frustrations, but there are frustrations with every job, including public relations.

I'd also ask you to critically examine what KIND of PR job you want. Corporate relations, public information officer, media relations at a medical center or major institution, press spokesman for a politician or association, working a PR job for a "for hire" public relations firm? Note that many of those careers often require someone to have some news experience FIRST.

[Fake Post]

Got news for ya folks.

P.R. Jobs do exist but they are few and far between.

Oh, and let's not forget competing with all the newspaper types who are losing their jobs in journalism that you'll be in competition with.

If you work in a p.r. position with a company, be ready to lose your job when times get tough. On one hand, your position is considedered a necessity, on the other hand, you're the first to get canned.

Tough to find, tough to hold onto.

Hope that helps...

Good Luck

[Sir Dropham Pants]

Overthehill and Fake both make good points. There are MANY types of PR jobs, and I'd venture to say the majority of those jobs don't deal a lot with news media. Some of your newsroom skills may be of benefit, but real PR skills (like real news skills) come with experience. Many PR jobs also involve marketing and sales. I think most newsfolk don't have a real handle on how that side of life works.
I'm not trying to discourage you from going for it. Yes, there are good PR jobs out there. But there are some not-so-good ones too. I think it's very important for people applying for PR jobs to get a very firm handle on where the public relations or marketing dept. ranks in the overall structure of the company or organization. If PR is not terribly important to the company, expect to have that reflected or magnified each day at work. And expect cuts to come there when business is down. If the organization takes publicity and marketing seriously, you will probably be happier at work. But you'd also better know your stuff because the boss will expect you to deliver.
I've learned a lot since I moved from news to PR; I'm glad I did it, but it is not for everyone.

[Spike]

Keep in mind also that in some companies, the "PR" department also handles internal corporate communications, which means they may expect you to:

- have a good working knowledge of desktop and website publishing software
- be able to maintain their intranet
- set up corporate meetings, investor conference calls and teleconferencing
- coordinate corporate training

They'll put what they're looking for in their job listings. Make a search on Monster, Careerbuilder or Yahoo HotJobs and see what the actual requirements are before you start making too many plans.

I don't think I would recommend PR for you. It requires writing, and your writing style is very poor. That's not a problem if you want a non-writing career, but PR would not suit you.

[isentropic upglide]

I think I had rather ride the sinking local television boat than get some boring PR job. It seems that most people on this forum always talk about other careers they had rather have, Then get out of this business, so it will open up a job to someone that really wants to be part of local TV.

[jrat33]

Got news for ya folks.

P.R. Jobs do exist but they are few and far between.

Oh, and let's not forget competing with all the newspaper types who are losing their jobs in journalism that you'll be in competition with.

If you work in a p.r. position with a company, be ready to lose your job when times get tough. On one hand, your position is considedered a necessity, on the other hand, you're the first to get canned.

Tough to find, tough to hold onto.

Hope that helps...

Good Luck

I think TV and radio folks make better PR people than newspaper reporters. A television personality HAS to be outgoing, friendly, a schmoozer....basically, full of BS. The job description calls for it. That's why I shifted so seamlessly into the position. I was a former TV reporter, I knew exactly how to pitch a story to the media to get them to pick it up, and as soon as they said they wanted to do the story, I bent over backwards to get them any and all info I could and make their experience a pleasant one so when it came time for them to look for a subject matter expert on a topic, they thought of me and my company first.That's what makes a great PR person. The ability to sell the product.

In my experience, newspaper reporters tend to be a little more intraverted and not nearly as outgoing. They're used to keeping things pretty close to the vest and are not always the friendliest of people. They also like to pick a fight and that is usually a sign of a combative personality. That combativeness could carry over into the PR world and make it difficult for the newspaper person to be able to do their job effectively.

Just my opinion though.

[Mighty Dyckerson]

serious thoughts and comments please?

Just a word of warning: I think they use capital letters in PR.

[east coast producer]

I don't think I would recommend PR for you. It requires writing, and your writing style is very poor. That's not a problem if you want a non-writing career, but PR would not suit you.

Spike FTW.

[Clever Login Name]

Fake post.

I really, really hope.

Otherwise, there is someone this stupid out there.

[Buck T. Trend]

I would echo (almost) all the comments made previously, and add one of my own: most of the smart people in TV bailed out for PR or PIO gigs two or three years ago. I'm glad I made the jump when I did, because I can't imagine trying to do it now. Yes, being a PIO may not be as "glamorous" or "exciting" as TV news, but I'm being paid a helluva lot more, I work 8-5 M-F, have holidays and weekends off, and actually have a family life now.

If you are serious about getting into PR, you'll need skills beyond those you learned in TV news. As others said, PR/media relations/PIO jobs require you to be a jack of all trades. Fortunately, I had picked up basic web programming on my own, know enough about computers and video technology to be dangerous, and had a part-time job as a trainer when I worked in TV news. If I hadn't had these skills, I probably wouldn't have gotten the job I have now.

[wx or not]

Super Sally must be looking for work.

[The Mockingbird]

The job market is pretty awful right now, and with a lot of your colleagues looking for work, you might find the transition more difficult.

[Wise Old Producer]

You won't jump right into a corporate job. Every experienced journalist in town is applying for those. They will go to people with experience and connections. Agencies occasionally have entry-level positions, but those generally go to PR grads.

PR can be a lot of fun. Like a newsroom, every day is different, and it's unlikely you'll get bored.

With your communications degree, I would recommend a couple of things. If you are seriously interested in a PR career, hook up with your local PRSA chapter. You will not find a better resource for building your network and learning the ins and out of PR in your market. You would also do well to seek out a mentor.

I would also encourage you to seek out opportunities with non-profits. They can't pay much, but they are an amazing on-the-job training ground. Be prepared to show you understand the basics of marketing and event planning, and find a way to demonstrate your organizational skills. Know Microsoft Office and if you don't have some graphic design skills, get some.

This can give you the experience you need to have more choices in a couple of years.

Good luck.