Brock Samson
Well-known member
newshooter said:
But I made my last truck payment with 'smiley bucks!' I got sunshine blowin' out my a$$!
Trouble Finding Photogs
- Thread starter BrandNewChief
- Start date
But I made my last truck payment with 'smiley bucks!' I got sunshine blowin' out my a$$!
bajjajed
Member
"most people who start out in small markets ussually stay there for the rest of their careers or quit the buisness b/c after the small market experience (low pay, small resources, lack of respect)..."
I'm in a small market, trying to work my way up. I get very little atta boys, low pay, and old equipment. However, I came to this small market from a production job in a big market, I know the pay is usually low (relative to the city's cost of living) but I love my work, not my station, my work. Money aside, the thought of good equipment and a livable city is a large part of what drives me to do as well as I can here.
I'm in a small market, trying to work my way up. I get very little atta boys, low pay, and old equipment. However, I came to this small market from a production job in a big market, I know the pay is usually low (relative to the city's cost of living) but I love my work, not my station, my work. Money aside, the thought of good equipment and a livable city is a large part of what drives me to do as well as I can here.
The problem is real simple. The price of housing in Florida, rental and owned, has gone through the roof in the last few years. I make a good buck, but I can't afford to buy a home. With the average price over 200k, it's well beyond my reach.
I've been in Florida for almost two years, and I don't plan on leaving anytime soon. But the salaries need to keep up with the cost of housing. If you're making less than 30k in Fort Meyers, where are you going to live? A lot of the rentals are overpriced and going to the snowbirds for $1000 a month. I know, I looked.
What does a photog want? Just the ability to make ends meet. Going from paycheck to paycheck, with no savings is not a good way to live. I'm lucky, my car is paid off, I live less than two miles from work. But younger photogs have college loans, car payments etc. If Mgmnt. doesn't want to pay, then you know the answer.
I've been in Florida for almost two years, and I don't plan on leaving anytime soon. But the salaries need to keep up with the cost of housing. If you're making less than 30k in Fort Meyers, where are you going to live? A lot of the rentals are overpriced and going to the snowbirds for $1000 a month. I know, I looked.
What does a photog want? Just the ability to make ends meet. Going from paycheck to paycheck, with no savings is not a good way to live. I'm lucky, my car is paid off, I live less than two miles from work. But younger photogs have college loans, car payments etc. If Mgmnt. doesn't want to pay, then you know the answer.
bajjajed
Member
Another thing I've come to notice in my short news career is that when stations ask for experience and offer low pay, they often try to make you feel like if you won't work for this money, you must not love your job. That's kind of insulting. Even Hunter Thompson eventually dreamed of owning his own home.
kfatica
Well-known member
Degree an advantage? Not!
...at least not a major advantage in my book because the proof is in the tape. In my opinion, being an active NPPA member carries more weight than a degree because at least then I know the applicant is interested in improving his or her talents. A degree only signifies you are book-smart, not street-wise.
I'm here in a major market (Cleveland) and find that the talent level of the candidate pool the last few years has been disappointing. Now is the time when markets like ours are forging ahead with digital content and HD and need people that are flexible and not just a one-trick pony.
We don't have any current openings for shooters, but our pay is competitive and is better than in some markets slightly larger than ours. A union contract guarantees raises and merit pay, as well as clearly outlining certain perks like rolling over sick days (up to 20 can be banked). It's a big market with a very hometown feel that's easily navigated.
Still, those that have sent their tapes here are for the most part incapable of convincing me they can even do the basics well. Perhaps those people are shooting their sights too high, but what the heck--I came home to Cleveland after spending 11 months right out of college in Wilmington, NC (#151) and Cleveland was then #10. You never know unless you apply.
Best,
Kim
Nooze Hound said:
...at least not a major advantage in my book because the proof is in the tape. In my opinion, being an active NPPA member carries more weight than a degree because at least then I know the applicant is interested in improving his or her talents. A degree only signifies you are book-smart, not street-wise.
I'm here in a major market (Cleveland) and find that the talent level of the candidate pool the last few years has been disappointing. Now is the time when markets like ours are forging ahead with digital content and HD and need people that are flexible and not just a one-trick pony.
We don't have any current openings for shooters, but our pay is competitive and is better than in some markets slightly larger than ours. A union contract guarantees raises and merit pay, as well as clearly outlining certain perks like rolling over sick days (up to 20 can be banked). It's a big market with a very hometown feel that's easily navigated.
Still, those that have sent their tapes here are for the most part incapable of convincing me they can even do the basics well. Perhaps those people are shooting their sights too high, but what the heck--I came home to Cleveland after spending 11 months right out of college in Wilmington, NC (#151) and Cleveland was then #10. You never know unless you apply.
Best,
Kim
Try some college recruiting.
Where I am at there are plenty of college prospects to choose from. To get good quality candidates; I talk to some professors and ask them to send me any leads. Look also at high schools for seniors who have been involved in tv programs. I have also been doing the job fair circuits with plenty of college broadcast graduates looking for a job. Maybe another alternative is some of these larger mega churches have tele-productions, look there. Also I do what others have mentioned. Talk with some of my previous employers in smaller markets. Also, posting on sites such as this one and others gets the attention of shooters who could be looking to make a move. I also hold onto any resumes I have gotten in the past years. Look at these specialty schools like a technical college. They usually have eager people who are willing to work and get experience without the worries of money. Keep a positive additude take your time, THE RIGHT PERSON IS OUT THERE. If you want solid leads right now e-mail me and I will send you a few, seriously.
Where I am at there are plenty of college prospects to choose from. To get good quality candidates; I talk to some professors and ask them to send me any leads. Look also at high schools for seniors who have been involved in tv programs. I have also been doing the job fair circuits with plenty of college broadcast graduates looking for a job. Maybe another alternative is some of these larger mega churches have tele-productions, look there. Also I do what others have mentioned. Talk with some of my previous employers in smaller markets. Also, posting on sites such as this one and others gets the attention of shooters who could be looking to make a move. I also hold onto any resumes I have gotten in the past years. Look at these specialty schools like a technical college. They usually have eager people who are willing to work and get experience without the worries of money. Keep a positive additude take your time, THE RIGHT PERSON IS OUT THERE. If you want solid leads right now e-mail me and I will send you a few, seriously.
S
shade
Guest
you get
you get what you pay for..............
you get what you pay for..............
Natural Born Stringer
Well-known member
shade said:
Exactly true. You'd think the chiefs in this forum would have figured out by now that the reason they can't staff their stations is because their stations are too damned cheap to pay real wages. An earlier poster said it best, he's not looking to get rich, he just wants to make ends meet. That's not an unreasonable request, folks. That's not someone who is "only thinking of the money". That is not someone who doesn't do what they do because they love it. That is simply someone who loves what he does and it hurts because he's going to have to give it up to pay his bills. I know that feeling all too well. It happened to me. That's why I sit here behind a desk for a living instead of stringing. There's just no money in TV news anymore.
TV is surreal when it comes to pay. It really is. Especially for the new kids just starting out. Guys like Max (ironshoulder) who are paid a whopping $6 something an hour to run 6 figures worth of ENG gear... WTF is up with that?
Another chief asked "well OK, I know we're not paying enough but management won't go any higher! Now what?" Simple, just keep telling them the truth everytime they ask why there's no new photogs: "Because you aren't paying enough money to attract anyone good". Eventually they will have no choice but to offer more money - unless they want to eventually become a radio station.
Look around you. The cost of EVERYTHING is going up, up, UP. Housing, food, gas, utilities, clothing... these aren't LUXURY items, these are NEEDS! Wages need to go with it. $30K 5 years ago IS NOT $30K today! Get with the times, offer a REAL wage, and watch the tapes come rolling in. It's as simple as that.