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Lenslinger
01-04-2007, 09:53 PM
...for a good photog or two. Now, before you flame me for trolling for applicants on the message board, know that we've already placed a paid-ad on the b-roll job listing. Why, here it is now:

NEWS PHOTOJOURNALIST (WGHP) High Point, NC. NPPA Station of the Year is looking for a keen and enthusiastic Photojournalist to join our award winning staff. A top rated FOX O and O, we are based in central North Carolina and are shooting all Sony XD and editing Grass Valley Newsedit. We have a strong Reporting staff and an award winning Photo Department. Come and learn from some of the best Photojournalists in the country. Applicants should be creative, hard working and like to have fun. A good tape is important. A great attitude is essential. Team Players only. Resume tapes to: Keith Hale. Manager of Photojournalism. WGHP TV FOX8 2005 Francis Street, High Point, N.C. 27263.

The above job description touches on much, but I'd like to add a little of what I know - for at WGHP you can:

Work, Hard - This ain't no disco. We got a bunch of live trucks, oodles of airtime and a room-full of deskbound experts just itchin' to toss you into the mix. Sure, we value pretty pictures and crisp sound - but if you can't hammer it out on a live truck laptop while hurtling down the interstate, save your escape-tape. In short, we.get.sh!t.done. You can too.

Season Yourself - Don't get us wrong - we'd love someone with a hefty resume, but our shop offers alot to the shooter three or four years into the craft. Though I had more time in service than that when I came aboard, my small-market skills took a quantum leap when equipped with the right tools and the highest of expectations. I even learned to white-balance more than once a week!

Play With the Toys - Hey, we're only a top forty shop, but we saddle our shooters with XDCams, a decent light kit and a semi-shiny white news unit. Wanna feel the love of a well-honed soft-box? No problem. Wanna get you hidden-camera fetish on? We're here for ya. Wanna wow us with your 17 level non-linear edit prowess? Chiggety-Check. Tools don't make the shooter, but it sure is nice when the stuff works as advertised, knowwhatI'msayin'?

Master the Package - Live shots aside, its what we live for - a stand-alone daily masterpiece with a clear beginning, a cogent middle and a satisfying end. Investigative, Consumer, General Assignment and something we lovingly deride as a 'Buck-umentary'. Do time here and you'll soon be able to package a deaf kid prayer vigil and a double-homicide wailing contest - often in the same week!

Be Your Own Photog - We got 'em all here, journeyman sports shooters, wizened edit gurus, NPPA evangelists, technical McGyvers - even one guy who thinks he's the Poet Laureate of the photog nation. Wait, that's me! My point is you can forge your own path here at El Ocho and as long as it passes our standards of quality, you can consider yourself a pioneer! Come on - where else would they let a blowhard like me crank out solo epics three days a week.

lastly, at WGHP, you can:

Work With Those Who Care - The photogs at Fox 8 are as diverse as any other societal microcosm, but amid the nat sound freaks , tripod disciples and wide-angle junkies - we all share a common trait.: We give a damn about what we put in people's living rooms every couple of hours. If you're looking for a shop where your fellow photogs will ignore your work, we ain't it. If you're in search of a station where the shooters regularly gather behind a colleague in mid-edit and shame, harrass or cajole him/her to make it all purty-like, check us out...

In the interest of full disclosure, I should explain why I felt compelled to weigh in with my own bullet-list. No, the suits didn't ask me too . Rather, I sincerely dig this place, It ain't perfect; no shop is. But we crank out a quality product I'm quite proud of and it shows in our low photog-turnover. Now that we got an opening (or two), I want to make sure we maintain that quality with the very best hire. That, and once the whole photog-reporter ratio evens out, I can get back to my anchor-pack habit. Just being honest...

Freddie Mercury
01-05-2007, 12:36 AM
Slinger,

How did your station end up with XDCams? I was led to believe Fox was going P2 across the board. I think you got the better deal. Just curious.

McQueen
01-05-2007, 08:16 AM
Damn that is poetry! Nice job...Makes me want to sign up.

Nooze Hound
01-05-2007, 09:41 AM
DAMMIT!

if i wasn't locked into a lease until April I'de be driving down there right now. :(

Tdomi74
01-05-2007, 11:25 AM
As a member of WGHP photog nation, Slinger has spoken the truth about our shop. He has answered most if not all the question one would have about WGHP. It truly is a second family here amoung the photog's and the entire staff here. I mean where else can you kid around at work, have a good time while doing it and get paid on top of it all. Even when the desk piles on or breaking news gods has a grasp around your throat there is always something to chuckle over.

If your newer to the business (3 to 4 years) you can come here and grow into what ever stlye your interested. Then right your own ticket from there. If your a vet that is looking to settle down with a family or get away from the daily run and gun. This is one of the better places to call home. Either way send a tape, for this has to be the best shop I've worked for during my tenure. Hence why the turnover rate is so low.

Plus where else can you go to see a two headed calf?

http://www.myfoxwghp.com

The Toplens
01-05-2007, 02:50 PM
Hey Lenslinger and Tie Domi

I was looking at that ad and was thinking of applying for it. I'm in the UK at the moment and looking for a complete change of scenery!

Could I ask a favor of you both? Would you mind viewing my showreel and let me know if it would be the kind of tape that your Photojournalism manager would be expecting. I know that it's only the Atlantic that seperates us but I want to create the right impression and I've not had to cut a tape for years and years.

The video is here -
http://s10.photobucket.com/albums/a120/thetoplens/?action=view&current=Show1.flv

It lasts a little over 4 minutes and has some of my work from the last few years.

By the way if any other Stateside photog wants to comment please feel free - I can take critisism honestly!

Thanks in advance!

cameradog
01-05-2007, 04:46 PM
It's pretty obvious from your tape that you can shoot. It's really, really obvious that you can shoot standups.

What the tape doesn't show, and what chiefs at local stations in the US usually want to see, is that you can do entire stories. Chiefs typically don't want to see montages, nor do they want to hear music beds under the material. They usually want to see a series of individual packages that show how you deal with storytelling. They want to hear how you use the sound, without music distracting from it. Your tape doesn't show much storytelling at all.

I think you'd be surprised at how little post production goes into a photog's tape in the US. My last tape consisted of a 15 second slate with my name and telephone number, followed by five whole packages with one second of black separating each one. It was probably even one package too long.

Considering that you're coming from a different kind of television market, you may get a pass on what they expect. There are even chiefs who would be impressed enough with your BBC experience that they would be willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. On the other hand, I wouldn't necessarily expect WGHP to be one of them. I would expect the chief there to want to see full packages in a traditional, typical US local news tape.

FTOJRLST
01-16-2007, 10:22 PM
Bump...Still looking for a (couple of) good candidates for this (these) positions.

NorthShore
01-16-2007, 11:26 PM
Brad & Stewart,
I'd love to come to NC but how am I going to get the $50k+ and 6 weeks of vacation I currently enjoy here in market 140+...???




Stewart, love your writing and Brad, I hope you did well with the accolades you were up for....Keep up the fine work that you all are doing down there!!!




Cheers to you all!!!!!!!

svp
01-17-2007, 12:20 AM
What is the deadline for applying???

Bluedog
01-17-2007, 10:37 AM
Apply now, we've still got at least one opening, maybe 2.

Tdomi74
01-17-2007, 12:01 PM
SVP:
If your good, you will get noticed. Send a tape today, who knows you too can maybe work with "Slinger" or "Bluedog"

NorthShore:
Dude you would love it down here, it's only 3 hours from your favorite place on the NC coast. Having another vet would be nice, but you wouldn't be able to work with your favorite reporter no more. God Speed

cameragod
01-17-2007, 01:53 PM
So would they pay relocation costs from New Zealand?

cameragod
01-18-2007, 01:56 AM
Going to P2!!! Changed my mind.

Mighty Dyckerson
01-18-2007, 11:48 PM
...how am I going to get the $50k+ and 6 weeks of vacation I currently enjoy here in market 140+...???

Sorry, pathological liars need not apply.

big daddy
01-20-2007, 10:12 AM
This is probably one of the best pitches for a job but it fails to mention one small little thing----salary range....

Give me an idea and I may apply.....

cameradog
01-20-2007, 01:33 PM
This is probably one of the best pitches for a job but it fails to mention one small little thing----salary range....

Give me an idea and I may apply.....

In that market, you could manage a starting income as high as $25K per year*. Woo hoo!







*with overtime.

Run 'n' Get 'em
01-20-2007, 01:46 PM
High 20s with about 3 years in...plus OT...

FTOJRLST
01-20-2007, 02:38 PM
Check your PM Big Daddy. To everyone I'd say the salary survey is pretty accurate. Expect to start in the lower third of that range depending on your experience level. The longer you stick around the quicker your raises will ad up.

Tdomi74
01-20-2007, 03:10 PM
Big Daddy, Check your PM!

big daddy
01-20-2007, 06:52 PM
I'm having some trouble checking my PM so bear with me....

How bout other perks? Take home car? Cable and/or internet? etc, etc...

How bout vacation time? What shift would it be? Is this a bureau postition? How's your on call system work? How bout ratio of reporters to photographers? What's a typical story count? Photogs run live trucks?

I've got 10 years in the business.....Can provide you with all kinds of different resume tapes---a reel of NAT pkgs, one of spot news, one of features, one of court stuff, etc, etc......Trained on live trucks, experience with Avid Newscutter......

I show up in the morning meeting with story ideas, add input to others, and basically stay on top of local news better than most reporters/producers.....

I volunteer for as much OT as my current station will allow (been doing 6 days a week since October) and often will come in on my day off to turn a NAT pkg......



(the only thing I can't do right now is type in complete sentences but that's due to 50 plus hours this week)....

Nooze Hound
01-20-2007, 10:05 PM
me=totally outclassed.

:(

Tdomi74
01-22-2007, 09:09 AM
Big Daddy Check your PM for a reply.